Email Setup

How to configure an email client for use with your WZB email account


Please apply these settings:

Server for incoming email: imap.wzb.eu Port 143 with STARTTLS (993 with SSL/TLS)

Server for outgoing email: smtp.wzb.eu Port 587 with STARTTLS (465 with SSL/TLS)

STARTTLS or SSL/TLS means that your connections are encrypted.

You will have to supply your username and password for both incoming and outgoing email. The username is not your email address but your account name, the same that you use at the WZB. The password is your general WZB password.

In Thunderbird you should use the following settings for folder display:

Options → Account Settings → (left hand side) <your account> → (left hand side) Server Settings → (right hand side) Advanced → 'show only subscribed folders' box not checked

Please Note! In recent versions of Thunderbird (≥ 78) you need to make the following change, else there will be no connection:
Tools → Options → General → (scroll to bottom) → Config Editor → "Accept the risk" (if showing up) → enter security.tls.version.min in the search field → set the value to 1 → restart Thunderbird

How to access your WZB mail account from outside the WZB
  • Use the Webmailer or
  • Set up an email client (e.g. Thunderbird) as described above

The second option does not work everywhere because many systems (of universities, firms) only allow sending email via their own servers. In that case, either use the Webmailer or start an VPN connection before you use the client email program.