Gmail IMAP and SMTP setup

These settings will guide you on how to set up your Gmail SMTP settings on your new computer’s Outlook or Thunderbird, mailing app on your iPhone, or if you want to configure access to Gmail SMTP servers to manage emails for your business website.

✅ For Google Workspace Users:

1. Admin Must Allow SMTP & IMAP Access

Log into the Admin console: admin.google.com
Navigate to:
- Apps → Google Workspace → Gmail → User Settings
- Ensure IMAP access is enabled
- Ensure SMTP relay or access via external apps is not restricted

2. Use App Password (if 2-Step Verification is ON)

Same as personal Gmail:
- Generate an App Password here

3. SMTP Relay Option (for sending bulk email or server apps)

If you’re configuring servers or mass email systems, Google recommends:

Option	SMTP Server	Authentication	Notes
Gmail SMTP (standard)	`smtp.gmail.com`	Yes	Uses user credentials
Google SMTP Relay	`smtp-relay.gmail.com`	Optional	Must be set up in admin console; IP whitelisting available

✅ Summary of Workspace Setup

Setting	Value
IMAP Server	`imap.gmail.com`, port `993`, SSL
SMTP Server	`smtp.gmail.com`, port `465` (SSL) or `587` (TLS)
Username	Your full Workspace email (`you@yourcompany.com`)
Password	App Password if 2FA is on
IMAP Access	Must be enabled in Admin Console

✅ Prerequisites

Gmail account (must be active)
Less secure apps access enabled (only for non-OAuth apps)
2-Step Verification users: Create an App Password

📩 Incoming Mail (IMAP) Settings

Protocol: IMAP
Server: imap.gmail.com
Port: 993
Encryption: SSL/TLS
Username: your full Gmail address (e.g., you@gmail.com)
Password: your Gmail password or app password

📤 Outgoing Mail (SMTP) Settings

Protocol: SMTP
Server: smtp.gmail.com
Port: 465 (SSL) or 587 (TLS)
Encryption: SSL (465) or STARTTLS (587)
Authentication: Yes
Username: your full Gmail address
Password: your Gmail password or app password

🔐 App Password Setup (if using 2-Step Verification)

Go to: https://myaccount.google.com/security
Under "Signing in to Google", click App Passwords
Select the app (e.g., "Mail") and device (e.g., "Windows Computer")
Click Generate, and use the 16-digit code as your email client password

How to use the Gmail SMTP settings?

Important notice if you’re using 2-Factor Authentication (2FA):

If you’ve enabled two-factor authentication on your Google account, you can use the SMTP server. However, you will need to generate an app password to allow another app to connect.

Skip this part if you haven’t enabled 2FA.

To generate an app password:

Follow this link while logged into your Google account.
(Go to your Google Account → Security → Signing in to Google → App passwords)

From the drop-down menu, select the app first:
Then select a device type:
Finally, click on Generate:

Gmail will then provide you with a secret key (in yellow) to use in your selected app:

Follow the specific “How to use it” instructions provided by Google for each app and device, so you can grant access to your account.

🔧 Enable IMAP in Gmail

In the IMAP access section → Enable IMAP:

Go to Gmail Settings → See all settings
Go to the Forwarding and POP/IMAP tab
Under IMAP access, select Enable IMAP
Save changes

How enable POP3 Gmail?

On your computer, open your Gmail
Go to Settings → Forwarding and POP/IMAP tab
Scroll down to POP download section → Enable POP for all mail
Save Changes

On your email client side, go into your account settings where Incoming messages and POP/IMAP configurations are managed, then input the above values.

Conclusion

Now that you’ve configured your Gmail SMTP settings and your Gmail POP/IMAP settings, you should be all set up to start sending emails from your external app!

Always keep in mind Gmail’s sending limits. Using another email client does not absolve you from Gmail’s 500/day limit. To avoid getting flagged or blocked, it’s safest to start slow (40-100 emails) per day before sending more.

If you want to send more emails per day, we use dedicated services for transactional emails such as newsletters. Please contact us to inquire about this service.

If you need further help to get set up, please schedule a premium consultation session.