# Connecting an Email Channel
<h1>Connecting an Email Channel</h1>
<p>An email channel lets you receive customer requests from email in Swarmica and reply to them from tickets.</p>
<h2>How do I connect an email channel?</h2>
<p>For most use cases, we recommend connecting email via <strong>IMAP</strong>. It is the default and easiest option to configure: Swarmica retrieves new messages directly from your mailbox.</p>

1.  Go to **Settings > Channels > Email** ,  click **Create** button in right-upper conner and choose *IMAP*
2.  Fill in the credentials to chosen mailbox

![](https://support.swarmica.com/attachments/1/m/1mZlrjPr9gBITS-F_a/image.png)

1.  Make sure **"Enabled"** checkbox is **On** and click **Save**

    ![](https://support.swarmica.com/attachments/x/n/xnoW8SOCloFgYmUO_a/image.png)

<p>The only consideration with IMAP is that an email usually appears in Swarmica <strong>within 1–2 minutes</strong> after it arrives in the mailbox.</p>
<h2>Connecting email via IMAP</h2>
<p>Choose the guide for your email provider:</p>

<ul>
  <li><a href="https://support.swarmica.com/article/en/431-connecting-gmail-email-to-swarmica.html">Connecting Gmail Email</a></li>
  <li><a href="https://support.swarmica.com/article/en/433-connecting-yahoo-mail.html">Connecting Yahoo! Mail</a></li>
</ul>

<h2>When to choose SMTP transfer</h2>
<p>If a 1–2 minute delay is not acceptable, use <strong>SMTP transfer</strong>. This option delivers email to Swarmica without delay, but requires a more complex setup. It is also suitable for complex corporate email environments, including Microsoft Exchange-based deployments.</p>
<p>For step-by-step instructions, see <a href="https://support.swarmica.com/article/en/1624-how-to-configure-an-smtp-email-channel-in-swarmica.html">How to Configure an SMTP Email Channel in Swarmica</a>.</p>
<h2>How do I configure email in Swarmica?</h2>
<p>Choose the connection method that fits your needs: IMAP for a simple standard setup, or SMTP transfer when immediate delivery or a complex corporate infrastructure is required.</p>