The academic messaging system of Aix-Marseille relies on several technical layers that coexist: Roundcube or Zimbra webmail, the Convergence portal for the calendar, and recently a gradual migration to the national platform messagerie.education.gouv.fr. Understanding which of these interfaces to use, and in what case, directly affects the fluidity of your daily access.
Roundcube, Zimbra, and national portal: which academic messaging interface to choose
Three entry points coexist for accessing academic mail at Aix-Marseille. Their functional scope differs, and the choice depends as much on usage as on the ongoing migration schedule.
Further reading : How to log in to your online messaging service: the example of Aix Marseille
| Interface | Access | Main functions | Current status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roundcube | messagerie.region-academique-paca.fr | Reading, sending, folders, filters | Available, recommended |
| Zimbra | Same regional portal | Reading, sending, integrated calendar | Available in parallel |
| Convergence | Same regional portal | Old shared calendar | Being replaced |
| messagerie.education.gouv.fr | National MEN portal | Unified messaging across all academies | Gradual migration since 2024 |
The migration to the national portal, announced by the Ministry of National Education via the “I am preparing for the change” sheet on monaidenumerique.education.gouv.fr, modifies the connection URLs. The specific guides for Aix-Marseille have not yet fully integrated these new switching procedures.
For staff who have already switched, the old regional webmail automatically redirects. For others, Roundcube remains the main webmail client until the migration is finalized on their account.
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Connecting to Aix-Marseille webmail: credentials and common errors
The login identifier follows the format firstname.lastname (or a variant with an initial and number in case of homonymy). The password is that of the ARENA portal or the academic digital space. The procedure for successfully accessing Aix-Marseille academic messaging assumes that these credentials are active and up to date.
Three situations block the majority of users:
- An expired password or one that was never personalized after the initial account activation, which generates a silent refusal without an explicit error message on some browsers.
- Confusion between the PACA regional portal and the new national portal, especially since the migration began in 2024 – the login URL differs depending on the account’s progress.
- A browser that retains old Convergence session cookies in cache, causing a redirection loop instead of displaying the authentication page.
Clearing the cache and cookies of the browser before any reconnection attempt resolves the majority of these loops. A simple cache clearing resolves most redirection errors.
Two-factor authentication and security of academic mail
Since the start of the 2023 school year, the Ministry of National Education recommends the systematic activation of two-factor authentication on academic digital services. This recommendation follows several phishing incidents specifically targeting addresses in ac-aix-marseille.fr, reported by ANSSI.
The “Cybersecurity – Everyone Vigilant!” campaigns disseminated to staff remind that phishing primarily targets academic addresses with emails imitating convocations or HR notifications. The professional address is now used to receive sensitive career documents: transfer notifications, service records, invitations to institutional training.
Activating two-factor authentication adds a step to the login process but protects access to these documents. The procedure is done through the “My Account” section on the regional portal, under “My messaging options,” where aliases and redirections can also be configured.
Configuring an IMAP mail client on smartphone or computer
The webmail is sufficient for occasional consultation. For daily use, configuring a mail client in IMAP offers permanent synchronization of folders and offline management.
The technical parameters to be entered in the mail client (Thunderbird, Outlook, K-9 Mail, Apple Mail) are as follows:
- IMAP incoming server: the address of the PACA academic server, with the secure SSL/TLS port. The IMAP protocol keeps messages on the server, allowing retrieval of emails from multiple devices.
- SMTP outgoing server: academic SMTP address with mandatory authentication, same secure port. Without this authentication, outgoing messages are rejected.
- Identifier: the full address in the format [email protected], and not just the short identifier used on the web portal.
Using the full address as the IMAP identifier avoids connection failures on most clients, including Android and iOS mobile applications. The most common error is entering only “firstname.lastname” without the domain.
Academic messaging and dematerialized HR procedures in Aix-Marseille
The Aix-Marseille academy now conditions the receipt of certain administrative documents on the exclusive use of the professional address. Transfer notifications, invitations to institutional training, and service records are sent through this mailbox.
This evolution makes regular consultation mandatory. Not checking academic messaging can lead to delays in career procedures, especially during inter-academic movement periods or promotion campaigns.
Automatic redirection to a personal address remains technically possible via the “My Account” section of the regional portal. However, some encrypted messages or those with electronically signed attachments may not always be readable after redirection, depending on the recipient’s mail client.
The “My Digital Aid” portal of the Ministry (monaidenumerique.education.gouv.fr) centralizes tutorials for preparing for the national migration. For Aix-Marseille staff, regularly checking this portal allows for anticipating the transition of their account to the new platform, the precise schedule by academy of which has not yet been made public.