How to Sync Microsoft Outlook With Google Gmail

Set up Gmail in Microsoft Outlook.

Configure Microsoft Outlook on your home computer to receive your Google mail, and you'll be able to access your email from Outlook as well as from Gmail. The instructions provided are specific to Outlook 2007, but all versions of Outlook operate the same way. Some of the menu names may change slightly from version to version, but the essential steps remain the same. Outlook users in a corporate setting may find this ability is blocked on corporate network computers.

Instructions

1. Open Gmail and log in to your account. Go to "Settings." Under the "Forwarding" tab you'll see a radio button labeled "Enable IMAP." Select this and click "Save Changes."

2. Launch Outlook and click "Tools" then "Account Settings." Open the "E-mail" tab and select "New."

3. Enter your name, email address and password. Then check the box that says "Manually configure server settings..." and click "Next."

4. Select "IMAP" from the drop-down list under "Server Information" in the middle of the next screen. Type "imap.gmail.com" (without the quotes) into the "Incoming Mail Server" box. Type "smtp.gmail.com" (without quotes) into the "Outgoing Mail Server (SMTP)" box.

5. Retype your username and password if it didn't auto-populate from the last screen. Click "Next" to finish adding the new email wizard.

6. Go back to "Tools" and open "Options," then "Mail Setup." Select the email account you just created and click "Change" to bring up the "Internet E-mail Settings" dialog box.

7. Click the "Advanced" tab and check that the "IMAP" box has 993 and SSL selected. The "SMTP" box should have 587 and TLS selected. Change to these settings if needed.

8. Choose the "Outgoing Server" tab and make sure the box marked "My outgoing server requires authentication" is checked. Also select "Use the same settings as my incoming mail server."

9. Exit out of the dialog box by clicking "OK" or "Next" until all the screens have been closed out. Google mail is now set up with Microsoft Outlook.

Tips & Warnings

• If you want to keep your Gmail available online, choose not to delete email from the server. This is an option on the same screen where you chose "Enable IMAP." Gmail will keep a copy of your email available online even if it forwards to Outlook.

• Don't forget to check the IMAP and SMTP settings in the "Internet E-mail Settings" dialog box. Having the wrong port numbers selected will prevent email from being delivered in Outlook.

References

• Gmail Help: Outlook 2007
• Microsoft Support: How to Configure Internet E-mail Accounts in Outlook