Last Updated on April 25, 2020 by Next Century
You can download messages from Gmail and see them using a program like Microsoft Outlook, Apple Mail, or Thunderbird, even when you aren’t online. This process is called POP or IMAP, and is free for all Gmail users.
TIP: It is recommended to use IMAP if possible because it’s the best way to make sure you can see all your mail at any time on all of your devices
Enable IMAP
You can retrieve your Gmail messages with a client or device that supports IMAP, like Microsoft Outlook or Apple Mail.
Sign in to Gmail
Click the settings cog
in the top rightSelect Settings > Forwarding and POP/IMAP
Enable IMAP and Save Changes
Gmail Server Settings
Use the table below to update your client with the correct information.
| Incoming Mail (IMAP) Server: | imap.gmail.com Requires SSL: Yes Port: 993 |
| Outgoing Mail (SMTP) Server: | smtp.gmail.com Use Authentication: Yes Port for SSL:: 465 or 587 Use same settings as incoming mail server |
| Full Name or Display Name: | [your name] |
| Account Name or User Name: | your full email address (including @gmail.com or @your_domain.com) |
| Email Address: | your full email address (including @gmail.com or @your_domain.com) |
| Password: | your Gmail password |
