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Bell Email: Settings, Sign-In & Fixes

Bell email mixes server names: IMAP is imap.bell.net, but POP and sending use sympatico.ca names, even for bell.net addresses. Mail apps also only work from a short list of countries.

Covers @bell.net, @sympatico.ca. Run by Bell Canada. Checked against Bell's own help pages, November 2026.

Open Bell webmail ↗Reset password ↗

Bell email server settings

ServerAddressPortSecurity
Incoming (IMAP)imap.bell.net993SSL/TLS
Incoming (POP)pophm.sympatico.ca995SSL/TLS
Outgoing (SMTP)smtphm.sympatico.ca587STARTTLS; authentication required
  • Username: Your full email address (name@bell.net or name@sympatico.ca)
  • Use IMAP if you read mail on more than one device; POP downloads mail to one device only.

Official page: Bell email settings

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Common Bell email problems

My mail app stopped working while I was travelling

Bell only allows mail apps from certain countries: Canada, the US, the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Ireland, Iceland, Australia, the Bahamas and St-Pierre and Miquelon. Elsewhere, use Bell webmail.

I keep getting "invalid credentials" or locked out after changing my password

Update the new password on every phone, computer and saved browser login. Old saved passwords keep causing lockouts.

I get SSL or sending errors

Bell says this is usually antivirus software scanning your email. Turn off email scanning in your antivirus, or use webmail.

Why do the settings say sympatico.ca for my bell.net address?

That is correct. IMAP is imap.bell.net, but POP and sending use pophm.sympatico.ca and smtphm.sympatico.ca for both domains.

I'm not getting emails from some people

In webmail, check Settings, Mail, Block Senders for addresses you did not mean to block.

Tell us what you see (the exact error helps), which app or device you use, and what you've tried.

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Problems that look the same on every provider

Can't sign in, or the password stopped working
  1. Sign in on the provider's own webmail page first. If that works, the problem is your mail app, not the account.
  2. If webmail rejects the password, use the provider's "Forgot password" page. Never use a reset link from an email you did not ask for.
  3. Many providers now need a separate app password (or their own sign-in screen) for Outlook, Apple Mail and phone apps. Your normal password will not work there.
Not receiving emails
  1. Check Spam, Junk and any filters or "blocked senders" in webmail.
  2. Check whether the mailbox is full; most providers stop accepting mail at the storage limit.
  3. If your app shows nothing new but webmail does, remove and re-add the account in the app using IMAP.
Can't send, or emails are stuck in the Outbox
  1. Check the outgoing (SMTP) server, port and security on this page against your app; old guides often list ports that no longer work.
  2. Turn on "My outgoing server requires authentication" and use the same username and password as incoming.
  3. Large attachments are a common cause. Remove the attachment and try again.
Contacts are getting spam from my address
  1. Change the password from webmail, then sign out of all other sessions if the provider offers it.
  2. Check forwarding rules, filters and the reply-to address in settings; attackers often add a hidden forward.
  3. Turn on two-step verification, and update the password anywhere else you used the same one.
Setting it up on a new phone or computer
  1. Use IMAP rather than POP so mail stays in sync across your phone, computer and webmail.
  2. Enter your full email address as the username unless the provider says otherwise.
  3. If the app offers the provider by name (Yahoo, Google, Outlook), choose that instead of "Other".

Sources: Bell: manually update Bell mail program settings · Bell: how to use Bell Mail · Bell: fixing Bell email problems · Bell: reset your Bell email password. Providers change settings from time to time; their own page is the final word.

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