Setting up POP3 Email in GMail

Setting up POP3 Email in GMail

Some of our clients just don't like local computer email programs such as Mozilla Thunderbird or Microsoft Outlook so here is a How-To on using GMail to perform the same functions in an online and synced environment.

This process will let you use GMail's online interface to use your @website.com email address. There will be no trace of GMail in your messages.

NOTE: Gmail is a great tool for this and the service is free. The only downside is "fetch" response. GMail does not have a setting to fetch mail at a desired interval (i.e. every 1 minute or every 5 minutes, etc.) and is a little more spastic. Its benefit is that it does provide a great interface for those looking for ease of use and online access.

1. Signup for GMail

Go To Gmail.

If you are connecting your domain's email to your personal GMail you can skip this step. If you are creating a generic GMail account for business use that others may have access to as well, you will want a new GMail account for control over the messages.

• Click "Create an Account"

A suggestion for you generic business email owners, try registering an email similar to your email you are using. Example: In this test I created a tester@luminusmedia.com email account so I will register a luminustester@gmail.com GMail account.

• Enter Account Information

• Proceed to your new account

 

2. Go to Mail Settings

Great, now you have a GMail account. Make sure you don't lose the login settings! Now we need to setup the account to use your @website.com email.

• Click the GEAR icon in the upper right corner
• Select Mail Settings

 

3. Go to Accounts and Import

Now that we are in the settings area you can select the Accounts tab and we'll start setting up the POP3 connection.

• Click the Accounts and Import tab
• Click Add POP3 Account You Own link

 

3. Setup Incoming POP3 Account Information

You are about to connect your Gmail account to your @website.com email. The first part of this process is retrieving the messages from our server.

• Enter your email address you are connecting

• Add your @website.com account settings (provided by us if we setup the email in your account for you, or noted by you if you setup the account in cPanel yourself)
• The POP Server should be mail.yourwebsite.com
• Use your FULL email address as the username
• Enter your password for the email account (not your GMail account)
• You can choose to label your incoming messages for this account (useful for those of you adding this to your personal account, optional for others)
• DO NOT check "Leave Copy on server" (this will fill your hosting space quota) Gmail will archive your messages online for you

After clicking "Add Account" you should be shown a success screen that will allow us to go directly to the Outgoing (sending) Settings.

• Select Yes and click "Next Step"

 

4. Setup Outgoing POP3 Account Information

The outgoing setup has a few extra steps, but is similar to the Incoming setup.

• Add your preferred Name for sender

This will bring you to the Outgoing server settings window. Here you need to select "Send through yourwebsite.com" otherwise people will see your GMail connection account that you are using to manage your email.

• Select Send through yourwebsite.com
• The SMTP Server is once again mail.yourwebsite.com
• Select Port #25 from the Drop Down. This should default the buttons below the form to "Unsecured Connection" which is correct.
• Use your FULL email address as the username
• Enter your password for the email account (not your GMail account)

After clicking "Add Account" you should be shown a success screen that will instruct you to verify the account. You can close this window now, we'l click the link in your GMail Inbox.

 

4. Label Your Account's Messages

This is again most useful for users adding this account to their personal GMail. You can choose to color code the label you selected for incoming message from your website to make them stand out in your inbox.

• Select a color form the label's color box

 

5. Verify Your Account

GMail wants to verify your email before letting you send from the account. Since we already setup GMail to receive these messages, it should be in your inbox. If it is not, then refresh or wait until it is delivered.

If you setup your label with a color you will see that label color coded in your inbox now.

• Click the verification email in your inbox

• Click the verification link in the email

Your account is now ready to be used.

 

5. Final Touches

You could technically use your account now, but there are a few settings we can change to make life easier for you.

• Go back to the Mail Settings area using the GEAR icon in the upper right hand corner
• Go to Accounts and Import again

There are two things we want to do. First, those of you not using this alongside your personal GMail account will want to make your email@yourwebsite.com account your default account. Second, you want to specify how GMail uses your accounts when replying to emails.

• Those of you not using personal accounts, click Make Default next to the @yourwebsite.com Send Mail account

Now tell GMail which way you would like to reply to emails. It's recommended to select "From Default Address" if you never intend to show you are using GMail. Those of you with personal accounts mixed in would use the Same Address as Sent To option.

• Choose the Reply option best suited to your needs

 

One last thing. When Composing new emails, GMail will use your Default Account initially in the "From" drop down. You can simply change the account in the drop down if you need to use the other.