This article explains the available email server options, how to configure and verify support email addresses, manage existing email configurations, and troubleshoot common email and ticket creation issues.

We have updated the email setup flow. Please read through the entire article, to understand the new flow.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• About Freshdesk email
  • Types of email servers
  • Email setup combination
• Set up email using Gmail, Microsoft Office 365, and other email servers 
• Set up emails using the Freshworks mail server
  • Verify your email on the Freshworks mail server
    • Configure DKIM
    • Verify emails and set up forwarding rules
• Manage your emails
  • Set a primary email address
  • Edit an email
  • Delete a support email
  • Configure advanced email settings
  • Forward emails from other/agent's inboxes to your support portal
• Troubleshoot support email issues
  • Troubleshoot support email verification
  • Common reasons for ticket creation failure
• Tips and best practices

About Freshdesk email

When you create a Freshdesk account, you will receive an email ID by default on the Freshworks mail server. You can use the default email ID to manage all your email transactions. Additionally, you can add emails in other public domains, such as Gmail, Microsoft Office, or other custom email servers.

Any email sent to your configured email ID will be automatically converted to Freshdesk tickets.

Prerequisites

Before configuring support emails, ensure that:

• Ensure that you have an administrator role to set up and configure Email for your account.
• You have access to the mailbox that will be configured as the support email.
• You have administrator access to your email service provider (if required for forwarding rules, SMTP, or IMAP configuration).
  
  

Types of email servers

Currently, you can set up email in Freshdesk via the following Email servers:

Email setup combination

Freshdesk provides the flexibility to choose and decide the email setup flow. The options are:

• Incoming Only: Allows you to configure and manage emails specifically for handling incoming email transactions. You can select from popular email services such as Gmail, Microsoft Office 365, and Custom servers (your own mail server).

  
  

  If you use a non-public domain email (e.g., help@acme.com), Freshworks will automatically assign its own mail server for outgoing emails. This means you can use the default Freshworks email as the reply address to respond to emails.  

  
  

  If you use a public domain email (e.g., help@gmail.com), the default outgoing email server will be the same as the one managing your incoming emails (e.g., Gmail in this case). However, you can later update the settings to switch to a different server for outgoing emails if needed.
  
  

• Outgoing only: Allows you to add and manage emails only for outgoing email transactions. Again, you can choose from Gmail, Microsoft Office 365, Custom servers

  
  

  For this setup, the Freshworks mail server will be used to handle all incoming emails, while your outgoing emails will be sent via the server you select. This is useful if you want control over outgoing email communications but prefer to use Freshworks for managing inbound messages.

• Incoming and outgoing: Allows you to add and manage emails for both incoming and outgoing email transactions.

Before you begin: 
We recommend you to use a support email of your email domain to avoid any issues with ticket creation.
Only the emails received in primary folder of your support mailbox will be converted as tickets.
You can add multiple support emails from the Growth plan. However, if you are on the Freshdesk Free program, you can add only one email.

Set up email using Gmail, Microsoft Office 365, and other email servers 

Bring your existing emails configured on public domains such as Gmail, Microsoft Office 365, and other custom mail servers. For more information, see Set up emails on Gmail, Microsoft Office, and other Customer Servers.

Set up emails using the Freshworks mail server

1. Log in to your account as an administrator.
2. Go to Admin Settings > Channels > Email. You can see the default support email address. It is the same email you received when you signed up.
   
3. Click New support email.
4. Choose the preferred email setup combination and select Freshworks mail server.
5. Enter the Support email name and add your email alias. This will be your reply-to email address.
   
6. Configure your Incoming email system. 
   • Click on the drop-down. To ensure that all incoming emails are converted to Freshdesk tickets, you must set up forwarding rules in your mailbox (for example, Gmail). You can do this while verifying your emails.
   • Copy your Freshworks forwarding address. A long forwarding address will be automatically generated based on the email you entered in the previous step. 
   • Proceed with email verification.
     
7. Configure Outgoing email system: You can choose the same Freshworks mail server for managing your outgoing email transaction or choose other servers like Gmail, Microsoft Office 365, or other custom email servers.
8. Assign to group: Select the group (department/team) to which you want to assign the incoming tickets when addressed to this support email. For example, Billing, Customer Support, Accounts, etc. Alternatively, you can configure automation rules to automatically route tickets to a specific group.
9. Link this support email with a product: Associate the email with a product. You can set up multiple products and assign different mailboxes for each product. 
10. Click Save. You can see the saved email on the Email list page. Proceed with Email Verification.

Note: Multiple product setup is available from the Pro+ plans.

Verify your email on the Freshworks mail server

If you use the Freshworks mail server to configure emails, you need to complete the verification process to be able to receive emails as tickets.

To verify emails:

1. On the Email list page, click Verify next to the email address you want to verify.
   
2. The verification process includes the following steps:
   • Configure DKIM
   • Verify emails

Configure DKIM

DKIM adds a signature to emails to verify their source, preventing impersonation and reducing spam. 

To configure DKIM, click Configure DKIM. You will be redirected to the Email Domains page, where you can add domains. For more information, see DKIM configuration.

Verify emails and set up forwarding rules

Once DKIM is configured, proceed with email verification and configure the steps to set up forwarding rules in your support mailbox. 

Note: Your emails will be converted to tickets only after you set up forwarding rules. Hence, make sure to complete this step.

1. Click Verify next to the support email to be activated.
   

2. Copy the Freshdesk long forwarding address generated for the support email.
   Note: The long forwarding email address is automatically generated based on the support email address you enter while adding a new email.

3. Proceed with setting up forwarding rules. The verification and configuration steps vary depending on your email client.

Important: 

We do not recommend disabling the automatic ticket creation from the support email address unless you have valid requirements. Removing the support email configuration impacts all the incoming email responses, and restricts their integration with your account, leading to email threading issues.

However, if you need to temporarily disable automatic ticket creation, you can disable the forwarding setup (IMAP) in your support mailbox that connects to Freshdesk so that every email does not get converted into a ticket.

Please note that no new tickets or incoming email responses will be created/appended to existing tickets unless the IMAP is enabled again. Also, you have to manually forward the emails from your support mailbox to record them in your account during this time.

Set up forwarding rules in Gmail

1. Log in to the Gmail account associated with your support email.

2. Go to Settings > Forwarding and POP / IMAP. 

3. Click Add a forwarding address. Paste the copied long forwarding email address from Freshdesk in the pop-up box and click Next.
   

4. A confirmation link for forwarding will be sent to the forwarding address. This will be created as a ticket in your Freshdesk account.

5. To view the ticket, go to the Freshdesk Ticket list view. Click on the confirmation link on the ticket to confirm the request.
   

6. Now, switch back to your Gmail settings, select Forward a copy of the incoming email to option, and click Save Changes.
   

7. You can choose from the following options based on your requirements:
   Keep Gmail’s copy in the Inbox - The emails will remain unread once forwarded

   Mark Gmail’s copy as read - The emails will be marked read once forwarded

   Archive Gmail’s copy - The emails will be archived once forwarded

   Delete Gmail’s copy - The emails will be moved to Trash once forwarded
   

8. Once the forwarding rule is successfully added and verified in the support mailbox, return to the Freshdesk email verification step (see step 2 in  Verify emails and set up forwarding rules section) and click Next.
9. You will receive a Freshdesk test mail in your support mailbox to verify the support email.
   To ensure successful email verification, check if this test email is converted as a Freshdesk ticket in your account.
10. This completes the email setup and verification via the Freshworks mail server. 

Set up forwarding rules in Microsoft Office 365

To set up forwarding on your Office 365,

1. Log in to your Microsoft Office 365 account as an administrator. From the menu on top, click Admin > Exchange.
2. From the menu on the left, click Mail Flow. 
3. Under the Rules section, click the '+' (plus) button and select Create a new rule.
4. Enter the rule name. 
5. In the drop-down menu, choose the condition The recipient is to apply the forwarding rule.
6. From the next page, choose your actual support email address (support@yourcompany.com) and click OK.
7. In the drop-down menu, choose 'Redirect the message to'.
8. Paste the email address Freshdesk provided (support@yourcompany.freshdesk.com or a similar one) and paste it in the 'check names' text box.
9. Now, click on the check names button label after you enter the address.
10. Now, click OK to leave this page, and click Save from the previous page.

Tip: To ensure only relevant emails are processed as tickets from Gmail or Microsoft Office 365, you can aet up filters or rules:

Set up filters in Gmail
Go to Settings > Filters and Blocked Addresses > Create a new filter.
Define criteria with specific keywords like, email addresses, or domains.
Select "Apply the label" and create a label; for example,  "Support Tickets".
Set up rules in Microsoft Office 365:
Go to Home > Rules > Manage Rules & Alerts > New Rule.
Choose "Apply rule on messages I receive" and click Next. Define conditions such as specific words in the subject or sender's address.
Select "move it to the specified folder" and choose the appropriate folder where support emails should be moved. Click Finish and Apply the rule.

Manage your emails

You can edit, delete, and manage your existing emails from the Email list page:

1. Set a primary email address
2. Edit an email
3. Delete a support email
4. Configure advanced email settings
5. Forward emails from other/agent's inboxes to your support portal

Set a primary email address

When you have multiple support emails, you can mark a specific email as the global primary support email. To do this, click on the star iconnext to the support email.

When tickets are created through channels other than email, Freshdesk automatically uses the primary support email in reply emails. For example, if a customer raises a query from the portal by clicking on the "Submit a new ticket" option, the agent's reply will be sent from the primary support mail. 

Note:  If you have more than one support email, you can use the Customize From Email address app.

Edit an email

To modify the details of an existing email, click on the gear icon next to the email, make the required changes on the Edit support email page, and click Save. You can also change the incoming and outgoing email servers while modifying the email details.

Add email alias

An email alias is an alternate email address of your primary email account. This will be the default reply-to email address that will show up when your customers reply to your emails. For example, if your primary email address is support@acme.com, you can create an email alias as reply@acme.com.

To add an email alias for your existing email:

1. Edit your existing email address.
2. Add your email alias and click Save.
3. Go back to the Email List page and click Verify. You will receive a verification link on the email address added. Complete the sender verification.
   Once aliases are configured and verified, agents will see the original email address (support@acme.com) as the From address while replying to customer emails. Your customers will still see the primary email (support@acme.com) as the sender. However, when they respond, they will be forwarded to “reply@acme.com” as this is the reply-to address.

Few callouts to note:

• If your primary email is on the Freshworks email server, you cannot add Gmail, Microsoft, or other custom email domains as your email alias.
• For Gmail, Microsoft, or other custom mail servers, you can add either a Google email alias or a Microsoft shared mailbox. Once added and saved, ensure to perform sender verification.

Delete a support email

1. On the Email list page, click on the Delete icon next to the specific support email.
2. To delete a primary support email (indicated by golden star)
   • Global primary support email:
     Add another support email that is not associated with any multiple products. Mark the newly added support email as the primary.  You can now delete the other support email.
   • Product primary support email
     Add another email for the product.
     Go to Admin > Support operations > Products and click Edit next to the specific product.
     Add another email. Enter a new support email and mark it as the primary support email.
     Now, you can remove the previous support email. 

Note: When you delete the support email in Freshdesk (for the Freshdesk Mail Server option only), ensure to remove the forwarding rule set up in the support mailbox settings.

Configure advanced email settings

Once you set up support emails for your Freshdesk account, you can configure advanced settings to customize your email setup. For example, you can allow agents to create new outbound tickets and choose to display their name as the sender on such tickets/replies. For more information, see Configuring advanced Email settings.

Forward emails from other/agent's inboxes to your support portal

Note: This feature is currently supported only in the following languages - English, French, Spanish, German, Dutch, and Brazilian Portuguese.

Sometimes your customers may send emails directly to your agents, or you may have a mailbox with emails that you want to convert to support tickets. In this case, you can forward them to your support email from the respective mailboxes.

If you enable the For forwarded emails, use original sender as requester option under Advanced Settings, emails forwarded from a verified agent's email address will be created in the name of the customer (original sender) who sent the email to the agent. However, when you forward existing emails from a mailbox that is not associated with an agent, the requester will be set to the email address you used to forward the message and the timestamp of the ticket will be the time the email was forwarded.

Troubleshoot support email issues

If your support email cannot be verified or incoming emails are not processed as expected, review the following troubleshooting scenarios. 

Troubleshoot support email verification

Use the following steps to identify and resolve issues that may prevent your support email from being successfully verified.

Common reasons for ticket creation failure

Freshdesk validates every incoming email before converting it into a ticket. If an incoming email fails the required validation checks, it is not converted into a ticket. The most common reasons for ticket creation failure are listed below.

Tips and best practices

Here are a few tips and best practices that you can follow to ensure that you configure the Support Email setup accurately:

1. Avoid typos in the support email address.
2. Ensure the support email and forwarding address are different when setting up forwarding.
3. Copy and paste the forwarding address correctly when setting up forwarding rules in your support mailbox.
4. Make sure IMAP is enabled in your support mailbox forwarding settings when using the Freshworks mail server.
5. Make sure you save the changes after adding SMTP/IMAP details in the custom mailbox configuration.

6. Make sure you have set up DKIM once the support email is successfully verified using the Freshdesk mail server.
   
   

FAQs

1. Can I disable automatic ticket creation when a customer sends an email to my support email address?
   We do not recommend disabling the automatic ticket creation from the support email address unless you have valid requirements. Removing the support email configuration impacts all the incoming email responses, and restricts their integration with your account, leading to email threading issues.
   
   However, if you need to temporarily disable automatic ticket creation, you can disable the forwarding setup (IMAP) in your support mailbox that connects to Freshdesk so that every email does not get converted into a ticket.
   
   Please note that no new tickets or incoming email responses will be created/appended to existing tickets unless the IMAP is enabled again. Also, you have to manually forward the emails from your support mailbox to record them in your account during this time.
   
   
2. Is it possible to trace/check the logs for the outgoing emails sent from my Freshdesk?
   Currently, it is not possible to check the logs for outgoing emails sent from Freshdesk via the UI. However, you can contact support@freshdesk.com for this request.
   
   
3. How to add a shared mailbox with Freshdesk?
   Shared mailbox is supported in IMAP and SMTP. Ensure that the email address is in the following format admin@testkanha2.onmicrosoft.com\imap@testkanha2.onmicrosoft.com (or) admin@testkanha2.onmicrosoft.com\imap.
   'admin@testkanha2.onmicrosoft.com' : is the email address of the user who has access to the shared mailbox. 'imap@testkanha2.onmicrosoft.com' / 'imap' : is the email address/username of the shared mailbox.
   
   
4. How to add a shared mailbox in Azure?
   In an Azure group email setup, if one of the emails in the group is a forwarding address, the system forwards emails sent to the group to the specified forwarding address.
   • Create a guest user on Azure with the forwarding address from Freshdesk <yourcompanycomsupport@yourcompany.freshdesk.com>
   • Invite this user into the GROUP or in the shared mailbox
     
     
5.  I used Gmail to set up emails in Freshdesk. However, the connection was lost. If I reconnect, will there be duplicate tickets? How can I avoid them?
   By default, Freshdesk fetches emails from the connected inbox for the past 2-3 days (48-72 hours). This retrieval leads to a substantial number of emails being imported into Freshdesk. To prevent importing all historical emails, you can delete the tickets that were initially created during the Gmail connection.
   
   
6. When I forward an email to the Freshdesk email inbox, it is added as a note rather than creating a ticket. Why does this happen?
   For every incoming email, Freshdesk checks 3 email markers to understand whether the email is a reply to an already-existing ticket. If the email is identified as a reply, Freshdesk performs additional sender email checks to make sure it's not spam and appends the email as a note to an existing ticket. Learn more here.
   
   
7. I recently added a support email under the billing group for group assignments. However, tickets are being assigned to different groups. Why is this happening?
   There could be multiple reasons why the tickets are assigned to an irrelevant group: 
   • Support email is unverified: If the newly added support email is not yet verified, the group ticket assignment will not work as expected.
   • Forwarding rule is not added correctly: If another support email's forwarding rule is added as the new support email's forwarding rule in the mailbox settings, the group ticket assignment will happen based on the other support email's group configuration only.
   • Automation rule configured to assign tickets to a group: Check the ticket show activities to see if there are any existing automation rules to assign tickets to groups and modify the rules.
     
     
8. I see all emails are converted as tickets, but I do not want some emails to be created as tickets. Is there an option to control ticket creation for emails?
   Once the support email is set up, all emails reaching your primary folder will be automatically created as tickets in Freshdesk. To restrict ticket creation for certain emails, you can set up a filter in your support mailbox level to move such emails to another folder. Alternatively, you can set up ticket creation automation to automatically delete/spam tickets based on certain conditions.