# App passwords

> Connect Gmail, Google Workspace, iCloud, Yahoo and most other mail with an app password. Where to create one for each, and why Microsoft mailboxes can't connect yet.

Source: https://sydbar.app/docs/app-passwords

An app password is a separate password your mail provider makes for one app. With it Sydbar reads your inbox (IMAP) and sends replies you approve (SMTP). It doesn't give calendar, Meet transcripts, Gmail labels or archive sync; for those, [connect Gmail through Google](/docs/gmail).

## Connect

1. Create an app password with your provider (below).
2. Open **Settings → Connections → App password**.
3. Enter the email address and the app password. Sydbar finds the mail servers itself.
4. Sydbar checks the connection before saving.

If the servers aren't found, open **Server settings** and enter the IMAP and SMTP servers your provider lists.

## Where to create one

| Provider | Where | Needs first |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Gmail and Google Workspace | [myaccount.google.com/apppasswords](https://myaccount.google.com/apppasswords) | 2-Step Verification on |
| iCloud Mail | [account.apple.com](https://account.apple.com) → Sign-In and Security → App-Specific Passwords | Two-factor authentication on |
| Yahoo Mail | [login.yahoo.com/account/security](https://login.yahoo.com/account/security) → Generate app password | |

> **Warning: Microsoft mailboxes can't connect yet**
> Microsoft has turned off app-password access to mail. Personal Outlook.com, Hotmail and Live accounts need Microsoft's own sign-in, and Microsoft 365 work accounts block it for the whole organization. So Outlook, Hotmail and Microsoft 365 mailboxes can't connect to Sydbar yet. A **Connect Microsoft** option, which signs in through Microsoft like Connect Gmail does through Google, is planned.
Use the app password, not your normal password. You can revoke it with your provider at any time; Sydbar then shows the connection needs attention.

> **Note: iCloud with your own domain**
> iCloud signs in with your Apple Account's iCloud address. If your mailbox uses a custom domain and the check fails, Sydbar can't take a separate sign-in name yet.
## What Sydbar reads

The mail that matters from the inbox folder: mail from people and anything involving a client, never newsletters or notifications (see [What comes in](/docs/inbox#what-comes-in)). On connect, your latest conversations up to the number you pick; then new mail about every five minutes, or right away when you press **Refresh**.