LionMail Mobile and Email Client Setup

LionMail is Columbia's state-of-the-art email, contacts and calendaring system, powered by Google. It provides a secure and convenient way to send and receive mail from any location using just a web browser such as Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer or Safari. The supported browsers are the current and the previous release of your preferred browser. 

Please remember that the Gmail web interface is CUIT's only fully supported method for reading LionMail.

All Columbia University Morningside students, faculty and staff have LionMail, though some administrative departments have opted to use Outlook Exchange. CUMC students, faculty and staff use the CUMC email system. CUMC affiliates do not use LionMail.

LionMail setup for your mobile/tablet

LionMail from your iPhone browser (quick access):

You can follow the steps below to add LionMail to your iPhone, but remember that you can always access LionMail on the web from any browser, including your mobile device, without any configuration:

  1. Open the browser on your iPhone enter the following URL: lionmail.columbia.edu
  2. Log in to your LionMail account with your UNI and password

Adding LionMail as an email account on your iPhone (iOS 14.x)

Updated December 4, 2020

1. Open the Settings application on your phone's home screen.

iPhone home screen with Settings icon circled (grey gear)

2. Select Mail.

iPhone Settings screen with the Mail menu option circled, 6th option from the top

3. Select Add Account.

iPhone Mail Settings screen with the Add Account menu option circled, 4th option from the top

4. Select Google.

iPhone Add Account screen with Google logo circled (3rd option from the top)

5. A pop-up will appear: ""Settings" Wants to use "google.com" to Sign In"". Select Continue.

Pop-up with the notification reading: "Settings" Wants to use "google.com" to Sign In. Continue option is circled.

6. Type in your email address in the form [email protected] and select Next.

Google Sign in screen with Email or phone field circled, and UNI@columbia.edu entered in the field.

7. The blue Columbia login screen will appear. Close the orange cookies disclaimer at the bottom. Enter your UNI (without @columbia.edu) and your password, and select Login.

CAS login screen with UNI and Password fields circled.

8. You will taken to the Duo multifactor authentication screen. Select your preferred authentication method and validate.

9. After validating, you will be taken to the Gmail sync screen. Deselect any options you do not wish to have synced on your iPhone and select Save.

Gmail sync screen with Save button in upper right corner circled

LionMail from your iPad browser (quick access):

You can follow the steps below to add LionMail to your iPhone Mail app, but remember that you can always access LionMail on the web from any browser, including your mobile device, without any configuration, by simply:

  1. Open the browser on your iPhone or iPad and enter the following URL: lionmail.columbia.edu
  2. Log in to your LionMail account with your UNI and password.

Adding LionMail as an email account on your iPad (iOS 10.x):

1. Open the Settings application on your tablet's home screen.

iPad home screen, Settings icon circled

2. Click on Mail in the left window and then click Add Account in the right window.

Settings pane on left, Mail button selected; Mail window on right, Add Account button selected

3. Click on the Google mail option.

Add Account screen with Google option circled

4. Type in your email address in the form [email protected] and click Next.

Gmail Sign in screen, with uni@columbia.edu entered in Email or phone field

5. Type in your UNI and UNI password and click Next.

LionMail@Columbia login screen with UNI and password entered

6. Choose the options for the applications you wish to sync and click Save.

Gmail sync screen with optional applications listed

Please Set up an Alias using the link below

** It will take about 1 Hour for your new email alias to become active **

Personalized Email Aliases | Columbia University Information Technology

Please DO NOT continue to the next steps until your new email Alias is active and you have confirmed you can email your new email alias without a Delivery Failure

 Add your new email alias to Lion Mail

  1. On your computer, open Lionmail.
  2. In the top right, click Settings (The Gear Icon), then See all settings.
  3. Click the Accounts tab.
  4. In the Send mail as section, click Add another email address.
  5. Enter your name and the address you want to send from.
    1. Place a checkmark in Treat as an alias
  6. Click Next Step  
  7. Click Send verification.
  8. Enter the Verification code that is received in your email and click Verify or verify using the link received in the email

Always send from a different address 

If you want to always send from your other address, you'll need to change both your default From and reply-to address. If you only change the From address, replies will go to your original email address by default.

To always send email from a different address or alias:

  1. On your computer, open Lionmail.
  2. In the top right, click Settings (The Gear Icon), then See all settings
  3. Click the Accounts tab.
  4. In the Send mail as section to the right of the address you want to use, click Make default.

On your iOS or Android device, open the App Store and search for ‘Gmail - Email by Google’

Follow the on-screen instructions to download and install the app.  You might need to enter your Apple ID and password.

  1. When the installation is complete, open Gmail .
  2. Click Google
  3. Enter your [email protected] as the email address.
  4. Sign in using your UNI and password when prompted.
  5. If you want to receive notifications from Gmail, tap Allow.

1. From the home screen, select the Google icon.

Android device home screen with Google icon circled

2. Click on Gmail.

Google screen with Gmail icon circled

3. Click GOT IT.

New in Gmail screen with GOT IT button circled

4. Click on Add an email address.

Gmail screen with Add an email address button circled

5. Click on Google option.

Set up email screen with Google option circled

6. Type in your [email protected] and click NEXT.

Add your account screen with UNI@columbia.edu entered for Email or phone

7. Click ACCEPT on the following screen.

Disclaimer screen

8. Enter your UNI and UNI password and click LOGIN.

LionMail@Columbia page with UNI and password completed

9. Choose whether you would like to automatically backup your device data and click NEXT.

Google services screen for selecting back up preference

10. The following screen will pop up, indicating the setup is complete:

Gmail screen

LionMail setup for Microsoft Outlook and Apple Mail

1. In your Inbox, click on the Settings icon in the top right and then click on See All Settings.

Instructions 1

2. Click on Forwarding and POP/IMAP at the top, then select “Enable IMAP” and Save Changes at the bottom.

Instructions 2

3. Open Outlook and enter your LionMail address

Instructions 1

4. Enter your LionMail password.

Instructions 2

5. Select Google.

Instruction 3

6. Change the outgoing server to smtp.gmail.com and port number 587. Then click on Next.

Instruction 4

7. Wait for "We're getting things ready" to complete its sync. Uncheck "Set up Outlook Mobile on my phone, too" and Select "Done".

Done

Open Outlook and select from the top Outlook > Preferences.... > at the bottom select "New Account..."

Fig .1

Type your email address in as [email protected]. Select "Continue" but wait for the "Choose the Provider" to appear and quickly click it before the application goes on to the next page. If it does, then select to go back and try again.

Fig

Select Google.

Fig .2

Select "Continue".

Fig .3

This will take you to another web page to authenticate. Please make sure your default browser is set to Google Chrome.

Fig .4

Verify it's you!

Fig .5

Choose your Columbia mail account.

Fig .6

Scroll to the bottom of the page and select "Allow"

Fig

Select to Open Microsoft Outlook.

Fig

Select "Done" and close the window.

Fig .7

Expand your new added account if you are adding to Outlook.

Last one

1. In your LionMail Inbox, click on the Settings icon in the top right and then click on See All Settings.

fig 1

2. Click on Forwarding and POP/IMAP at the top, then select “Enable IMAP” and Save Changes at the bottom.

Fig 2

3. Open the  Mail program, select Google and click Continue.

fig 3

4. Type your Columbia email address and click Next.

Fig 4

5. Login with your UNI and Password and Authenticate with DUO.

Fig 5

6. Grant permission for your macOS to access you Google Account by selecting 'Allow'.

Fig 6

7. Select 'Done' and Apple mail will sync your Lionmail. Do NOT start to compose emails while it's still doing its sync. Wait for it to be fully completed and synced.

Fig 7

Columbia Directory (LDAP) setup for your email client

Configure your email client to offer UNIs and names from the Columbia directory by adding LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol).

Please note that Columbia LDAP is not available for Apple Mail. If you prefer to use an email client on your macOS computer, only Microsoft Outlook for Mac is supported by Google and will work with the Columbia LDAP instructions below.

1. Open Outlook and select File from the banner menu. Click on the Account Settings drop-down box and select Account Settings.

View of Outlook banner menu with File option circled in orange
View of Outlook Account Information page with Account Settings icon circled

2. Click on the Address Books tab, then select New.

Image of Account Setting field with Address Books tab selected and circled in orange. New is also circled in orange.

3. Click on the radio button for Internet Directory Service (LDAP), then select Change and Close (in older versions of Outlook, click Next, as shown below).

Add Account window with Internet Directory Service (LDP) circled in orange

4. Enter ldap.columbia.edu as the Server Name, then check the box in front of This server requires me to log on and enter the following UNI login credentials:

  • User Name: uni=your UNI,ou=People,o=Columbia University,c=US
    • For example, if your UNI is ab1234, enter: uni=ab1234,ou=People,o=Columbia University,c=US
  • Password: your UNI password
    • ​​​​​​​Enter the password you use to log in to your Columbia email, SSOL, My.Columbia, PAC, etc.
Change Account window with Directory Service (LDAP) Settings displayed. Orange circles surround ldap.columbia.edu as the Server Name, the checkbox in front of This server requires me to log on and the User Name and Password fields

5. Choose More Settings ... (You might receive a popup message stating that you must restart Outlook for these changes to take effect). Click OK to close the pop-up.

Under the Connection tab, enter Columbia Directory for the Display Name. Change the Port: to 636, and check the Use Secure Sockets Layer box. 

Select Apply.

 

Connection tab of Microsoft LDAP Directory window. Columbia Directory is circled in the Display Name Field, 636 is circled in the Port field, the checkbox is circled for Use Secure Sockets Layer. Apply is circled.

6. Select the Search tab.

Under Server Settings, enter:

  • Search timeout in seconds: 60
  • Specify the maximum number of entries you want to return after a successful search: 100

Under Search Base, enter the following in the Custom: box:

ou=People,o=Columbia University,c=US

Click Apply and then OK.

Search tab of Microsoft LDAP Directory window. Circles surround 60 in the Search timeout field, 100 in the maximum number of entries field, and ou=People,o=Columbia University,c=US in the Custom field. Apply and OK are also circled.

7. Click Next.

Change Account window with Next button circled

8. Click Finish and restart Outlook.

Change Account window with Finish button circled