Settings

Complete guide to all MailCade settings.

#General Settings

#Auto-start Server

**Location**: Settings → General → Auto-start Server

Start the email server when MailCade launches.

**Default**: Enabled
**Recommendation**: Keep ON so you don't forget

#Start Minimized

**Location**: Settings → General → Start Minimized

Launch MailCade minimized to system tray.

**Default**: Disabled
**Use case**: Auto-launch on system startup

#Close to Tray

**Location**: Settings → General → Close to Tray

Keep MailCade running in tray when window is closed.

**Default**: Disabled
**Use case**: Keep catching emails in background

#Desktop Notifications

**Location**: Settings → General → Desktop Notifications

Show system notifications when new emails arrive.

**Default**: Enabled
**Requirements**: Grant notification permission when prompted

#Theme

**Location**: Settings → General → Theme

**Options**:

**Light** - Bright theme
**Dark** - Dark theme
**System** - Follow OS preference

Switches automatically if set to System.

#Server Configuration

#SMTP Port

**Location**: Settings → Server Configuration → SMTP Port

Port where your applications send emails.

**Default**: 1025
**Range**: 1-65535
**Requires**: Server restart

**Common ports**:

1025 (recommended for development)
2525 (alternative)
587 (standard SMTP submission)
25 (avoid - often blocked)

#API Port

**Location**: Settings → Server Configuration → API Port

Internal port for web UI communication.

**Default**: 8025
**Range**: 1-65535
**Requires**: Server restart

Most users never need to change this.

#Email Retention

**Location**: Settings → Server Configuration → Email Retention

Maximum number of emails to keep.

**Default**: 500
**Range**: 10-10,000

When limit is reached, oldest emails are auto-deleted.

**Recommendations**:

**Light testing**: 100-200
**Normal use**: 500
**Heavy testing**: 1000-2000
**Performance testing**: 5000+

#Hostname

**Location**: Settings → Server Configuration → Hostname

SMTP server hostname.

**Default**: localhost
**Use case**: Accept connections from other machines (advanced)

#Auto-Update Settings

#Check for Updates

**Location**: Settings → Updates → Check for Updates

Manually check for new versions.

#Auto-Update

**Location**: Settings → General → Auto-update

Automatically check and notify about updates.

**Default**: Enabled
**Recommendation**: Keep ON for security and features

#Update Channel

**Options**:

**Stable** - Production releases only
**Beta** - Early access to new features

#Server Controls

Quick access via sidebar gear icon ⚙️:

#Start Server

Starts the SMTP server on configured port.

#Stop Server

Stops the SMTP server. No emails will be captured.

#Restart Server

Stops and starts the server. Required after:

Changing SMTP port
Changing API port
Some configuration changes

**Note**: Restart doesn't delete emails.

#Data Management

#Clear All Emails

**Methods**:

**Via retention limit**:
- Set Email Retention to 10
- Wait for auto-deletion
- Reset to desired value

**Via API**:

curl -X DELETE http://localhost:8025/api/v1/messages

**Restart server** (doesn't clear by default)

#Export Settings

Settings are stored in:

**macOS**: ~/Library/Application Support/MailCade/
**Windows**: %APPDATA%\MailCade\
**Linux**: ~/.config/MailCade/

#Keyboard Shortcuts

**Cmd/Ctrl + ,** - Open Settings
**Cmd/Ctrl + R** - Refresh inbox
**Cmd/Ctrl + N** - New window
**Cmd/Ctrl + W** - Close window
**Cmd/Ctrl + Q** - Quit MailCade

#What's Next?

Auto-Updates - Keep MailCade updated
Troubleshooting - Fix common issues