For gci.net addresses in Alaska
GCI Email App and GCI Email Settings With Every Account in One Inbox
GCI makes no mail app, and you are paying 4.99 dollars a month to keep the address. Here are the gci.net settings that answered in our test today, and a way to read that mailbox beside Gmail and work mail on any computer.
mail.gci.net · Normal password · Nothing to install
In short
There is no GCI email app. GCI offers webmail at mail.gci.net and setup steps for the mail apps already on your phone or computer. The GCI email settings are IMAP on mail.gci.net port 993 with SSL and SMTP on smtp.gci.net with authentication on, using your normal gci.net password, because GCI does not use app passwords. GCI tried to shut its email down in 2024, reversed course, and now charges 4.99 dollars a month per address. If you pay that to keep a gci.net address alive next to Gmail and a work account, reading all three in one list is the part GCI does not offer.
GCI email server settings
What to type into any mail program
Values from GCI's own setup guides, checked against the live servers from the United States on October 14, 2026.
| Setting | Recommended | Also works |
|---|---|---|
| Account type | IMAP, so every device sees the same folders | POP3, which GCI's Outlook guide still marks recommended, but it downloads to one machine |
| Incoming server (IMAP) | mail.gci.net, port 993, SSL | imap.gci.net or pop.gci.net, same server; port 143 offers STARTTLS |
| Outgoing server (SMTP) | smtp.gci.net, port 587, STARTTLS | Port 465 with SSL or port 25, the two GCI lists |
| Outgoing authentication | Must be on, same login as incoming | No alternative, GCI requires it |
| User name | The full address, for example [email protected] | The part before the at sign, which GCI's Outlook guide shows |
| Password | Your normal gci.net email password | GCI issues no app passwords |
| Secure Password Authentication | Leave it unchecked | GCI tells Outlook users to make sure it is off |
GCI's guides disagree with each other in small ways. The Android steps use pop.gci.net in the IMAP field and port 25 for outgoing mail; the Outlook steps use mail.gci.net and smtp.gci.net. Both are right, because every one of those names points at the same mail server. Port 25 is often blocked on home and hotel networks outside GCI, which is why 587 is the safer outgoing choice.
Why people still pay for a gci.net address
GCI almost turned it off, and customers said no
In July 2023 GCI told customers it would phase out its email service in 2024 and suggested they move to another provider. It started charging 4.99 dollars a month to keep an address while it looked at alternatives. In March 2024 it changed its mind, said it would not take any action that would discontinue GCI hosted email, and made the fee permanent. Local reporting counted more than 40,000 customer accounts at the time.
Two consequences matter today. Anyone who closed an address during that year cannot get it back, because GCI said a disconnected gci.net address cannot be reactivated. And everyone who kept one is now paying for it every month, which tells you how much was riding on it: the bank, the clinic, the borough, the barge schedule and every customer who ever replied.
GCI fixed the shutdown. It did not add an app. The address works in webmail and in the mail program on each device, one mailbox at a time. If gci.net is one of three or four addresses you check each day, an email client for multiple accounts is the thing to set up once.
Measured on October 14, 2026
Every GCI mail host name led to the same server
We looked up the gci.net mail records and opened connections to each host GCI's guides mention, from our servers in the United States.
Incoming
IMAP ready
- mail.gci.net on 993: IMAP ready, plain password sign in offered
- imap.gci.net and pop.gci.net on 993: the same server and answer
- mail.gci.net on 143: IMAP ready, STARTTLS offered
- One GCI certificate covers mail, imap, pop and smtp
Outgoing
SMTP ready
- smtp.gci.net on 587: STARTTLS and password login offered
- Outgoing authentication required, as GCI's guides say
- No app password step anywhere in the sign in
One test on one day is not a policy, and GCI can change its hosts. What it shows is that you can stop worrying about which of the three names a guide used. The outgoing result matters more than it sounds: another regional ISP on similar mail software refused our servers outright on the same day, and a mailbox that reads but cannot send is half a setup. For comparison, see how it went at EarthLink, which also takes your normal password, and at TDS, which is shutting its email down on October 31.
Every way to read a gci.net mailbox
Six routes to GCI email on a computer or phone, compared
The questions that settle it are whether the route runs on the machine you own, and whether it can hold your other addresses too.
Swipe to see all columns →
| Route to gci.net mail | Runs on | Holds other accounts too | Survives Gmail's January 2027 change | Cost on top of GCI's fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inboxes | Windows, macOS, Linux, ChromeOS, in a browser tab | Yes, one merged board | Yes, reads gci.net in place over IMAP | 49 dollars a month for five mailboxes, half that billed yearly |
| GCI webmail at mail.gci.net | Any browser, any machine | No, one mailbox | Yes | Included in the 4.99 dollar fee |
| Gmail checking mail from other accounts | Anywhere Gmail runs | Yes, inside Gmail | No, Google drops this fetch for third party addresses | No license fee |
| Classic Outlook | Windows and Mac, with a Microsoft 365 or Office license | Yes, as separate folder trees | Yes | Part of a Microsoft 365 or Office purchase |
| Apple Mail | macOS, iPhone and iPad only | Yes, with an All Inboxes view | Yes | Included with the operating system |
| Thunderbird | Windows, macOS, Linux, Android | Yes, through Unified Folders | Yes | Open source, no license fee |
GCI's fee figure comes from GCI's March 2024 statement as reported by Alaska news outlets; check your own bill for the current amount. Google's January 2027 change removes Gmailify, the POP fetch of other accounts and Send as for third party addresses; the detail is on our check mail from other accounts page.
When the setup fails
Four reasons GCI email stops working in a mail program
Outgoing authentication is off
Mail arrives and nothing sends. smtp.gci.net requires a login, and many programs leave that box unchecked by default. Turn on My outgoing server requires authentication and reuse the incoming login.
Port 25 is blocked where you are
Away from a GCI connection, many networks block outgoing port 25. Switch smtp.gci.net to 587 with STARTTLS, which answered from outside GCI's network in our test, or 465 with SSL.
The user name is in the other format
GCI webmail wants the full address; GCI's Outlook guide shows only the part before the at sign. If one is rejected with a password you know is right, try the other before you reset anything.
Secure Password Authentication is on
Outlook offers a Require logon using Secure Password Authentication box. GCI says to leave it unchecked. With it on, a correct password still fails.
If none of those fit, check the account itself in MyGCI. An address whose monthly fee lapsed stops working, and GCI has said a disconnected address cannot be brought back, so that is worth confirming before you spend an evening on settings.
Where a browser client fits
What Inboxes does with a gci.net mailbox
The pitch is narrow on purpose. It is the one thing GCI does not offer, which is the address you pay to keep and your newer ones in one list.
gci.net beside everything else
The gci.net address in the same stream as Gmail, Yahoo, iCloud and your own domain, sorted by arrival with the source account on each row. GCI webmail shows one mailbox at a time.
Your normal password, nothing else
GCI is one of the few providers where the ordinary password works over IMAP, so connecting it takes the address, the password and mail.gci.net. No app password to generate.
Unaffected by the Gmail change
If you read gci.net inside Gmail today, that fetch stops in January 2027. Reading it in place over IMAP does not depend on Gmail at all.
A category on every message
Each message arrives labeled Important, Newsletter, Notification, Spam or Other. An address in use since dial up carries two decades of mailing lists, so sorting before you read pays off here.
Search across every account
One query runs against every connected mailbox, which matters when you cannot remember whether the PFD paperwork or the freight confirmation went to gci.net or to Gmail.
Nothing to install on any machine
No installer and no Windows requirement. The office PC in Anchorage and the laptop at the cabin show the identical inbox. Pin the tab or install the page as an app from the browser menu.
Three steps, and no download
Connecting a gci.net address to one board
Nothing here moves your mail. GCI keeps the copy, and the board reads it over IMAP.
Step 01
Confirm the password at mail.gci.net
Sign in to GCI webmail once with the full address. If it works there, it will work over IMAP.
Step 02
Add the mailbox
Enter the address and password, mail.gci.net on port 993 with SSL incoming, and smtp.gci.net on 587 outgoing.
Step 03
Add the rest and read one board
Repeat for Gmail, Yahoo, iCloud or your own domain. Everything lands in one stream with the source on each row.
Where this is the wrong answer
What Inboxes does not do
It does not replace GCI's fee. The gci.net mailbox lives at GCI, and GCI charges to keep it. We read it; we do not host it. If you stop paying GCI, the address stops working everywhere, including here.
It will not connect a Microsoft mailbox. We sign in with a user name and password or app password. Microsoft has removed that kind of sign in from Microsoft 365 work mail and has said it intends to rely only on OAuth for Outlook.com too, so an outlook.com, hotmail.com or Microsoft 365 address will not connect here. gci.net, Gmail, Yahoo, AOL, iCloud and own domain mailboxes do.
No calendar, no contacts, no offline mode. It runs in a browser tab and wants a connection. On a slow rural link or a long flight, Thunderbird, Apple Mail and classic Outlook keep a local copy you can read without signal.
There is no permanent tier that costs nothing. Plans start at 49 dollars a month for five mailboxes, or half that billed yearly. If one gci.net address on one home computer is the whole job, the settings above and the mail app you already have will do it. The case for paying starts when you read several mailboxes on several machines, or want the volume itself cut down.
FAQ
Questions people ask about the GCI email app
Is there a GCI email app?
No. GCI publishes no mail app for phones or computers. The MyGCI app manages your GCI account and bill, not your mailbox. GCI points customers to its webmail at mail.gci.net, which runs in any browser, or to the mail app already on the device: the iPhone Mail app, the Android Email app, Outlook or Windows Mail, set up with your gci.net address and password.
What are the GCI email settings?
Incoming mail is mail.gci.net over IMAP on port 993 with SSL, or port 143 without it. Outgoing mail is smtp.gci.net with authentication turned on. GCI lists port 25 and port 465 with SSL; port 587 with STARTTLS also accepted a password sign in from our servers on October 14, 2026. The password is your normal gci.net email password.
What are the GCI email server settings for Outlook?
In Outlook pick IMAP, enter mail.gci.net as the incoming server and smtp.gci.net as the outgoing server, and leave Secure Password Authentication unchecked, which is what GCI tells Outlook users to do. Under More Settings, turn on My outgoing server requires authentication and choose Use same settings as my incoming mail server. Then set 993 with SSL for IMAP.
What are the GCI SMTP settings?
The outgoing server is smtp.gci.net and it requires authentication with the same user name and password as incoming mail. GCI guides list port 25 and port 465 with SSL. On October 14, 2026 smtp.gci.net also answered on port 587, offered STARTTLS and accepted a login request, so 587 with STARTTLS is the choice when a home network or hotel blocks port 25.
Do I need an app password for GCI email?
No. GCI email takes your ordinary gci.net password in every program, and GCI does not issue app passwords. That makes it simpler than Gmail, Yahoo or AOL, which all reject your real password in third party programs. If a client keeps rejecting the sign in, check the user name format and whether the password was recently changed in the GCI portal.
Is my GCI user name the full email address?
For webmail, yes: GCI tells you to sign in with your full email address, not the user name. Its older Outlook guide says the user name is typically the part before the at sign. If a mail program rejects one form, try the other with the same password before resetting anything.
Is GCI still charging for email?
Yes. GCI announced in July 2023 that it would end its email service in 2024, began charging 4.99 dollars a month to keep an address while it studied alternatives, then reversed the shutdown in March 2024 and said the fee would be permanent. Local reporting put the count at more than 40,000 customer email accounts at the time.
Can I reopen a closed gci.net email address?
No. When GCI reversed the shutdown in March 2024 it said that once you have disconnected your gci.net email address you will not be able to reactivate it. Anyone who closed an address during the 2023 to 2024 wind down cannot get it back, which is the main reason to keep paying the monthly fee if the address is on important accounts.
Why does the GCI Android guide say pop.gci.net for IMAP?
Because every GCI mail host name is the same server. On October 14, 2026 mail.gci.net, imap.gci.net and pop.gci.net all resolved to one address and all answered IMAP on port 993 with the same GCI certificate, which also covers smtp.gci.net. Using pop.gci.net in an IMAP field works; mail.gci.net is simply the clearest name to type.
How do I check my GCI email on a computer?
Open mail.gci.net in any browser, or click Sign In then Check Email on gci.com, and sign in with the full gci.net address and password. That reads one mailbox. To see it in a program instead, add it over IMAP with the settings on this page, or use a browser client that reads gci.net beside your other addresses.
Can I read my GCI email in Gmail?
Today you can, through the Gmail setting that checks mail from other accounts. Google has announced that Gmail drops that POP fetch for third party addresses in January 2027, so a gci.net address pulled into Gmail that way stops updating. A client that reads gci.net over IMAP in place is not affected by that change.
Why is my GCI email not working?
Start with the three settings people get wrong: outgoing authentication turned off, Secure Password Authentication turned on, and the wrong user name format. Then check the account itself, because a gci.net address that is no longer paid for stops working, and a disconnected address cannot be reactivated. GCI also lists webmail login problems under its support team.
Related
Keep reading
Your gci.net address, and every other one
Connect gci.net with the password you already have, add Gmail, Yahoo, iCloud and your own domain, and let a model tag each message before you read it. Nothing to install on any computer.