Process incoming email with the IMAP trigger

Many processes start with an email: an invoice, an order, a request from a form. The Email Trigger (IMAP) node starts a workflow each time a new message arrives in a mailbox. It works with almost any email provider, including business mailboxes hosted by Viralistic.

When to use it

Use the IMAP trigger for any mailbox that supports IMAP. For Gmail you can also use the dedicated Gmail Trigger.

Note: IMAP no longer works for Outlook.com and Microsoft 365 mailboxes, because Microsoft switched off password-based access. Use the Microsoft Outlook Trigger node for those.

Tip: Use a dedicated mailbox or folder for automation, such as invoices@yourcompany.com. Then the workflow only sees mail meant for it, and nobody accidentally marks messages as read before n8n gets them.

Step 1: Create the IMAP credential

1. Add an Email Trigger (IMAP) node to a new workflow.

2. In Credential to connect with, create a new credential.

3. Fill in the fields:

   Field	Value
   User	The full email address
   Password	The mailbox password, or an app password
   Host	Your provider’s IMAP server, such as imap.gmail.com
   Port	993
   SSL/TLS	On
   Allow Self-Signed Certificates	Off, unless your administrator says otherwise

4. Save. n8n tests the connection.

For a Viralistic mailbox, use the server from your welcome email. The full settings are in Log in to your email with IMAP.

App passwords

Many providers block normal passwords for apps like n8n, especially when two-step verification is on. Gmail, for example, requires 2-step Verification and an app password. Create one in your account’s security settings, give it a name like “n8n”, and paste it as the password. Some providers revoke app passwords when you change your main password, so update the credential if the trigger suddenly fails to log in.

Step 2: Configure the trigger

Setting	What it does	Recommended
Mailbox Name	The folder to watch	INBOX, or a dedicated folder
Action	What happens to the email after n8n reads it	Mark as Read
Download Attachments	Fetches attachments as files	On only if you need them
Format	How the email is returned	Simple for most uses. Resolved returns every part of the email, with attachments as files

Mark as Read is the safest choice. By default the node fetches unread messages, so marking them read prevents the same email from being processed twice.

Filter which emails start the workflow

Under Options, Custom Email Rules lets you narrow the search with IMAP search criteria, written as a JSON array. For example, only unread mail from one sender:

["UNSEEN", ["FROM", "billing@supplier.com"]]

You can also filter later in the workflow with an IF node, which is easier to read and test.

Force Reconnect Every Minutes is useful if your mail server drops long connections. Set it to something like 30 if the trigger stops picking up mail after a while.

Step 3: Test with a real email

1. Select Execute step on the trigger node.
2. Send an email to the mailbox, ideally with an attachment if you need those.
3. Wait for the node to show the message. Check the fields: sender, subject, text, HTML and date.
4. Pin the output so you can build the rest of the workflow without sending more emails.

Working with attachments

With Download Attachments on, each attachment arrives as binary data on the item, usually named attachment_0, attachment_1 and so on. You can pass these straight to nodes that accept files, such as Google Drive (upload), Extract from File (read a PDF or spreadsheet), or an AI node that reads documents.

Warning: Downloading attachments uses memory, especially with large files or busy mailboxes. Only turn it on when the workflow needs the files, and filter out emails you do not need early.

Step 4: Publish

Click Publish. From now on, n8n stays connected to the mailbox and starts the workflow for each new email. Check the Executions tab after the first real emails arrive.

Example: invoice intake

Email Trigger (IMAP)  →  IF has attachment  →  Google Drive upload  →  Data Table log

1. Trigger on invoices@yourcompany.com with Mark as Read and attachments on.
2. Keep only emails with a PDF attachment.
3. Upload the PDF to a Drive folder.
4. Log sender, subject, date and file link in a data table.

Add an AI step later to read the invoice amount and due date.

Troubleshooting

• Authentication failed: check the username is the full address, and use an app password.
• Connection timed out: check host and port. On self-hosted n8n, make sure your server can reach port 993 outbound.
• Nothing triggers: confirm the workflow is published, the folder name is right, and messages are still unread.
• More email issues: Fix common email problems.

Next steps

• Log in to your email with IMAP
• Turn a business process into an agentic workflow
• Error handling and alerts