If you are using a Google G Suite account (formerly Google Apps) for your email, you can use one of the common mail readers such as
Apple Mail or
Outlook to connect to and read your email.
Less well known than Outlook – but user friendly and $40 for a lifetime licence – is
Postbox, which runs on Mac and Windows.
Google G Suite vs Gmail: In case you were wondering,
Google G Suite (formerly Google Apps) gives you access to a
Gmail account with your own domain name. If you use the free gmail.com service, you get the same tool, but using an @gmail.com address.
Webmail: You don’t have to use Outlook or any mail reader to read your Gmail. If you just want to use webmail, just open a browser and go to mail.google.com. No need to install a mail reader – you can use webmail from your desktop, tablet or mobile phone.
When using an email reader, there are two different components you should be aware of:
- Mail Server: this is where your mailbox lives on the web
- Mmail Reader: this is a program such as Postbox, Outlook or Apple Mail that you use to connect to your mail server – your mail reader gets your emails from your mail server
Mail servers let email readers connect to them using POP and IMAP. It is best to use IMAP to connect to your mail server, that way if you are using multiple mail readers (e.g. desktop, tablet and iPhone), your email will stay in sync across all of the IMAP readers. If you use POP, things don’t stay in sync.
To connect your mail reader to your mail server, you need some important information before you start;
- Your new Google G Suite email address (e.g. me@mydomain.com)
- Your password
Instructions
Google has a single, integrated set of instructions for setting up email for all supported email readers, using either IMAP or POP:
Getting Started with IMAP and POP3
Notes:
- POP is usually activated automatically for each new mailbox, however in some cases you may need to activate it manually
- You can also have a look at Google’s Gmail Help Center for a lot more detailed help.
Large Gmail mailboxes: If you have a Gmail account with a large mailbox, using IMAP can be tricky – if this matters to you, read this detailed walkthrough on
IMAP, Postbox and Large Gmail Accounts).
