Email Setup

Configure your email server to send invoices, statements, and reports directly from TimeNet Law. Works with Gmail, Outlook, iCloud, Yahoo, and custom mail servers.

5 min Essential

TimeNet Law sends invoices and reports as email attachments using your own email account. You provide your mail server credentials once, test the connection, and you're set. Outgoing emails appear in your Sent folder like any other message you sent.

Quick Setup

For most users, this takes two minutes. TimeNet Law auto-detects your provider and fills in the server settings — you just enter your password.

1

Open Email Settings

Go to File → Preferences → Email, or open Email Settings from the invoice window.

2

Enter Your From Address

Type the email address you want to appear on outgoing messages (e.g., [email protected]). TimeNet Law will try to auto-detect your provider and fill in the server settings.

3

Select Your Provider

If auto-detect didn't match, choose your provider from the dropdown: Microsoft 365 / Outlook, Gmail / Google Workspace, iCloud / Apple, Yahoo, GoDaddy, Zoho, or Custom. Server, port, and security settings fill in automatically.

4

Enter Your Password

Enter your email password. If you use Microsoft 365, Gmail, Yahoo, or iCloud, you'll need an App Password instead of your regular password — see the provider sections below.

5

Send a Test Email

Click Send Test Email to verify everything works. Check your inbox for the test message. Once it arrives, click Save and you're done.

Pro Tip

If your firm uses a custom domain (like [email protected]) but your email is hosted by Microsoft 365, select Microsoft 365 / Outlook from the Provider dropdown. Most law firms are on Microsoft 365.

Microsoft 365 / Outlook

This covers Outlook.com, Hotmail, Live.com, and any organization using Microsoft 365 (formerly Office 365) — which is most law firms.

Microsoft 365 requires an App Password for SMTP — your regular Outlook password will not work. This is because Microsoft enforces modern authentication (OAuth) by default, which blocks regular passwords from third-party apps like TimeNet Law. You must generate a one-time App Password instead.

SettingValue
SMTP Serversmtp.office365.com
Port587
SecurityTLS
UsernameYour full email address
PasswordYour App Password (see below)

How to Create a Microsoft 365 App Password

  1. Go to mysignins.microsoft.com/security-info
  2. Sign in with your full email address and regular password
  3. Click "Add sign-in method"
  4. Choose "App password" from the dropdown
  5. Name it TimeNet Law and click Next
  6. Microsoft displays a 16-character password — copy it immediately (you won't see it again)
  7. Paste this password into the Password field in TimeNet Law's email settings

⚠️ Important: You must have Two-Step Verification enabled on your Microsoft account to create App Passwords. If you don't see the "App password" option, enable Two-Step Verification first at account.microsoft.com/security.

Pro Tip

Your regular password works in Outlook and the Mail app because those use OAuth (a different login method). TimeNet Law uses standard SMTP, which requires the App Password. This isn't a limitation — it's how Microsoft designed their security.

GoDaddy + Microsoft 365

If you bought your domain through GoDaddy but your email product says "Microsoft 365," use these Microsoft 365 settings and App Password — not the GoDaddy settings below.

Gmail / Google Workspace

Gmail requires an App Password — your regular Google password won't work for SMTP. This is a security feature Google requires for all third-party apps.

SettingValue
SMTP Serversmtp.gmail.com
Port587
SecurityTLS
UsernameYour full Gmail address
PasswordYour 16-character App Password

How to Create a Gmail App Password

  1. Go to myaccount.google.com/apppasswords
  2. Sign in to your Google account
  3. Under "App name," type TimeNet Law and click Create
  4. Google displays a 16-character password — copy it
  5. Paste this password into the Password field in TimeNet Law's email settings
⚠️ Important

You must have 2-Step Verification turned on for your Google account to create App Passwords. If you don't see the App Passwords page, enable 2-Step Verification first at myaccount.google.com/security.

iCloud / Apple

iCloud also requires an App-Specific Password. This applies to @icloud.com, @me.com, and @mac.com addresses.

SettingValue
SMTP Serversmtp.mail.me.com
Port587
SecurityTLS
UsernameYour full iCloud email address
PasswordYour app-specific password

How to Create an iCloud App-Specific Password

  1. Go to appleid.apple.com and sign in
  2. Go to Sign-In and Security → App-Specific Passwords
  3. Click Generate an app-specific password
  4. Enter the label TimeNet Law and click Create
  5. Copy the generated password and paste it into TimeNet Law's email settings

Yahoo

Yahoo requires an App Password as well.

SettingValue
SMTP Serversmtp.mail.yahoo.com
Port587
SecurityTLS
UsernameYour full Yahoo email address
PasswordYour App Password

How to Create a Yahoo App Password

  1. Go to Yahoo Account Security
  2. Sign in and click Generate app password
  3. Enter TimeNet Law as the app name
  4. Copy the generated password and paste it into TimeNet Law's email settings

GoDaddy

SettingValue
SMTP Serversmtpout.secureserver.net
Port465
SecuritySSL
UsernameYour full email address
PasswordYour email password

Zoho

SettingValue
SMTP Serversmtp.zoho.com
Port587
SecurityTLS
UsernameYour full email address
PasswordYour email password

Custom / Self-Hosted Servers

If your email provider isn't listed, select Custom from the Provider dropdown and enter the settings manually. You'll need the following information from your email provider or IT administrator:

  • SMTP Server — the outgoing mail server address (e.g., mail.yourfirm.com)
  • Port — usually 587 for TLS or 465 for SSL
  • Security — TLS (most common) or SSL
  • Username — usually your full email address
  • Password — your email password
Pro Tip

Not sure what settings to use? Search for "[your provider] SMTP settings" — most hosting companies publish them in their help documentation. If that doesn't work, try mail.[yourdomain.com] on port 587 with TLS — it's the most common configuration.

Don't Know Your Provider?

If you're not sure who hosts your email, look at your email address:

Custom domain (like [email protected])? Your email is hosted by a third-party provider — usually one of these:

  • Microsoft 365 — by far the most common for law firms
  • Google Workspace — if your firm uses Google apps
  • GoDaddy Workspace — if you bought your domain and email through GoDaddy

Not sure which one? TimeNet Law's auto-detect will identify your provider when you enter your email address. If auto-detect doesn't match, ask your IT administrator, or check who you pay for email — that's your provider.

Don't Know Your Password?

This is the most common setup issue. Modern email apps like Outlook and Apple Mail hide your credentials behind the scenes, making them nearly impossible to find. Here's how to track down your password for each provider.

⚠️ Save Your Password

Once you find or reset your email password, save it in the Passwords app on your Mac or iPhone (or a password manager like 1Password). If you ever get a new device, get locked out, or need to set up another app, you'll have it instantly. Don't rely on your email app remembering it for you — as you may have just discovered, that doesn't always work.

Microsoft 365 / Outlook

If your organization uses Microsoft 365 with multi-factor authentication (MFA) — which most law firms do — your regular password will not work for SMTP. You need an App Password:

  1. Go to account.microsoft.com/security
  2. Sign in with your full email address
  3. Enable Two-Step Verification if it isn't already on
  4. Go to Security → App Passwords → Create a new app password
  5. Microsoft generates a 16-character password — copy it and paste it into TimeNet Law

If your organization doesn't use MFA, your regular email password should work. Try it first.

Gmail / Google Workspace

Gmail always requires an App Password — see the How to Create a Gmail App Password steps above.

GoDaddy

GoDaddy Workspace uses your regular email password. If you don't remember it:

  1. Log into sso.godaddy.com (your GoDaddy account, not your email)
  2. Navigate to Email → Manage
  3. Find your email account and reset the password from there
  4. Update the new password in your email apps (Outlook, Mail, etc.) and in TimeNet Law
Pro Tip

If you're not sure whether you have GoDaddy Workspace or Microsoft 365 through GoDaddy, log into GoDaddy and look at your email product. If it says "Microsoft 365," use the Microsoft 365 settings and App Password instructions above.

iCloud / Apple

iCloud always requires an App-Specific Password — see the How to Create an iCloud App-Specific Password steps above.

Yahoo

Yahoo always requires an App Password — see the How to Create a Yahoo App Password steps above.

Still Can't Find It?

If none of the above works:

  • Check the Passwords app on your Mac (Spotlight → "Passwords") or iPhone (Settings → Passwords). Search for your email domain.
  • Check Keychain Access on your Mac (Spotlight → "Keychain Access"). Search for your email provider's server name — for example, secureserver for GoDaddy, office365 for Microsoft, or smtp.gmail.com for Gmail.
  • Contact your email provider's support and ask them to help you set a new app password or reset your email password. This is different from your account password — resetting the email password only affects email apps.
  • Ask your IT administrator if your firm has one. They can generate credentials for you without disrupting your other devices.

Email Log

Every email TimeNet Law sends is recorded in the Email Log — including the date, recipient, subject, and delivery status. Use it to verify invoices were sent, check when a client last received a statement, or troubleshoot delivery issues.

Access the Email Log from File → Email Log, or from the Invoices window.

Troubleshooting

❌ "Authentication Failed"

  • Double-check your username and password — the username is usually your full email address
  • If you use Microsoft 365, Gmail, Yahoo, or iCloud, make sure you're using an App Password, not your regular password — see the provider sections above for step-by-step instructions

❌ "Connection Timed Out"

  • Verify the SMTP server address is spelled correctly
  • Check that the port and security type match — 587 for TLS, 465 for SSL
  • Your network or firewall may be blocking outgoing mail — try from a different network, or ask your IT team to allow outbound connections on the relevant port

❌ "Certificate Error"

  • Make sure Security is set to TLS or SSL, not None
  • If using a self-hosted server with a self-signed certificate, contact your IT administrator

❌ Test Email Sent But Never Arrives

  • Check your spam / junk folder
  • Verify the From Address is a real, valid email address
  • Some mail servers reject messages if the From Address doesn't match the authenticated account

Now that email is configured, you're ready to send invoices and reports:

Still Having Trouble?

Email configuration can be tricky, especially with corporate firewalls and MFA. Send us the error message and we'll help you get connected.

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