Email Setup and Thunderbird pop3 Setup with Bluehost

Are you wondering how to setup and configure your email with your Bluehost web hosting account? Well many people have asked us common questions relating to email setup and Bluehost so we decided to put together a helpful tutorial for you.

Create Email Account

Your first step is to create your email account. Login to your Cpanel with the username and password Bluehost gave you. And on the first page of the Cpanel you will see the Email Account Icon that looks like this:

After clicking on the icon you will be taken to this screen, where you can create your new email account. Type in the name of your account like "tutorials" and select the domain name such as "spreadbluehost.com". Then fill out the password field twice to verify your desired password and click the Create button.

You will then be taken to this screen where the system confirms to you the creation of your new email account. Click the "Go Back" button.

Your email account is now created. You are taken to this screen that shows you your existing email account and the ability to edit it's preferences if you need to.

You can access your emails either by going to http://mail.yourdomainname.com or by downloading your messages via POP3 which we will show you how further down this page.

Spam Setup

You want to enable your Spam Assassin on your Bluehost server account to enable the best possible spam protection for all of your email accounts. Setting this up with bluehost is very easy. Locate the Spam Assassin button on the main page of your Cpanel.

Next, you will simply find a button that says "Enable Spam Assassin" that you will want to click on:

Whallaaa! Spam Assassin is all setup and ready to go. Now just click the "Go Back" link to take you back to your Cpanel page.

Creating Email Forwards

Creating email forwarders are very easy using your Cpanel on your Bluehost account. Locate the "Forwarders" icon which is close to the Email Accounts icon on the main page of your Cpanel and click on it:

Next you will see a list of existing Forwarders if there are any at all. This screenshot is what it looks like. Below which is a button that says "Add Forwarder". Click on that button:

You will then be taken to this point, where you first enter in the name of the account that you would like to forward emails "FROM". Then enter in the email address that you would like to forward emails "TO". Then click on the "Add Forwarder" button:

And that's it. You that easily created an Email Forward.

Thunderbird (POP3 Setup

Now your email account(s) is setup, your spam assassin is configured, and your email forwards are ready to go. Now you want to configure your POP3 so that you can download your messages from your Bluehost server onto your computer. Many people use Microsoft Outlook, but we are Open Source people so we will take the time to show you how to setup your email using Mozilla Thunderbird which is an open source/free email client. You can download it for free by going to http://mozilla.com/en-US/thunderbird/

Once you have setup Thunderbird and have it open, click on Tools up at the top, then click on Account Settings:

Now, select the Add Account button on this next screen to prompt the new email account setup wizard:

Now select the Email Account radio button and hit Next:

Now enter in your name, then enter your full email address and click Next:

Select the radio button for POP3, then enter in your incoming mail server which is mail.yourdomainname.com. "your domain name" of course means place your domain name of your email account. If this is your first email account you are setting up on Thunderbird the setup wizard will also ask you for a Outgoing Mail server. Make it the same as the Incoming mail server.

Now the system will ask you to enter in your username. Your username is your Full Email Address!

Now enter in your email account name one more time and click next:

Now the system wants you to verify that all of your information has been entered in correctly. When it has click the Finish button:

Now you are all setup with Thunderbird and your Bluehost email account. Click on the Get Mail Button located at the top right hand corner of your Thunderbird program to tell your computer to download your emails:

You will then be asked to enter in your email account password. Enter it in correctly and check the box below for Thunderbird to store your password for you.