The webmail of the Montpellier academy is based on the Convergence platform, accessible from the address webmail.ac-montpellier.fr. Each staff member of the academy has an address in the format [email protected], usable via a browser or a third-party email client. Configuring this email on a smartphone, tablet, or personal computer requires knowledge of the IMAP and SMTP server settings, as well as verifying some prerequisites on the academic portal.
AIDA Portal and Emergency Contact Information: Prepare Access Before Any Configuration
Most connection failures do not stem from incorrect server settings, but from an expired or never initialized password. The AIDA (Academic Identification Assistant) portal centralizes the management of credentials for webmail, the ENT, and other digital services of the academy.
During a first login or after a forgotten password, AIDA offers two recovery channels: an email sent to a personal emergency address, or a code sent via SMS. This emergency contact information must be provided in advance, from the AIDA portal itself. Without it, the reset procedure becomes significantly longer, as it requires direct contact with the institution’s IT service.
Before opening an email client on a device, the logical sequence is: connect for the first time to webmail.ac-montpellier.fr from a browser, verify that the password works, then enter (or update) the phone number and personal email address in AIDA. This step prevents being blocked during a device change, while traveling, or at the start of the school year.
It is also possible for staff accessing the webmail of the Montpellier academy from multiple devices simultaneously to check that authenticated IMAP/SMTP access is enabled in the “Computer Account” section of the ENT. Some institutions require this permission to be manually checked.
IMAP and SMTP Server Settings for Montpellier Academic Email
Academic servers refuse unencrypted connections. Old guides mentioning port 143 for IMAP without encryption no longer work. Here are the settings to use:
| Protocol | Server | Port | Security |
|---|---|---|---|
| IMAP (incoming) | courrier.ac-montpellier.fr | 993 | SSL/TLS |
| SMTP (outgoing) | smtp.ac-montpellier.fr | 587 | STARTTLS |
The username corresponds to the academic webmail identifier, not the full email address. On some clients (Gmail on Android, for example), the field automatically fills in the entire address: it must be manually replaced with the short identifier.
Authentication uses the normal webmail password. No specific application password is required at this stage for Montpellier academic email, unlike what some third-party services like Gmail or Outlook.com require for their own accounts.
Configuration on iPhone, iPad, and iOS Devices
On iOS, the path goes through Settings, then Mail, then Accounts, then Add Account. Choose “Other” (not Exchange or iCloud), then “Add Mail Account”.
- Enter the address [email protected], the webmail password, and a free description (for example, “Montpellier Academy”)
- On the next screen, select IMAP, then enter courrier.ac-montpellier.fr as the incoming server (port 993, SSL/TLS) and smtp.ac-montpellier.fr as the outgoing server (port 587, STARTTLS)
- Replace the pre-filled username with the short webmail identifier, without the @ac-montpellier.fr
iOS sometimes attempts to automatically detect the settings, which consistently fails with academic servers. It is necessary to switch to manual configuration from the first screen to avoid an error message “Unable to verify the server identity”.
Common Issue: SSL Certificate
During the first synchronization, iOS may display a warning about the server’s certificate. Accepting the certificate allows you to proceed. If the message appears every time the application is opened, check that the port and security protocol are exactly those in the table above.
Configuration on Android with Gmail or K-9 Mail
On Android, there are two main options: the Gmail app (built-in) or K-9 Mail (free, open source). Both accept third-party IMAP accounts.
In Gmail, go to Settings, then Add Account, then Other. Enter the academic address, choose “Personal (IMAP)”, then manually enter the server settings. Gmail sometimes suggests “POP3” by default: you must select IMAP to maintain two-way synchronization between the device and the server.
K-9 Mail asks for the same information but separates the configuration screens for incoming and outgoing mail more clearly. When entering the SMTP server, ensure that the security is set to STARTTLS (not SSL/TLS), and that the port is indeed 587. A common mistake is to leave port 465, which is pre-filled by default in some versions of K-9 Mail.
Synchronization Frequency and Battery
By default, most Android clients poll the server every fifteen minutes. This frequency is suitable for regular use. Reducing it to five minutes significantly increases battery consumption, without real benefit for academic professional email whose daily volume remains moderate.
Webmail Connection via Browser: Access from a Shared Computer
The Convergence interface, accessible from webmail.ac-montpellier.fr, remains the most direct method to check email without installing anything. It works on all recent browsers (Firefox, Chrome, Edge, Safari).
On a shared computer, never save the password in the browser. Convergence does not offer automatic logout after inactivity on all machines. Remember to click “Logout” at the end of the session, then close all browser windows.
The AIDA portal displays a permanent warning about fraudulent emails (phishing). The IT department of the Montpellier academy never asks for identifiers or passwords via email. Any message of this type should be ignored and reported.
Configuring the academic webmail takes just a few minutes once the prerequisites are met. The most often overlooked point remains the verification of emergency contact information in AIDA, which conditions the ability to recover access in case of a password change or new device.
