Zoho Mail IMAP Connection Timeout - SMTP Works Fine
Describe the problem/error/question
I cannot connect to Zoho Mail via IMAP in n8n Cloud. The connection consistently times out after 20 seconds, but SMTP works perfectly with identical credentials. It was workign fine and just stopped working all of a sudden.
Attempted configurations:
Host: imap.zoho.com with Port 993 (SSL/TLS enabled) - timeout
Host: imappro.zoho.com with Port 993 (SSL/TLS enabled) - timeout
Host: imappro.zoho.com with Port 143 (SSL/TLS disabled) - timeout
Tried both regular Zoho password and app-specific password
Verified IMAP is enabled in Zoho Mail settings
What works:
SMTP credential connects successfully using smtp.zoho.com:465 with the same password
This proves credentials are correct
What is the error message (if any)?
Couldn’t connect with these settings
connection timed out. timeout = 20000 ms
Zoho Mail Configuration (verified in Zoho settings):
Account type: Organization/custom domain (portal@mirren.com.au)
IMAP enabled: Yes
Zoho specifies: imappro.zoho.com:993 with SSL
Question: Are IMAP ports (993 and 143) blocked on n8n Cloud? Why would SMTP connect successfully but IMAP timeout with the same credentials?
Please share your workflow
N/A - This is a credential connection issue occurring during credential testing, before any workflow can execute.
Share the output returned by the last node
N/A - Cannot execute workflow as IMAP credential fails connection test.
Information on your n8n setup
n8n version: 1.120.4
Database: n8n Cloud default
n8n EXECUTIONS_PROCESS setting: n8n Cloud default
Running n8n via: n8n Cloud (Starter plan)
Operating system: n8n Cloud
The issue seems to be a timeout when connecting to Zoho Mail via IMAP, even though SMTP works fine. This suggests a potential issue with the IMAP connection specifically. Since you’re using n8n Cloud, it’s possible that there might be network restrictions.
I’m not 100% certain, but you might want to verify with n8n support or on the n8n Discord if there are any known issues with IMAP connections to Zoho Mail from n8n Cloud. You could also try a different region in your n8n Cloud setup if available, to rule out any regional network issues.