> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.open-hive.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Inboxes: sync and find conversations

> Connect a readable mailbox, understand sync states, and find the right thread.

Use **Inboxes** in the email workspace to sync mail, find conversations, and read or reply to messages. Open it from **Inbox** in the CRM area when the feature is available.

For account credentials and signatures, switch to **Sender**. See [Email overview](/email/overview) if you are setting up email for the first time.

## Connect a readable inbox

1. Open **Sync an inbox**.
2. Find the connected mailbox you want and choose **Sync inbox**, or the available **Read the inbox** action for a compatible delivery account.
3. Select the mailbox in the inbox sidebar.
4. Wait for its initial import and inspect the status.

A delivery account is not automatically a readable inbox. SMTP needs inbound configuration to receive mail, and API sending providers do not automatically supply a mailbox. See [Delivery accounts](/configuration/senders).

## Understand sync status

| Status                              | Meaning and next step                                                                          |
| ----------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Importing** with progress         | Initial history is being brought in. Allow the import to continue.                             |
| **Syncing**                         | Sync has been requested or is running. It does not mean all messages are already available.    |
| **Connected — no messages yet**     | The connection exists, but no messages have arrived through this path yet.                     |
| **Connected**                       | No current connection problem is reported. Check filters if a conversation is missing.         |
| **Paused — resuming automatically** | Read the reason shown and allow automatic recovery. Paused is not an active sync.              |
| **Needs reconnecting**              | Use **Reconnect** for the affected account.                                                    |
| **Login refused**                   | For IMAP, use **Update password** and correct the credentials in Sender.                       |
| **Disabled** or an error            | Read the displayed detail and repair the account or configuration before expecting fresh mail. |

**Sync now** requests synchronization; it is not an instant refresh of the entire mailbox. A displayed sync timestamp is not a guarantee that the latest import completed successfully.

**Disconnect** asks for confirmation. Use it only when you intend to disconnect that inbox, not as the first response to a slow import.

## Find a conversation

Select the mailbox, then use **Search conversations**. Narrow the list with the category tabs **Agent**, **Bounced**, **Other**, and **All**.

Additional controls include the unread-only filter and a tag selector with **All tags**, **Inbound**, **Outbound**, and **Bounced**. Categories and tags are separate filters; a restrictive combination can hide the message you want.

For a missing conversation, start with **All**, **All tags**, unread-only turned off, and an empty search. Then check the mailbox and sync status before reconnecting anything.

## Read without changing the source mailbox's read state

Open a conversation to inspect its messages. Opening a thread in OpenHive does not mark it read on the original platform or send that platform a read receipt. OpenHive can update its own local seen/unread state separately.

Read the complete thread before responding, particularly if another person or agent may already have answered. Follow [Draft, preview, and send a reply](/email/replying) for the composer, AI assistance, attachments, and error handling.

## Check CRM associations

Inbox synchronization can associate conversations with CRM records when that feature is available. Review the app's release-stage badge and any unmatched-correspondent indicators.

Connecting a sender does not guarantee every message is associated with the right person. Inspect the relevant [CRM record](/guides/crm) before relying on the association for follow-up work.