DojoMesh sends receipts, trial confirmations, reminders and lead follow-ups from your academy's own email address, so replies come straight back to you. If that address is a Gmail account, connecting it takes one special password from Google and six values in DojoMesh.
Before you start
You will need:
- The Gmail address your academy uses, for example yourdojo@gmail.com, and its Google password. A Google Workspace address on your own domain, like info@yourdojo.com, also works: see Google Workspace addresses.
- Your phone, to turn on 2-Step Verification if it isn't on already.
- An admin login to DojoMesh for your academy, at https://your-academy.dojomesh.com/platform/.
Google doesn't let any outside program sign in to Gmail with your regular password. Gmail only accepts a 16-character App Password that you create once for DojoMesh. Using the normal password is the most common reason a Gmail setup fails, and it's the first thing to check.
The settings at a glance
If you've done this before and only need the values, here they are. The steps below explain each one.
| Field | Incoming (IMAP) | Outgoing (SMTP) |
|---|---|---|
| Host | imap.gmail.com | smtp.gmail.com |
| Port | 993 | 587 |
| Security | SSL | TLS |
| Username | Your full Gmail address, e.g. yourdojo@gmail.com | |
| Password | The 16-character App Password from step 2, typed without spaces. The same one goes in both boxes. | |
| Folder to Monitor | INBOX | — |
| From Email | — | The same Gmail address as the username (or a verified alias, see below) |
| From Name | — | Your academy's name as members know it, e.g. Creston Judo Club |
Port 465 with SSL also works for outgoing mail. Ports and security settings must be used in these pairs. DojoMesh will refuse to save a mismatched pair such as 465 with TLS.
Turn on 2-Step Verification
Google only offers App Passwords on accounts that have 2-Step Verification (a code or prompt on your phone when you sign in). If it's already on, skip to step 2.
- Sign in to Gmail with the academy's account, not your personal one. Check the profile picture in the top-right corner.
- Go to myaccount.google.com/signinoptions/twosv.
- Click Turn on 2-Step Verification and follow the prompts to add your phone.
If several staff sign in to the same Gmail account, add each person's phone as a backup option, or print the backup codes Google offers and keep them at the front desk. Otherwise only the person whose phone you used can sign in.
Create an App Password
- Go to myaccount.google.com/apppasswords. Google may ask you to sign in again.
- In the App name box type DojoMesh, then click Create.
- Google shows a 16-letter password in a yellow box, split into four groups like abcd efgh ijkl mnop.
- Copy it into a private note for the next few minutes. Leave out the spaces: abcdefghijklmnop.
Once you close the box, Google never shows that password again. If you lose it, delete it on the same page and create a new one. That's harmless, because nothing but DojoMesh uses it.
Seeing "The setting you are looking for is not available for your account" instead? 2-Step Verification isn't on yet (go back to step 1), or the address is a Google Workspace account whose administrator has turned App Passwords off. See Google Workspace addresses.
Open Email Settings in DojoMesh
Sign in to your academy's DojoMesh admin and choose Settings → Email Settings from the top menu.
The page has two boxes side by side:
- IMAP Settings (Incoming Email) lets DojoMesh read replies so they appear in your email conversations and link to the right member.
- SMTP Settings (Outgoing Email) is what sends receipts, reminders and every other message to your members.
Both sides are required, and both use the same Gmail address and the same App Password.
Fill in the incoming (IMAP) side
| Field | Enter |
|---|---|
| IMAP Host | imap.gmail.com |
| Port | 993 |
| Security | SSL |
| Username | Your full Gmail address |
| Password | The App Password, no spaces |
| Folder to Monitor | INBOX |
Click Test IMAP Connection. A green result showing the number of messages in your inbox means this side is done.
The Host box takes the server name imap.gmail.com, never your email address. Your email address goes in Username.
Fill in the outgoing (SMTP) side
| Field | Enter |
|---|---|
| SMTP Host | smtp.gmail.com. Check the spelling: smatp or smtp.google.com will not connect. |
| Port | 587 |
| Security | TLS |
| Username | Your full Gmail address |
| Password | The same App Password, no spaces |
| From Email | The same Gmail address as Username |
| From Name | Your academy's name. This is what members see in their inbox. |
Test and save
- Click Test SMTP Connection. DojoMesh signs in to Gmail and sends a test message to your From Email address.
- Check that inbox. The test message should arrive within a minute. Look in Spam the first time.
- Click the Save button at the bottom right of the page. Testing does not save anything, so if you leave the page before saving, you will be back to the old settings.
That's it. From now on every email DojoMesh sends for your academy goes out through your Gmail account, and a copy appears in Gmail's Sent folder.
Google Workspace addresses
If your academy email is on your own domain but you open it in Gmail (for example info@yourdojo.com on Google Workspace), the settings are exactly the same: smtp.gmail.com, imap.gmail.com, and your full Workspace address as the username. Two extra things can get in the way:
- App Passwords hidden. Your Workspace administrator has to allow 2-Step Verification for users (Google Admin console → Security → Authentication → 2-Step Verification). If you are the administrator, turn it on there, then follow steps 1 and 2 as that user.
- Advanced Protection or security-key-only sign-in. Accounts enrolled in Google's Advanced Protection Program can't create App Passwords at all. Use a different mailbox for the academy.
Troubleshooting
| What you see | What it means and what to do |
|---|---|
| 534 5.7.9 Application-specific password required | You entered your normal Gmail password. Create an App Password (step 2) and use it in both Password boxes. |
| 535 5.7.8 Username and Password not accepted | The App Password is wrong or has been revoked, or Username isn't the full address. Re-type the password with no spaces. If that fails, delete it in Google and create a fresh one. Changing your Google password also cancels every App Password, so you'll need a new one after any password change. |
| Connection failed or timed out | Usually a typo in the host (smtp.gmail.com and imap.gmail.com exactly) or a port/security mismatch. Use 587 + TLS or 465 + SSL for SMTP, and 993 + SSL for IMAP. |
| "must be a mail server name, not an email address" | An email address was pasted into a Host box. Put smtp.gmail.com / imap.gmail.com in Host and the address in Username. |
| Test passes, but members say emails show a different sender | The From Email isn't the Gmail account you signed in with, so Gmail replaced it with the account's own address. Make them match, or set up the alias described in the question below. |
| Test passes, but real emails don't arrive | Make sure you clicked Save after testing. Then check the Spam folder of a test member, and Gmail's Sent folder to confirm the message left your account. |
| Google emails you a "security alert" or "sign-in attempt" | This is expected the first time DojoMesh connects. It's DojoMesh's server signing in with the App Password. If you didn't just set this up, delete the DojoMesh App Password in Google immediately. |
Still stuck? Email us@dojomesh.com with the exact error message from the test. Never include the App Password itself. We'll never ask for it.
Common questions
Can emails come from a different address, like info@ instead of the Gmail address?
Only if Gmail knows that address belongs to you. In Gmail, open Settings → See all settings → Accounts and Import (Accounts on Workspace) → Send mail as → Add another email address, and confirm it from the link Google sends. Then put that address in DojoMesh's From Email box. Keep Username as the Gmail account you sign in with. Without that step, Gmail sends from the account's own address whatever you type in From Email.
How many emails can Gmail send for us?
Google limits a free Gmail account to roughly 500 messages a day, and a Google Workspace account to about 2,000. A typical academy's receipts, reminders and follow-ups stay well under that. If you plan a one-off announcement to a very large member list, spread it over a couple of days.
Will sent emails show up in my Gmail?
Yes. Everything DojoMesh sends appears in the account's Sent folder, and members' replies land in your normal inbox. DojoMesh also picks up those replies through IMAP and files them under the member.
Do I need to turn on IMAP inside Gmail?
On current Gmail accounts IMAP is always on. If an older account still shows Settings → Forwarding and POP/IMAP → IMAP access, make sure it says Enable IMAP.
There are SMTP fields on the Gym Settings page too. Which one counts?
The Email Settings page in this guide. Once it's saved, DojoMesh uses it for all outgoing mail. You don't need to fill in the Gym Settings fields as well.
Is it safe to give DojoMesh an App Password?
An App Password can only send and read mail. It can't change your Google password, recovery options or other account settings, and you can cancel it at any time on the App Passwords page without affecting anything else.
We use Outlook or Hotmail instead. Does this work?
Not yet. Microsoft has turned off password sign-in for mail apps on Outlook, Hotmail and Microsoft 365, so those mailboxes can't be connected for now. Use your website host's own mailbox (often mail.yourdojo.com) or a Gmail account.