MailEnable

MailEnable is a mail server for Windows Server that bundles SMTP, POP3, IMAP, webmail and a list server in one product. It is aimed at small businesses, schools and hosting providers that want self-hosted email without the weight of Exchange. Most people searching for a MailEnable download want the Standard edition, which is free for personal and commercial use with no limit on domains or mailboxes.

MailEnable comes in four editions. Standard is free. Professional, Enterprise and Enterprise Premium are paid and add things like ActiveSync, CalDAV/CardDAV, stronger anti-spam and clustering. All four are released together under the same version number (currently 10.60) and are managed with the same MMC console.

MailEnable at a glance

What it does

• SMTP, POP3 and IMAP services (IMAP has been in Standard since version 8) with SSL on all three and TLS for inbound and outbound SMTP.
• AJAX webmail with personal calendar, contacts and tasks, plus a mobile webmail client.
• Web administration and an MMC console for post offices, domains, mailboxes, groups and lists.
• Built-in list server with moderation, headers and footers, and subscribe/unsubscribe commands.
• DKIM signing, reverse DNS blacklists, PTR checks for unauthenticated senders, IP access control and automatic banning after repeated failures.
• Active Directory/Windows authentication, smart host relaying and per-domain smart hosting.
• A PowerShell management interface for scripting accounts and settings.
• Activity monitor, message tracking, diagnostic utility and a Migration Centre for moving mail in.

How sysadmins use it

Set up a domain and mailboxes from PowerShell

The cmdlets ship with MailEnable and also work in the Standard edition:

Add-PSSnapin MailEnable.Provision.Command

# Post office + domain + first mailboxes in one call
New-MailEnablePostoffice -Domain "example.com" -Postoffice "example.com" -UserName "sales,support" -Password "<pwd1>,<pwd2>"

# Add another user later
New-MailEnableMailbox -Mailbox "jane" -Domain "example.com" -Password "<pwd>" -Right "USER"

# Extra address that delivers to Jane's mailbox
New-MailEnableAddressMap -EMailAddress "billing@example.com" -Postoffice "example.com" -Mailbox "jane"

Run Get-MailEnablePlatform -Help "*" to list every platform setting you can change from scripts.

Turn on DKIM signing

1. Create a selector and print the DNS record:

   New-MailEnableDomainDkimSelector -Domain "example.com" -Selector "me2026" -Keysize 2048
   Get-MailEnableDomainDkimDnsRecord -Domain "example.com" -Selector "me2026"

2. Publish the TXT record at me2026._domainkey.example.com and wait for DNS to propagate.
3. Activate it:

   Set-MailEnableDomainDkim -Domain "example.com" -ActiveSelector "me2026"
   Set-MailEnableDomainDkim -Domain "example.com" -EnableDKIM

4. Send a test message to an external mailbox and check the DKIM-Signature header.

Relay outbound mail through a smart host

1. In the MailEnable management console, open the SMTP connector properties and enable smart host delivery.
2. Enter your provider’s relay host and port and turn on SMTP authentication with the account details it gave you.
3. Use per-domain smart hosting if only one domain should go through the relay.

Install and first run

Requirements. The official requirements list Windows Server 2008 through 2025, 4 GB RAM or more, about 100 MB of disk for the Standard program files (mail storage extra), and .NET Framework 3.5 or later. Server Core installations are not supported. Webmail and web administration need the IIS (Web Server) role, so add it before running setup:

Install-WindowsFeature Web-Server -IncludeManagementTools
Install-WindowsFeature NET-Framework-Core

Setup. Run the installer as an administrator. It installs the mail services, the MMC console and the system tray utility. Webmail and web administration are hosted in IIS, which is why the role has to be in place first. Choose the mail data folder carefully, ideally on a separate volume that you back up.

Ports. Open 25 inbound for incoming mail, 587 or 465 for authenticated client submission, 993 and 995 for IMAPS and POP3S, and 443 for webmail. Avoid exposing plain 110 and 143 to the internet.

DNS. Set the MX record, a PTR record matching the server’s HELO name, an SPF record for your domains, and the DKIM record from above. Without PTR and SPF, outbound mail to large providers will struggle.

Limitations

• Windows Server only. There are no Linux builds, and desktop Windows is not on the requirements list.
• Standard has no greylisting, Bayesian filtering, inbound SPF checks or bundled ClamAV antivirus. Those start at Professional. Plan for an external filter if spam is a concern.
• No Exchange ActiveSync, CalDAV/CardDAV or POP retrieval in Standard.
• No multi-factor authentication, message archiving or account lockout in Standard.
• Clustering and database-backed configuration are Enterprise features.

MailEnable vs alternatives

hMailServer is free and open source on Windows and includes SPF checks, greylisting and DMARC, but has no webmail. MailEnable Standard is the easier choice when users need a browser mail client and calendar on day one. Xeams works well as a spam-filtering front end and can sit in front of MailEnable Standard to fill its anti-spam gap. SmarterMail and Microsoft Exchange are the usual commercial comparisons when groupware and mobile sync matter more than cost.

FAQ

Is MailEnable free?

The Standard edition is free for personal and commercial use, with unlimited domains and users. Professional, Enterprise and Enterprise Premium are paid editions.

What are the MailEnable Standard free limitations?

No greylisting, Bayesian filter, SPF checking or ClamAV, no ActiveSync or CalDAV/CardDAV, and no MFA or archiving. Mail services, webmail, list server and DKIM are included.

Is there MailEnable for Linux?

No. MailEnable is a Windows Server product only.

Does MailEnable run on Windows Server 2022 and 2025?

Yes. Both are on the official requirements list, along with older versions back to Server 2008. Server Core editions are not supported.

Can I install MailEnable on Windows 11?

The official requirements list only Windows Server versions, so treat a desktop install as a test setup rather than production.

MailEnable vs hMailServer: which is better?

MailEnable Standard gives you webmail and web administration. hMailServer gives you stronger free anti-spam and a scripting API. Choose based on whether your users or your filters matter more.

MailEnable vs Exchange?

MailEnable is lighter, cheaper and simpler to run. Exchange is the choice when you need deep Outlook integration, shared mailboxes and enterprise compliance features.

Last checked against official sources: 1 October 2026 (developer website: mailenable.com). Versions and licence terms change — confirm on the developer's site before deploying in production.