The academic messaging system Aix-Marseille is based on Roundcube webmail, accessible from the portal appli.ac-aix-marseille.fr. Each staff member of the academy has an email address in the format [email protected], used for all professional correspondence. Starting from the 2025-2026 school year, the login process has evolved with the addition of an extra layer of security.
OTP VERDON Authentication: What Changes for Logging into Aix-Marseille Messaging
The Aix-Marseille academy now requires OTP authentication via the VERDON application for all staff. This mechanism generates a one-time code, valid for a few seconds, which is added to the usual password during each login.
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Specifically, after entering your academic ID and password on appli.ac-aix-marseille.fr, a second screen requests the code displayed in the VERDON application installed on your phone. Without this code, access to the webmail is blocked, even if the password is correct.
For staff who did not activate VERDON before its generalization, the enrollment procedure goes through the Esterel portal of the academy. You need to link the application to your account only once, then keep access to the registered phone. Changing phones requires re-enrolling the application, which can take a few days if IT support needs to intervene. Anticipating this step prevents being left without access to your inbox during the start of the school year or class council meetings.
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To access the Aix-Marseille academic messaging smoothly, checking that VERDON is functioning properly before any login attempt remains the most effective reflex.
IMAP and SMTP Settings to Configure an External Mail Client
Roundcube webmail is sufficient for occasional consultation, but many staff prefer to centralize their messages in Outlook, Thunderbird, or their phone’s Mail application. The configuration relies on specific settings, and any error in port or protocol blocks synchronization without an explicit error message.
Here are the settings to apply:
- Incoming IMAP server: imap.ac-aix-marseille.fr, port 993, SSL/TLS encryption required
- Outgoing SMTP server: smtp.ac-aix-marseille.fr, port 465, SSL/TLS encryption required, password authentication enabled
- Username: your academic ID (not necessarily the beginning of your email address, be careful not to confuse the two)
- Password: the same as the one used for the portal appli.ac-aix-marseille.fr
The most common error is selecting STARTTLS instead of SSL/TLS. Some email clients offer STARTTLS by default, which causes a silent connection failure. Also, check that the username field does not contain your full email address: only the short username works.
Special Case for Contractual and Temporary Staff
Contractual and temporary staff have the same type of account, but their academic ID is sometimes communicated late, after they have officially started their position. The account remains active only during the duration of the contract. Remember to export your messages before the end of the contract to avoid losing archived professional exchanges in the inbox.
Resetting the Academic Messaging Password: Procedure and Common Blockages
Loss of password is the primary reason for blockage reported by staff. The reset procedure goes through the portal appli.ac-aix-marseille.fr, via the link “I do not know my password.”
The form requests several pieces of information: date of birth (day and month in numbers), academic ID, and especially the NUMEN (national education identification number). Without this number, resetting is impossible autonomously. Only the rectorate can provide the NUMEN in case of forgetting, which extends the recovery time for access.
The new password must meet strict requirements:
- Minimum of 12 characters
- At least one lowercase letter, one uppercase letter, one number, and one special character among ,?;.:/!%+=_-
A password that does not meet these criteria will be rejected without clear indication of the missing criterion. Testing compliance before submitting the form saves time.
Prohibited Forwarding and Professional Messaging Signature
For several years, forwarding academic messaging to a personal inbox is prohibited. This restriction, related to the security of the national education information systems, applies to all staff without exception. Any attempt at automatic forwarding to Gmail, Outlook.com, or another external service is disabled by the academy.
The only solution to check messages outside of webmail remains the IMAP configuration described above, which keeps data on the academic servers while allowing reading from a personal device.
Setting Up a Signature on Roundcube
The Roundcube webmail allows you to add an automatic signature to each message sent. The process is done in the Options menu, then Local Account. The academy recommends including the name of the school or institution for easier identification by recipients. Once the signature is written, checking the box “Add signature to each composed message” and saving the preferences is sufficient.
Keeping your NUMEN accessible, checking that VERDON works on your current phone, and using SSL/TLS on port 993 for IMAP: these three points cover the vast majority of blockage situations encountered by staff of the Aix-Marseille academy.