CenturyLink Settings and Support Guide

Start by rebooting your modem (and router, if you have a separate one), and try from different devices. If you’re still unable to access CenturyLink services, you can check Down Detector and Twitter to see if other customers are reporting problems:

• Downdetector CenturyLink report
• CenturyLink on Twitter

There are two ways to access your CenturyLink email. Both methods will give you full access to all of your email, including your inbox and sent mail folders. You can log into Webmail from any browser, or you can set up an email program with POP or IMAP and SMTP.

The email settings and webmail links are listed on this page. Keep in mind that some features, such as changing your email preferences, are only available through the webmail link.

The maximum size of attachments with your CenturyLink email depends on your email domain.

If your email address ends in @centuryLink.net, @elpasotel.net, @embarqmail.com or @q.com, your attachment size limit is 20 megabytes (MB).

If you have an @qwest.net email account, your limit is 10 megabytes (MB).

This limit is the total file size of all attachments on one email. If you need to send multiple files that add up to more than your attachment limit, try sending the files in one email at a time, or compress the files. In Windows, right click the file, select Send to, and then click Compressed (zipped) folder.

Keep in mind that some spam systems filter out .zip files. Another alternative is to send your files with a cloud service such as iCloud, Dropbox, or Firefox Send.

If you can’t access your CenturyLink email, there are a few possible reasons why.

First, check to see if you have internet access. You can use the speed test and also check if there is an outage reported.

Another reason is that you can be temporarily locked out of your email account if you enter your password incorrectly too many times. You can either wait a short period for the lock to clear, or contact CenturyLink technical support to help you.

The last thing to try is to reset your password.

You can use either POP or IMAP with CenturyLink email. This applies to CenturyLink, Embarqmail, Qwest, and other legacy email accounts provided by CenturyLink. Check the email settings section above for the server details.

If you are using an email client (as opposed to webmail in a browser) to check your CenturyLink email, and you can receive but not send email, check the outgoing server settings for your account.

To do this, open your email client and go into the settings for your CenturyLink account. Look for a section where you set the SMTP server. (This may also be called the outgoing server or sending server.) This is the server that you connect to for sending email, which differs from the one you use for receiving email.

The mail server to use is smtp.centurylink.net. If there is an option to use a secure connection, select Yes, and TLS as the security type if it’s an option.

Save your settings and try checking your email again. If you continue to have trouble, contact CenturyLink tech support.

There’s a two-step process if you want to transfer your CenturyLink or Embarqmail email to Gmail. First, you’ll want to do a bulk import of all your emails and contacts. Next, set up Gmail to fetch all any new emails that are received.

In Gmail, click on the gear icon and then click Settings. Follow the prompts to set up the import, using the IMAP email settings listed above.

After you've done the initial import, configure Check email from other accounts, which is in the same settings menu. This will set up Gmail to fetch new emails from your CenturyLink account.

You can read more at the Gmail Support page.

To set up email forwarding:

1. Use Webmail to log into your CenturyLink account.
2. Once logged in, select Preferences.
3. Under Receiving Messages, enter the address of the inbox you want to forward in the Forward a copy to field.
4. Click Finish to save your changes.

No. You will lose access to your CenturyLink email when you discontinue your service. To retain your email history and contacts, use an email client such as Gmail to import your old messages. You should also set up a new email service, set up email forwarding to copy your new CenturyLink emails to your new service, and then notify people on your contact list about your new email address.

It's a good idea to do this well ahead of time before cancelling your CenturyLink service. While your email access may not be discontinued immediately after you send your cancellation notice, you will lose access shortly after.

For an example of how to do this, check out the "How do I transfer my centurylink email to Gmail?" answer above.

CenturyLink doesn’t provide its own branded email app, but you don’t need one to access CenturyLink email on your smartphone, tablet, or computer. Simply set up your preferred email client using the email settings listed above. These settings will work with @centurylink.net and any associated email accounts, such @embarqmail.net and @q.com.

POP and IMAP are both available, but IMAP should be your first choice because it providers better features. For instructions on how to set up common email programs such as Outlook, go to the email app section above.

CenturyLink internet includes provides you with one primary email account and up to 10 free additional email addresses.

To add or delete CenturyLink email address, log into webmail and then navigate to the Manage Users section. From there, you can select Add a New User to add a new mailbox, or click Remove User on an existing email.

Embarq Corporation was a phone company acquired by CenturyTel in 2008. The combined company changed its name to CenturyLink. If you’re a long time Embarq customer, your email domain is still available at @embarqmail.net.

All of Embarqmail features are fully merged into CenturyLink email. This means that webmail login, email settings, password reset, and other CenturyLink email features as the same for Embarqmail and can are accessed the same way.

Q.com mail is one of the many email domains that are part of CenturyLink email. All of the instructions on this page for checking and configurig your CenturyLink email also apply to q.com mail accounts.

If there is a particular email sender that you no longer want to receive emails from, you can create an email filter for that address.

Log into CenturyLink webmail and then navigate to the Preferences setting. In the navigation, click on Filters.

Add the offending email address as a From: filter, then click Ok.

If you’ve forgotten your CenturyLink email password, you can reset it online. You will need two pieces of information:

1. The phone number associated with your CenturyLink account.
2. Your CenturyLink email.

(The phone number is needed to identify your account. An actual phone call isn’t required.) Once you have both pieces of information, click the "Forgot your password?" link at the top of this page and follow the prompts.

To change your CenturyLink email password:

1. Follow this link to log into the change password page.
2. Log into your account with your email and password.
3. Once logged in, enter your current password in the "Current Password" field.
4. Enter your new password into the "New Password" and "Confirm New Password" fields.
5. Click to save your new password.

When we talk about email security breaches, there are two types to consider: 1) individual accounts being compromised and 2) service-wide breaches that affect thousands or even millions of accounts.

In the first case, your individual CenturyLink email account could get hacked if you use a weak password. Hackers will often use brute force techniques to try many different passwords to gain access to your account. If you use a weak password (like "password123"), your CenturyLink email account could be compromised. Or you might be careless, and leave your password on a sticky note near your computer. Always use good password practices to keep your account secure.

The other possibility is that a service experiences a wide-scale breach that affects many or all of its accounts. Unfortunately, researchers in October 2019 discovered that a database containing the account records of hundreds of thousands of CenturyLink customers was left exposed on the Internet.

This incident doesn’t mean that hackers actually accessed CenturyLink customer data, only that it was a possibility. Still, customers should be cautious and be sure to change their passwords.

The best way to be alerted about such breaches in the future is to use the free Firefox Monitor service, operated by the non-profit Mozilla Foundation.

Zimbra is the software that powers CenturyLink email. It is open source, and the documentation is freely available. That means if you have any detailed questions about CenturyLink email that haven’t been answered here, you can read the Zimbra documentation to get your answers. Click to read the Zimbra Web Client User Guide.