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How to Access Gmail With Thunderbird
Easily sync Gmail with Thunderbird and stop switching between inboxes
By Heinz Tschabitscher Heinz Tschabitscher Writer University of Vienna A former freelance contributor who has reviewed hundreds of email programs and services since 1997. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on February 2, 2021 Reviewed by Jon Fisher Reviewed by Jon Fisher Wichita Technical Institute Jonathan Fisher is a CompTIA certified technologist with more than 6 years' experience writing for publications like TechNorms and Help Desk Geek. lifewire's editorial guidelines Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email In This Article
Expand Jump to a Section Step-by-Step: Configure Your Gmail Account Set Up an IMAP Account for Your Email Client Step-by-Step: Access Gmail With Thunderbird Organize Gmail Folders Within Thunderbird Sync Gmail Contacts in Thunderbird Thunderbird is a free, open-source, cross-platform application for managing email, news feeds, chat, and newsgroups. One great feature of Thunderbird is that it can work seamlessly with Google Gmail, synchronizing messages between your local version of Thunderbird and your web-based Gmail account. Here's how to access Gmail through Thunderbird on your desktop. This article pertains to Thunderbird versions 38 and newer. Older versions don't integrate properly with the Google authentication process. Thunderbird is available for Windows, Mac, and Linux. BLOOM Image / Getty Images How to Configure Your Gmail Account
For Thunderbird to integrate properly with Gmail, the first step is to enable IMAP on your Gmail account. IMAP is on by default on newer Gmail accounts, so check this only if you have an older Gmail account. On your computer, go to the Gmail site. In the upper-right corner, select the gear icon. Select See all settings. Select the Forwarding and POP/IMAP tab. In the IMAP access section, select Enable IMAP. Select Save Changes. How to Set Up an IMAP Account for Your Email Client
After IMAP is enabled in Gmail, if necessary, set up a new IMAP account in your email client of choice. Here are the settings: Incoming Mail IMAP Server
IMAP Server: imap.gmail.comPort: 993Require SSL: YesUsername: Your Gmail email addressPassword: Your Gmail email password Outgoing Mail SMTP SERVER
SMTP Server: smtp.gmail.comPort for SSL: 465Port for TLS/STARTTLS: 587Require SSL: YesRequires TLS: Yes (if available)Require authentication: YesUsername: Your Gmail email addressPassword: Your Gmail email password How to Access Gmail With Thunderbird
To access your IMAP-enabled Gmail account in Thunderbird: Open Thunderbird on your desktop. Select File > New > Existing Mail Account. If you don't see the File menu, you can select the Alt key. In the Set Up Your Existing Email Address dialog box, provide your Gmail account information (real name, email address, and password). Thunderbird configures the Gmail connection automatically. After choosing Continue, the program will find the correct server details. Then press Done, and a pop-up appears prompting you to log-in to your Gmail account. Sign in with your Google credentials. Thunderbird downloads your Gmail messages, and you can now access your Gmail on Thunderbird. How to Organize Gmail Folders Within Thunderbird
In Gmail's IMAP implementation, labels become Thunderbird folders. When you label a message in Gmail, Thunderbird creates a folder with the same name and stores messages there. By default, Thunderbird shows all Gmail folders that you set up. To choose which Gmail folders to display in Thunderbird, you can change a few settings. In Thunderbird, go to the File menu and select Subscribe. Clear the check boxes next to the folders that you don't want to display in Thunderbird. Select OK. The unchecked folders don't display in Thunderbird. Thunderbird still downloads messages and makes those messages available in the All Mail folder. These messages also appear in the search results. Sync Gmail Contacts in Thunderbird
To sync your Gmail contacts in Thunderbird, try an add-on such as Google Contacts or gContactSync. Mozilla Corporation and Mozilla Messaging used to manage Thunderbird, but it's now a separate entity running on volunteer support. Mozilla still hosts many Thunderbird resources, however. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire How to Use AOL Mail Through an Email Client What Are Gmail's SMTP Settings? How to Access Gmail in iPhone Mail How to Access Gmail With Outlook —Tutorial Here Are the IMAP Settings You Need to Set Up Gmail How to Sync Gmail Contacts to an iPhone How to Access Free Windows Mail in Gmail How to Use Gmail on a Mac How to Access Gmail with Outlook Using IMAP How to Import Windows Mail or Outlook Emails Into Gmail Guide to Yahoo Mail IMAP Settings How to Configure Gmail POP Settings Gmail Exchange ActiveSync Settings Here Are the SMTP Settings You Need to Set up Mail.com How to Access Gmail With Outlook for Mac How to Pick Folders to Push in iPhone Mail Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies