# Connect a Gmail or Outlook mailbox

Connect a Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 mailbox as an email sender, and what the DNS check does once it connects.

An email sender sends a campaign's email steps from your own mailbox. Each one uses a mailbox on your plan. Victoria AI connects Gmail (Google Workspace) and Outlook (Microsoft 365) mailboxes.

## Connect a Gmail or Outlook mailbox

1. Go to **Sender Accounts**. Under **Email Accounts**, select **Add**.
2. The **Connect Account** window opens. Choose the **Gmail** tab for Google or the **Outlook** tab for Microsoft.
3. Enter **Your name**: the name the AI uses when it writes as you.
4. Select **Open Gmail Sign-in** or **Open Outlook Sign-in**. The sign-in page opens in the same tab.
5. Sign in with the mailbox you want to send from and approve the access it asks for.
6. You return to **Sender Accounts** with the message **Account connected**. The mailbox appears under **Email Accounts** marked **Active**.

If the mailbox doesn't appear right away, refresh the page after a few seconds. To connect a colleague's mailbox, send them an invite link instead. See [Connect a sender with an invite link](https://docs.versionseven.ai/help/connect-a-sender-with-an-invite-link).

## What happens after a mailbox connects

- **The DNS check runs.** Victoria AI checks the SPF, DKIM and DMARC records of the mailbox's domain and shows the result on the row: **DNS ok**, **DNS warnings**, **DNS failing** or **DNS unchecked**. A failing domain blocks campaign activation. See [DNS setup](https://docs.versionseven.ai/help/dns-setup).
- **The warm-up ramp starts.** The mailbox's daily cap starts low and rises over 14 days. See [Sender limits and ramp](https://docs.versionseven.ai/help/sender-limits-and-ramp).
- **Assign it to a campaign** in **Campaigns → your campaign → Settings → Connected Accounts** to send from it.

## Use a company mailbox, not a personal Gmail address

Connect a mailbox on your company's domain. A personal address such as an `@gmail.com` mailbox gets the **DNS warnings** chip with "is a personal mailbox domain": it can't carry your own SPF, DKIM or DMARC, and outreach from it has lower deliverability. It isn't blocked, but a Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 mailbox on your domain is the fix.

Better still, send from mailboxes on a dedicated sending domain rather than the mailbox you use every day. See [Sending mailbox best practices](https://docs.versionseven.ai/help/sending-mailbox-best-practices).

## Connect an IMAP or SMTP mailbox

IMAP and SMTP mailboxes can't be connected yet. The **IMAP** tab in the **Connect Account** window shows **IMAP Coming Soon**. Use a Gmail or Outlook mailbox for now.

## Email Add button is disabled

Hover over **Add** to see why:

- **You've reached your mailbox limit.** The count, such as **1 of 1 connected**, is full; a pending invite link counts too. On a paid Workspace plan, add a mailbox in **Credits & Billing**. On Agency, contact support. During the trial, the trial's mailbox is the limit until it converts. See [Plans and add-ons](https://docs.versionseven.ai/help/plans-and-add-ons).
- **Your subscription is canceled.** Reactivate in **Credits & Billing**. See [Cancel or reactivate](https://docs.versionseven.ai/help/cancel-or-reactivate).