Have you ever wanted to know how to configure Gmail so that it connects to your Outlook account? Well, read on. In this article, I explain how easy it is to do this.
Configure Gmail Settings
You need to enable IMAP in your Gmail settings so Outlook can access your mail. To do so,
- Open Gmail in a browser and sign in. From your inbox, click the Gear icon in the upper-right corner and select the Settings option.
- On the Forwarding and POP/IMAP tab, you will find the settings you need. Here you can choose between the POP and IMAP protocols for email syncing. In almost every case, you’ll want to use IMAP, as POP is outdated and doesn’t work with multiple devices.
Note: If you do use IMAP, choose Disable POP to avoid duplicate emails later.
Less secure apps & your Google Account
If an app doesn’t meet the Gmail security standards, Google may block you from signing in to your account. Unfortunately, Outlook is one of the applications blocked. However, here is an easy fix to the problem.
- Open your Gmail account from within your browser and open your Inbox
- Click on your Gmail profile icon – the circle with the first letter of your name in
- Click the icon “Manage your Google Account”
- Click the “Security” icon in the left pane
- Scroll down till you find the heading “Less secure app access”
- Find the line “Turn on less secure access” and select it. The screen will refresh and an option to enable “Less Secure App Access” will be displayed
- Enable “Allow Less Secure Apps”
You have now completed the steps in Gmail, now you need to add your Gmail account to Outlook.
Add Gmail Account to Outlook
Follow these easy steps to add the Gmail account. If you have two-step authentication enabled, there are a few more steps to complete that I address in a separate article.
- Open Outlook and click “File” in the top-left corner.
- Select the “Info” tab in the left pane
- Select “Account Settings” then
- Select “Account Settings” again from the drop-down list
- Select the “Email” tab
- Select the “New” tab
- Enter your Gmail address then select “Connect”
- Type in your Gmail password and press “Continue”
- Now select “Done” and then “Close”
Your Gmail account should now be added to Outlook. If you are having problems, contact the author, Ryan Danvers at ABACON IT on 072 601 2858 for assistance.