Getting Started with CodaMail

An overview of what your account can do, with links to detailed guides for each feature.

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Welcome to CodaMail

CodaMail is a privacy-focused email service built over 25+ years of operation. There is no tracking, no analytics, no telemetry, and no advertising. Every resource, fonts, icons, scripts, is hosted locally on our servers. Nothing phones home.

Your account includes far more than a single email address. This guide introduces the major features of the service and links to detailed documentation for each one. You don't need to set everything up at once, explore at your own pace.

First things first: Set up password recovery now in Settings → Password Recovery. Without this, we cannot recover your account if you forget your password.

Your Email Addresses

With CodaMail you don't get one email address, you get an entire address system. There are three types of addresses, and all of them deliver to the same inbox:

  • Your main account address, This is your username@codamail.com
  • Account aliases, Your same username at any of our 30+ domains. Enable or disable domains in Settings → Account Aliases. These are unlimited and don't count against any quota
  • Masked aliases, Completely independent addresses with no visible connection to your account name. Create them in Settings → Masked Aliases. These look like normal email addresses and cannot be used to log in or trace back to your real account

Every account alias and masked alias includes catch-all addressing, mail sent to anything@youralias.domain.com is delivered to you automatically. This means you can create unlimited unique addresses on the fly without any setup. Give amazon@shop.domain.com to Amazon, netflix@shop.domain.com to Netflix, and so on.

You can also create auto-expiring aliases by using a date as the subdomain address (e.g., 20260301@youralias.domain.com). Mail to that address is automatically rejected after the specified date.

Learn more: Account Aliases vs Masked Aliases • How to Categorize Mail with Unique Addresses

Sending From Your Addresses

When you reply to a message, CodaMail automatically sends from the address the message was sent to. For this to work, you need to create an identity for each address you use.

Identities let you set per-address signatures, display names, and even custom SMTP servers if you need them. You can manage them in Settings → Identities.

Learn more: What Are Identities and How to Use Them

Organizing Your Mail

CodaMail supports Sieve filters, server-side rules that automatically sort, move, copy, redirect, flag, or encrypt incoming mail before it reaches your inbox. Filters run even when you're not logged in.

A common approach is to create folders that match your masked alias categories (Shopping, Social, Finance, etc.), then set up filters to route mail based on the receiving address. Filters can also auto-encrypt specific mail with PGP.

Message threading is available to group conversations together for easy reading. To enable it, click the options icon at the top of your message list and change the list mode from List to Threads.

Learn more: Understanding Sieve Filters

Blocking Unwanted Mail

CodaMail provides two SMTP-level blocking systems. Blocked mail is rejected during the connection with a "User Unknown" error, it never enters our system, and the sender is encouraged to remove your address from their list.

  • Block List, Controls which senders can contact you. Block individual addresses, entire domains, or whole top-level domains (like .xyz or .info). Supports wildcard patterns. Access it from the block icon when viewing a message, or in Settings → Block List
  • Manage Catch-alls, Controls which of your addresses accept mail. If an alias starts getting spam, add it here to reject all mail to that address. Can operate as a blacklist (block listed addresses) or whitelist (only allow listed addresses). Use the Kill Alias toolbar icon when reading a message for quick access, or go to Settings → Manage Catch-alls

SpamAssassin content filtering and ClamAV antivirus scanning run automatically on all incoming mail that passes the SMTP-level checks.

Learn more: Understanding Mail Blocking Options • Overview of Anti-Spam Solutions

Security & Encryption

Several protections are active on your account by default, with no setup required:

  • At-rest encryption, Every email is individually encrypted with AES-256-GCM on our servers
  • Header stripping, 35+ tracking and identifying headers are removed from outgoing mail
  • Tracking pixel blocking, Remote images are blocked by default to prevent read tracking
  • Read receipt blocking, Read receipt and delivery notification headers are automatically removed
  • Encrypted connections only, All connections use TLS with Perfect Forward Secrecy

Features you can enable:

  • Two-Factor Authentication, Add TOTP-based 2FA in Settings → 2-Factor Authentication
  • PGP Auto-Encryption, Automatically PGP-encrypt incoming mail so only you can read it, per-address or for all mail
  • Secure Link, Password-encrypt attachments client-side with AES-256-GCM before sending. The password is never stored on our servers

Learn more: Set Up Two-Factor Authentication • How to Use CodaMail Most Securely

Make It Yours

Customize the look and feel of your webmail:

  • Layout, Choose between widescreen (three-column), desktop (two-pane), or list (minimalist) layouts to match how you prefer to read mail
  • Color themes, Pick from 40+ professionally designed color schemes
  • Language, The interface is available in 80+ languages

Learn more: Changing Desktop Layout • Changing Your Color Scheme • Changing Languages

Calendar, Tasks, Contacts & Notes

Your account includes a full set of personal information management tools, all accessible from the webmail interface:

  • Calendar, Multiple calendars with events, invitations, reminders, and iCalendar import/export
  • Tasks, Task lists with due dates, priorities, and iCalendar support
  • Contacts, Address book with vCard and CSV import/export
  • Notes, Create and manage notes in plain text, HTML, or Markdown. Store images and PDFs. Send notes as email attachments

You can also convert any email directly into a calendar event or task.

All of this syncs privately to your phone, tablet, or desktop apps through our own CalDAV and CardDAV server, which uses a unique dual-random authentication system that reveals nothing about your account.

Learn more: Syncing Calendars, Tasks & Contacts with Your Devices

More Powerful Features

Beyond the core features above, your account includes:

  • Delayed Send, A configurable 5-30 second window after hitting Send, giving you a chance to undo mistakes
  • Scheduled Send, Compose a message now and schedule it to send at a future date and time
  • Deadman Switch, Set messages to be sent automatically if you haven't logged in for a specified number of days
  • Fetch Mail, Automatically pull mail from other email accounts via POP or IMAP
  • Custom Domains, Host your own registered domains with full feature integration, managed in Settings → Private Domains
  • Built-in Viewers, View PDF and ODF documents directly in the browser with annotation tools
  • Full Data Portability, Import and export mail (eml, mbox, maildir), contacts (vCard, CSV), and calendars/tasks (iCalendar) in standard formats

Learn more: Complete Features List • Hidden Features and Easter Eggs

Using CodaMail on Your Devices

The CodaMail webmail interface is fully responsive and works on any screen size. Visit https://codamail.com/mail/ in any browser and create a home screen shortcut for app-like access.

You can also use external email clients (Thunderbird, Outlook, Apple Mail, K-9 Mail, etc.) via IMAP or POP. You must first enable access in Settings → App Passwords.

Server Settings

  • IMAP: mail.pnsh.com, ports 143 and 993
  • POP3: mail.pnsh.com, ports 110 and 995
  • SMTP: smtp.pnsh.com, ports 25, 465, 587, or 2525
  • Login: Use only your username (not your email address)
  • Security: TLS/SSL required, plaintext connections denied

Platform Setup Guides

Getting Help

If you have questions or need assistance: