Sync Calendar and Contacts (CalDAV and CardDAV) in Axigen

LochStudios Mail includes a calendar and an address book with the mailbox. You can use both in WebMail, and you can sync them to a phone or desktop with CalDAV (calendar and tasks) and CardDAV (contacts). Changes you make in WebMail show on the device, and changes on the device show in WebMail.

This article is for LochStudios Mail (hosted business email on Axigen). It is not the same product as shared hosting email (the mailboxes you create in cPanel). Those addresses do not use these CalDAV and CardDAV URLs. Unsure which product you have? Open a support ticket and we will check with you.

Adding the mailbox as IMAP in Mail, Outlook, or Gmail does not add the calendar or contacts. Those stay on a separate CalDAV or CardDAV account, or in WebMail.

Prefer the browser? Sign in at the portal, open the mail service, and click Log in to WebMail. Calendar and Contacts are in the left-hand list. See What is Axigen webmail and how to sign in.

Settings you will enter

Hostname is usually mail.yourdomain.com once the domain's DNS and MX records point at LochStudios Mail. Swap in your domain. Confirm it on the mail service in the portal, or open a support ticket if you are unsure. Username is always the full email address. Password is the mailbox password, not your portal password.

Apple Calendar, Apple Contacts, and many other apps only need the hostname, the full address, and the mailbox password. They find the rest. Thunderbird and some Android apps want the full URL from the table.

This product does not use a separate app password. Use the mailbox password. Need a new one? See Change your Axigen mailbox password.

Use mail.yourdomain.com (your domain), not a name you invented. If WebMail opens at https://mail.yourdomain.com, that is the hostname to use. Port 443 is enough.

Open WebMail first

Create or tidy events and contacts in WebMail before you add a device. That way you can see that they landed.

1. Sign in at the portal.
2. Open the mail service for the domain.
3. Click Log in to WebMail.
4. Open Calendar or Contacts in the left-hand list.

Once DNS and MX for the domain are on our mail, you can also open https://mail.yourdomain.com (swap in your domain). Confirm the hostname on the mail service in the portal if you are unsure.

You do not have to sync anything. WebMail is enough if you only need the calendar or address book in a browser.

iPhone and iPad (Calendar)

The Settings labels move a little by iOS and iPadOS version. Use the path that matches what you see.

1. Open Settings.
2. Open Calendar accounts:
- Recent iOS: Apps → Calendar → Calendar Accounts.
- Earlier iOS: Calendar → Accounts.
- Very old iOS: Mail, Contacts, Calendars.
3. Tap Add Account.
4. Tap Other, then Add CalDAV Account. Do not pick iCloud, Google, Microsoft Exchange, or Yahoo.
5. Enter:
- Server: mail.yourdomain.com (your domain)
- User Name: the full email address
- Password: the mailbox password
- Description: a label for you, such as the domain name
6. Tap Next and wait while iOS checks the account.
7. Leave Calendars on. Turn on Reminders if you want tasks from this mailbox.
8. Tap Save.

Open the Calendar app. Events from WebMail should appear. If iOS asks for a full URL instead of a hostname, paste https://mail.yourdomain.com/Calendar/Calendar/.

This account is only the calendar (and reminders, if you enabled them). Mail is a separate account. See Set up Axigen email on iPhone and iPad.

iPhone and iPad (Contacts)

1. Open Settings.
2. Open Contacts accounts:
- Recent iOS: Apps → Contacts → Contacts Accounts.
- Earlier iOS: Contacts → Accounts.
- Very old iOS: Mail, Contacts, Calendars.
3. Tap Add Account.
4. Tap Other, then Add CardDAV Account.
5. Enter:
- Server: mail.yourdomain.com
- User Name: the full email address
- Password: the mailbox password
- Description: a label for you
6. Tap Next, then Save.

Open the Contacts app. If the list looks empty, tap Groups (or Lists) and turn on this account.

If iOS will not discover contacts from the hostname alone, use https://mail.yourdomain.com/Contacts/Contacts as the server.

Android

Google Calendar and the Gmail app do not speak CalDAV or CardDAV on their own. Adding the mailbox as IMAP does not bring the calendar or address book with it.

Use a CalDAV and CardDAV helper app (DAVx⁵ is one that works with this product), then let it feed the phone's Calendar and Contacts apps.

1. Install a CalDAV/CardDAV app from the Play Store or F-Droid.
2. Add an account. Choose Login with URL and user name (or the equivalent).
3. Enter:
- Base URL: https://mail.yourdomain.com
- User name: the full email address
- Password: the mailbox password
4. If the app asks for a path instead of discovering one, use /Calendar/Calendar/ for the calendar and /Contacts/Contacts for contacts.
5. Enable the calendars and address books you want, then open the phone's Calendar and Contacts apps and turn this account on in their account lists.

Some manufacturer calendar apps have a CalDAV or Other calendar option. The same hostname, full address, and mailbox password apply. Menu labels vary.

If the helper app will not connect, open WebMail from the same phone first. If WebMail works, the mailbox is fine and the app settings need another look. Still stuck? Open a support ticket.

Mail setup for this product is separate: Set up Axigen email on Android.

Mac (Calendar and Contacts)

Calendar (CalDAV)

1. Open the Calendar app.
2. Choose Calendar → Add Account. On recent macOS you can also open System Settings → Internet Accounts → Add Account.
3. Choose Other CalDAV Account (or CalDAV / Other). Do not pick iCloud, Google, or Exchange.
4. Set Account Type to Manual if you are offered Automatic, Manual, and Advanced.
5. Enter:
- User Name: the full email address
- Password: the mailbox password
- Server Address: mail.yourdomain.com
6. Click Sign In (or Create).

If Calendar cannot find the account from the hostname, use https://mail.yourdomain.com/Calendar/Calendar/ as the server address.

Contacts (CardDAV)

1. Open the Contacts app.
2. Choose Contacts → Add Account, or System Settings → Internet Accounts → Add Account.
3. Choose Other Contacts Account (or CardDAV).
4. Set the type to Manual if asked.
5. Enter the full email address, the mailbox password, and mail.yourdomain.com.
6. Click Sign In.

If Contacts cannot find the account, use https://mail.yourdomain.com/Contacts/Contacts.

On older macOS the same fields live under Calendar → Settings → Accounts and Contacts → Settings → Accounts.

Thunderbird

Thunderbird can subscribe to this mailbox's calendar and address book. Mail is a separate account. See Set up Axigen email in Thunderbird.

Calendar

1. Open Thunderbird and go to the Calendar tab.
2. Click New Calendar (or right-click the calendar list and choose New Calendar).
3. Choose On the Network and click Next.
4. Choose CalDAV.
5. Username: the full email address.
6. Location: https://mail.yourdomain.com/Calendar/Calendar/
7. Click Find Calendars or Next, enter the mailbox password, and subscribe to the calendars you want.

Thunderbird often needs one subscription per calendar folder. Add another calendar with /Calendar/Tasks/ if you want tasks, or with another folder name if you created extra calendars in WebMail.

Contacts

1. Open Address Book.
2. Click New Address Book → Add CardDAV Address Book (wording varies by version).
3. Username: the full email address.
4. Location: https://mail.yourdomain.com/Contacts/Contacts
5. Click Continue, enter the mailbox password, and finish.

Microsoft Outlook

Outlook does not speak CalDAV or CardDAV for this mailbox. Adding the address as IMAP only brings mail. Internet Calendars in classic Outlook is a one-way subscribe to an .ics link, not two-way sync with WebMail.

Use one of these instead:

• Work in WebMail for calendar and contacts.
• Use Thunderbird, Apple Calendar and Contacts, or another client that speaks CalDAV and CardDAV.
• Export a one-time .vcf from WebMail (below) if you only need a copy of the address book.

Do not add this mailbox as Microsoft 365 or Exchange. That is a different product. Mail setup: Set up Axigen email in Microsoft Outlook.

One-time contact export from WebMail

If you only need a copy of the address book on a device, you can export from WebMail instead of setting up CardDAV.

1. Sign in to WebMail from the portal.
2. Open Contacts.
3. Select the contacts (or the folder) you want.
4. Use Export or Download as vCard / VCF if it is shown.
5. Open the .vcf file on the phone or computer to import it.

That copy does not stay in sync. Later edits in WebMail will not appear on the device unless you export again or you set up CardDAV.

What to expect

Two-way sync. Modern CalDAV and CardDAV clients send changes both ways. Create a test event in WebMail and confirm it appears on the device, then create one on the device and confirm it appears in WebMail.

Username is the full address. Even if WebMail sometimes accepts a short name, CalDAV and CardDAV need sales@yourdomain.com.

Same password as mail. IMAP, SMTP, CalDAV, and CardDAV all use the mailbox password. After you change it, update the calendar and contacts accounts too.

First sync can take a few minutes if the calendar or address book is large. Later updates are smaller.

HTTPS only. Use port 443. Do not turn SSL off. A certificate warning usually means the hostname does not match. Switch to mail.yourdomain.com. Do not keep a guessed name.

Battery and data. On a phone, pick a sync interval that suits you, or sync only on Wi-Fi if you want to use less mobile data.

If sync will not connect

Cannot sign in

• Username must be the full address, not only the part before @.
• Use the mailbox password, not the portal password.
• Reset the mailbox password, then update the calendar and contacts accounts. See Change your Axigen mailbox password.

Cannot reach the server

• Hostname should be mail.yourdomain.com for that domain. Confirm it on the mail service in the portal.
• If the client wants a full URL, use the CalDAV or CardDAV row from the table above.
• Confirm you can open WebMail in a browser on the same device. If WebMail works, the mailbox is fine and the client settings need another look.
• Confirm the device has working Wi-Fi or mobile data.

Certificate warning

• The name in the client must match the certificate, usually mail.yourdomain.com.
• Do not tap Trust or Continue for a name you typed by guesswork. Fix the hostname, or open a support ticket.

Events or contacts do not appear

• Confirm they exist in WebMail first.
• Force a refresh in the calendar or contacts app, or remove the account and add it again.
• On iPhone, check Groups / Lists and turn this account on.
• On Android, confirm the helper app has the calendar or address book enabled, and that the Calendar and Contacts apps are showing that account.

Changes do not come back to WebMail

• Confirm the account is still signed in (a password change will stop it).
• Check that the client is set to two-way sync, not a read-only subscribe.
• Create a new test event so you can see whether any writes are landing.

Duplicates

• Turn the account off on one device, wait a minute, then turn it back on.
• Delete extras in WebMail so every device picks up the same list.

Still stuck? Open a support ticket and we will help. Say which address, which device, and whether WebMail opens. Unsure which product or DNS mode the domain uses? Say so in the ticket and we will check with you.

Related

• What is Axigen webmail and how to sign in
• Axigen email server settings
• Change your Axigen mailbox password
• Set up Axigen email on iPhone and iPad
• Set up Axigen email on Android
• Set up Axigen email in Microsoft Outlook
• Set up Axigen email in Thunderbird
• Webmail basics
• Email is not sending or receiving