Configuring Gmail IMAP Accounts in Apple Mail Leopard & Snow Leopard
| January 17th, 2010 |
Sure setting up Apple's Mail.app to download your Gmail mail isn't difficult but proper configuration will make for a much better experience. This article outlines best practices by taking google's recommendations and adding more based on our own real-world experiences.
Step 1: Enable IMAP for your Gmail account:
Login to Gmail using your web browser:
http://www.gmail.com/
http://www.google.com/a/[domainname.com] (if you are using Google Apps with your domain)
Go to your 'Settings' (top right corner)
- Choose ‘Forwarding and POP/IMAP‘ Tab
- Disable POP (if it's enabled)
- Enable IMAP
- Click the 'Save Changes' button at the bottom of the page.
Choose 'Labs' Tab
- Enable 'Advanced IMAP Controls'
- Click the 'Save Changes' button at the bottom of the page.
Step 2: Simplifying Gmail's Settings for Mail.app (Optional but recommended):
Depending on who you're setting this up for it may be a good idea to disable Gmail's spam filter for users who receive little spam. You may also decide to limit the IMAP folders visible in Mail.app to avoid confusion, search result duplications, excessive background syncing and other minor issues.
Disable Gmail's Spam filter:
- In the 'Filters' Tab Choose 'Create a New Filter'
- In the "From" field, type *
- Click Next Step
- Click 'Never send it to spam'
- Click the 'Apply Filter' button
Limit the folders visible in Mail.app:
- In Gmail's 'Settings' choose the 'Labels' tab
- Under 'System labels' uncheck 'Show in IMAP' for 'Stared', 'All Mail', and 'Spam' (if you choose to disable Gmail's spam).
Step 3: Configuring your IMAP account in Apple Mail:
- Launch Mail.app and select 'Mail' in the top left menu, then click 'Preferences…')
- Click the Accounts tab and click the ‘+‘ button (lower left) to add a new account.
- Enter your full name, email address and password and click continue.
- Set the account type to 'IMAP' and give the account a good short description.
- Set the rest of the settings to:
- Incoming Mail Server: imap.gmail.com
- User Name: [your full email address]
- Password: [your gmail password]
- Set a description for the Outgoing Mail Server such as 'Account Name - Gmail SMTP'.
- Outgoing Mail Server: smtp.gmail.com
- Check 'Only use this server'
- Check 'Use Authentication'
- User Name: [Full email address]
- Password: [Gmail password]
- Continue & create the account
Select your newly created account in the mail preferences window.
Click the 'Advanced' tab and set the 'IMAP Path Prefix:' to [Gmail]
- Click the 'Mailbox Behaviors' tab
- Check 'Store draft messages on the server'
- Check 'Store Sent messages on the server'
- Check 'Move deleted messages to the Trash mailbox'
- Check 'Store trash messages on the server'
- Close and save the Mail Preferences window.
Find the Gmail account name you just created in Mail's lower left sidebar. Flip down the triangle next to it to show the folder inside.
- Select the 'Sent Mail' folder, and choose the Mailbox Menu from the top menubar,
then choose 'Use This Mailbox For > Sent'.
- Select the 'Trash' folder, and choose the Mailbox Menu from the top menubar,
then choose 'Use This Mailbox For > Trash'.
- If you see a 'Drafts' folder here (it may be automatically set) Select the 'Drafts Mail' folder, and choose the Mailbox Menu from the top menubar, then choose 'Use This Mailbox For > Drafts'.
Points worth mentioning:
- If you choose to not disable Gmail's spam it can be managed through Gmail's web interface or accessed through the Spam folder visible in Mail's lower left sidebar.
- Moving a message in the 'Inbox' to any folder on your computer (under 'ON MY MAC') will archive a copy on Gmail in the 'All Mail' folder.
- To Archive an email only on Gmail and not on your Mac move the message in your Inbox to the 'All Mail' folder under the account name in the lower left sidebar.
- Flagging messages in Apple Mail will Star them in Gmail.
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