Sender Stuck on Connecting or Reconnecting a Sender

Overview

When you add an email sender, SalesBlink shows it as Connecting... while it verifies the SMTP/IMAP or OAuth connection. This article explains how long that normally takes, why a sender can stay on Connecting..., and how to reconnect a sender after a password change or error.

How long connecting normally takes

A new sender usually connects within 5 to 60 minutes.

• OAuth senders (Google Workspace and Outlook) connect faster than SMTP/IMAP senders.
• SMTP/IMAP senders take longer because SalesBlink has to log in to both servers.
• Bulk uploads take longer, because every sender in the file is queued and connected one after another.

While a sender is connecting, the Enabled column on Outreach → Email Senders shows a clock icon with the tooltip Connecting.... You don't need to reconnect or re-add the sender during this time.

Note: If a sender is still on Connecting... after 24 hours, contact SalesBlink support through Live Chat with the sender's email address.

Why a sender stays on Connecting...

The most common cause is wrong server settings. If the mail server doesn't respond, for example because the host or port is wrong or the provider blocks the connection, SalesBlink keeps retrying in the background, so the sender can stay on Connecting... instead of showing an error right away. A wrong password usually ends the connection attempt with an error and a Fix It badge (see below).

Check the following:

• The email address, username, and password (or app password) are correct.
• The SMTP and IMAP hosts are the full server names, for example smtp.gmail.com rather than gmail.com.
• The SMTP and IMAP ports are not swapped. SMTP normally uses 465 or 587, IMAP uses 993.
• The port matches the encryption your provider uses. SalesBlink has no separate encryption setting and picks it from the port. See the port table in Connecting SMTP IMAP Email Addresses.
• IMAP and SMTP access are enabled in your mailbox settings.

You can test your credentials outside SalesBlink with a free SMTP Tester and IMAP Tester. If the tests fail, the problem is with the credentials or the email provider, not SalesBlink. For more help, see Unable to Connect to SMTP/IMAP.

Where to see a sender's error

1. Go to Outreach → Email Senders.
2. Look for the red Fix It badge next to the sender's email address.
3. Hover over the email address. The tooltip shows Your email service provider is responding with an Error.
4. Click Fix It (or Learn More in the tooltip). The Error with [email address] window shows the error your email provider returned.

For errors on individual emails sent by a sequence, go to Outreach → Reports → Sequence Logs and hover over View error to see what the email provider returned.

Reconnect a sender after a password change

If you changed the mailbox password, or your provider expired an app password, SalesBlink can no longer log in.

SMTP/IMAP senders:

1. Go to Outreach → Email Senders.
2. Click the Edit (pencil) icon next to the sender to open SMTP Settings.
3. Enter the new password or app password in Sender Password / App Password (SMTP), and in Receiver Password / App Password (IMAP) if you use a different inbox for replies.
4. Click Next. SalesBlink shows Settings Saved and reconnects the sender in a few minutes.

Google Workspace and Outlook (OAuth) senders:

1. Go to Outreach → Email Senders.
2. Open the sender's actions menu and click Reconnect. You can also click Fix It, then Reconnect Email Senders. If that first attempt fails, click Reconnect Email Senders again to go to the sign-in page.
3. Sign in to your Google or Microsoft account again and approve the permissions.

Outlook senders after Microsoft's July 2026 change

After a Microsoft update in July 2026, some Outlook senders can't be fixed by reconnecting. If an Outlook sender keeps showing an error or stays on Connecting... after you reconnect it, delete the sender and add it again. See Connecting Outlook Email.

Common error messages

This App is Blocked or Google blocked your app

Your Google Workspace admin hasn't approved SalesBlink yet. The admin must mark SalesBlink as Trusted in the Google Admin console. See Connecting Google Workspace (G Suite).

Approval required

Your Microsoft 365 admin has disabled user consent for third-party apps. The admin must grant consent for SalesBlink once for the whole organization. See Connecting Outlook Email.

Sender Already Exists (already set up in another account)

The mailbox you signed in with is already connected as an email sender in SalesBlink, either in this account or in another SalesBlink account or workspace. Each mailbox can be connected only once across SalesBlink.

• Outlook: Outlook only allows one signed-in account per browser and silently reuses it. If that account is already a sender, you see this error even though you meant to connect a different address. Open a new Incognito or Private window, sign in to SalesBlink, and connect the sender again.
• Connected elsewhere: If the address really is connected in another SalesBlink account, remove it there first, then add it again. If you no longer have access to that account, contact SalesBlink support.

Frequently Asked Questions

My sender keeps disconnecting after it connects. What should I do?

That is a different problem from a sender stuck on Connecting.... See Email Sender Keeps Disconnecting.

Should I delete and re-add a sender that is still connecting?

Not within the first hour, because connecting can take up to 60 minutes. Delete and re-add a sender only if the credentials were wrong, or if an Outlook sender won't reconnect after Microsoft's July 2026 change.

My sender has been on Connecting... for more than 24 hours. What now?

Test the credentials with the SMTP and IMAP testers above. If they pass, contact SalesBlink support through Live Chat with the sender's email address.