All of Both Worlds
If you use Gmail, you know how elegant it is almost as elegant as Mac OS X Mail. How about combining the two?
Of course, you can have, for example, both the accessibility of Gmail and the speed of Mac OS X Mail; both the photo slide-shows of Mac OS X Mail and the search of Gmail; both the calendar integration of Gmail and the filters of Mac OS X Mail.
Access a Gmail Account in Mac OS X Mail Using IMAP
Now, to send and receive mail to and from a Gmail account in Mac OS X Mail:
- Make sure IMAP access is enabled in Gmail.
- Select Mail | Preferences... from the menu.
- Go to the Accounts tab.
- Click the plus sign under the accounts list.
- Type your name under Full Name:.
- Enter your Gmail address under Email Address:.
- Now enter your Gmail password under Password:.
- Make sure Automatically set up account is not checked.
- Click Continue.
- Make sure IMAP is selected under Account Type:.
- Type "imap.gmail.com" (not including the quotation marks) under Incoming Mail Server:.
- Verify your Gmail account name (what precedes "@gmail.com" in your Gmail address) appears under User Name:.
- Click Continue.
- Type "Gmail" under Description: for the Outgoing Mail Server.
- Check Use Authentication is checked and that your Gmail account name appears under User Name:.
- Click Continue.
- Verify the Account Summary reads like this:
- Account Description: Gmail
- Full Name: your name
- Email Address: your Gmail address
- User Name: your Gmail account name
- Incoming Mail Server: imap.gmail.com
- SSL: on
- Outgoing Mail Server: smtp.gmail.com
- SSL: on
- Click Create.
- Go to your newly set up Gmail account's Mailbox Behaviors tab.
- Check Store junk messages on the server.
- Make sure Never is selected under Delete junk messages when:.
- Now make sure Never is selected under Permanently erase deleted messages when:
- Close the preferences window.
- Go to GMAIL | [Gmail] | Drafts in the folder list.
- Select Mailbox | Use This Mailbox For | Drafts from the menu.
- Go to GMAIL | [Gmail] | Sent Mail.
- Select Mailbox | Use This Mailbox For | Sent from the menu.
- Go to GMAIL | [Gmail] | Trash.
- Select Mailbox | Use This Mailbox For | Trash from the menu.
- Go to GMAIL | [Gmail] | Spam.
- Select Mailbox | Use This Mailbox For | Junk from the menu.
You can also star and label messages using IMAP Gmail in Mac OS X Mail.
Access a Gmail Account in Mac OS X Mail Using POP
- Make sure POP access is turned on for your Gmail account.
- Select Mail | Preferences... from the menu.
- Go to the Accounts tab.
- Click the plus sign under the accounts list.
- Type your name under Full Name:.
- Enter your Gmail address under Email Address:.
- Now enter your Gmail password under Password:.
- Make sure Automatically set up account is checked.
- Click Create.
Access a Gmail Account in Mac OS X Mail 2 Using POP
To access a Gmail account in Mac OS X Mail 2 using POP:
- Make sure POP access is turned on for your Gmail account.
- Select Mail | Preferences... from the menu.
- Go to the Accounts tab.
- Click the plus sign under the accounts list.
- Make sure POP is selected under Account Type:.
- Type "Gmail" under Account Description:.
- Enter your name under Full Name:.
- Type your full Gmail address under Email Address:.
- Click Continue.
- Enter "pop.gmail.com" under Incoming Mail Server:.
- Type your full Gmail email address under User Name:.
- Put your Gmail password in the Password: field.
- Click Continue.
- Make sure Use Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) is checked.
- Select Password under Authentication:.
- Click Continue.
- Type "smtp.gmail.com" under Outgoing Mail Server:.
- Make sure Use Authentication is checked.
- Enter your full Gmail address under User Name:.
- Put your Gmail password in the Password: field.
- Click Continue.
- Make sure Use Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) is checked under Outgoing Mail Security, too.
- Under Authentication:, select Password.
- Click Continue.
- Click Continue again.
- Now click Done.
- With the new "Gmail" account highlighted, click Server Settings... under Outgoing Mail Server (SMTP):.
- Type "465" under Server port:.
- Click OK.
- Close the mail preferences.

