Set up desktop and specialist clients

Choose the connection that matches the client and the data you need to sync. Always try automatic account setup first; Ration advertises discovery details for compatible mail and ActiveSync clients.

Quick client matrix

Client or device	Recommended setup	What syncs
iPhone, iPad, Android phone, Outlook mobile	Exchange ActiveSync	Mail, contacts, calendar, tasks, and notes where the client supports them.
Outlook for Windows or Mac	ActiveSync when offered; otherwise IMAP + SMTP	Mail; ActiveSync can also expose supported personal-information data.
Thunderbird	IMAP + SMTP; add CalDAV/CardDAV separately if needed	Mail, plus separate calendar/contact accounts.
Apple Mail on macOS	IMAP + SMTP, or Exchange ActiveSync when the organisation recommends it	Mail; use separate CalDAV/CardDAV accounts when needed.
Apple Calendar / Apple Contacts	CalDAV / CardDAV	Calendars / contacts.
Android calendar/contact sync app	CalDAV / CardDAV	Calendars / contacts.
A scanner, printer, CRM, or legacy mail app	SMTP for sending; IMAP or POP3 only if it needs mailbox access	The service required by the device.

Details needed for manual setup

Use the managed-cloud values below only if automatic discovery does not finish. For an on-premises or MSP deployment, replace them with the hostname, port, and TLS settings supplied by that provider.

Service	Server	Username	Security	Typical secure port
IMAP	imap.ration.works	Full Ration email address	SSL/TLS	993
IMAP, STARTTLS	imap.ration.works	Full Ration email address	STARTTLS	143
POP3	pop.ration.works	Full Ration email address	SSL/TLS	995
POP3, STARTTLS	pop.ration.works	Full Ration email address	STARTTLS	110
SMTP submission	smtp.ration.works	Full Ration email address	STARTTLS	587
SMTP submission, implicit TLS	smtp.ration.works	Full Ration email address	SSL/TLS	465
CalDAV	https://app.ration.works/.well-known/caldav	Full Ration email address	HTTPS	443
CardDAV	https://app.ration.works/.well-known/carddav	Full Ration email address	HTTPS	443
ActiveSync	https://mail.ration.works/Microsoft-Server-ActiveSync	Full Ration email address	HTTPS	443

For on-premises and MSP deployments, use the provider's hostname and supported TLS port where they differ from these managed-cloud defaults. Do not use unencrypted connections.

Accounts protected by 2FA

For IMAP, POP3, and SMTP, create an application-specific password in Settings → Security and use it instead of the normal sign-in password. ActiveSync is configured as an Exchange account using the normal account sign-in details; do not substitute an application-specific password unless your administrator specifically directs you to.

Outlook

Outlook mobile

1. Open Settings in Outlook.
2. Select Add Mail Account → Add Email Account.
3. Enter your Ration email address and select Sign In.
4. Allow automatic discovery to choose the account type.
5. If automatic detection does not complete, select Not a … account → IMAP, then enter the IMAP and SMTP values in the table above.

Microsoft’s Outlook mobile IMAP setup guidance describes where the manual server fields appear.

Outlook for Windows

1. Open Outlook, then choose File → Add Account in classic Outlook, or View settings → Accounts → Your accounts → Add Account in new Outlook.
2. Enter your Ration email address and attempt automatic setup.
3. If it asks you to choose an account type, select IMAP unless your administrator has directed you to an Exchange/ActiveSync profile.
4. Enter the incoming IMAP and outgoing SMTP server details, enable TLS, and sign in with the required credential.

Microsoft documents the current Outlook for Windows account-add flow. Exact labels vary between new and classic Outlook.

Thunderbird

1. Open Account Settings, then select Account Actions → Add Mail Account.
2. Enter your name, full Ration email address, and password or application-specific password.
3. Wait for automatic configuration.
4. If Thunderbird cannot find the settings, select Configure manually.
5. Select IMAP (recommended) or POP3 only when you explicitly need download-style mail retrieval.
6. Enter the incoming and outgoing SMTP details from the table, require SSL/TLS, then select Done.

Thunderbird explains its automatic account configuration and lets you switch between IMAP and POP3 during setup.

For calendar and contacts, add separate CalDAV and CardDAV accounts using the discovery URLs in the manual-setup table.

Apple Mail, Calendar, and Contacts on macOS

Mail

1. Open Mail → Add Account.
2. Enter your Ration email address and choose automatic setup.
3. If you must configure manually, choose Other Mail Account, then select IMAP and enter the IMAP/SMTP details.

Calendar

1. Open Calendar → Add Account.
2. Choose Other CalDAV Account.
3. Enter your full Ration email address, password, and https://app.ration.works/.well-known/caldav as the server when prompted. On-premises/MSP customers should use their provider's CalDAV address.

Contacts

1. Open Contacts → Add Account.
2. Choose Other Contacts Account or CardDAV.
3. Enter your full Ration email address, password, and https://app.ration.works/.well-known/carddav as the server when prompted. On-premises/MSP customers should use their provider's CardDAV address.

macOS labels vary by release. If the client follows the discovery redirect automatically, use only the well-known URL rather than trying to construct a longer path.

CalDAV and CardDAV clients

Most DAV clients use the same three values:

Field	CalDAV	CardDAV
Account type	CalDAV	CardDAV
Server URL	https://app.ration.works/.well-known/caldav	https://app.ration.works/.well-known/carddav
Username	Full Ration email address	Full Ration email address
Password	Ration password	Ration password

When a DAV client offers Login URL, Base URL, or Discover collections, use the well-known URL and allow collection discovery. Ration redirects these standard discovery endpoints to the correct calendar or address-book service. On-premises/MSP customers should use their provider's discovery URL instead.

For Android, use a CalDAV/CardDAV-capable sync application and create a separate account for each service only when ActiveSync is not appropriate. Grant the app only the device permissions required for the calendars or contacts you intend to sync.

POP3: use only when appropriate

POP3 downloads mail to the client and is best reserved for legacy clients that cannot use IMAP. It does not provide folder-level, multi-device mailbox synchronisation in the way IMAP does. If the client offers both, select IMAP.

Sending-only devices and applications

For a printer, scanner, website, CRM, or other device that only sends email:

1. Configure the SMTP server and TLS mode supplied by your administrator.
2. Use the full Ration email address as the SMTP username when authentication is required.
3. Use an application-specific password when the account has 2FA enabled.
4. Send a test message to an internal and external recipient, if permitted by your organisation.

Do not embed a personal mailbox password in shared equipment. Use a dedicated account and restrict access according to your organisation’s policy.

Troubleshooting manual connections

Symptom	Check
Certificate warning	Confirm the hostname against the administrator-provided value. Do not bypass certificate warnings.
Authentication fails after enabling 2FA	Use a newly created application-specific password for IMAP, POP3, or SMTP.
Mail receives but cannot send	Check SMTP hostname, port, TLS mode, and SMTP authentication.
Calendar/contact account is empty	Confirm that the CalDAV/CardDAV discovery URL, full email-address username, and HTTPS are in use.
POP3 does not show folders or read state	This is expected; use IMAP if the client supports it.

For further help, provide support with the client name/version, operating system, selected protocol, server hostname, port, and the exact error text. Never provide a password, application-specific password, backup code, or TOTP code.