Gmail seems to keep all the good stuff to itself and web? Want to access your account in an email program (on your computer, say, or mobile device) in addition to the web interface? Find here the recommended Gmail IMAP server and port settings to set up synchronization of email and folders.
First, the Great Art of Light and Shadow
Peek with me, will you, through this tube. There, point it at the candle! What do you see?
You have just looked through a very early microscope, a lens mounted on one end of a tube with a flat sheet of glass mounted on the other as an object holder.
The object typically was an insect, and the whole apparatus first appeared in Athanasius Kircher’s wonderfully titled Ars magna lucis et umbrae — The Great Art of Light and Shadow.
Now, let’s hold a candle to the correct Gmail IMAP settings and allow email programs and services a peek at your mail and folders:
Copy and Paste Gmail IMAP Server and Port Settings to Sync Email
To set up Gmail in an email program or service for synchronizing emails, folders, and actions:
- Make sure IMAP is enabled in Gmail for your account.
- Use these recommended IMAP settings in the email program or service:
Their word: Google also include Gmail IMAP settings in Gmail help.
| Name | Value |
|---|---|
| Gmail IMAP server | |
| Gmail IMAP port | |
| Require TLS/SSL security | yes |
| User name | Your full Gmail address (e.g., me@gmail.com) |
| Password | A Gmail app password |
Also want to send? Gmail SMTP settings to copy and paste
Example usage: How to Add a Gmail Account to iPhone Mail (IMAP Settings)
Copy and Paste Gmail IMAP Server and Port Settings: FAQ
Can I connect to Gmail IMAP using a different port (such as 143)?
No.
Gmail requires a TLS/SSL connection to port 993.
Trying to connect to the standard unencrypted IMAP port 143 will not work, even if the email program supports STARTTLS to add encryption to the connection. The one thing you can try is to use a proxy server that connects to Gmail on its preferred secure port and to your email program on the alternative port.
My email program supports OAuth2; do I need to set up an app password?
No.
If you have authorized your email program or service for Gmail using OAuth2, you need not create a password for it to access your account, and it does not have to save a password on the computer.
OAuth2 is currently the most secure way to access Gmail in an email program.
What settings should I use inside Gmail for IMAP access?
Gmail IMAP Settings explained (with recommended settings).
IMAP in the bag — and pocket?
Tips help fuel these email and tech how-tos.
(Tested with various email programs and services; first published January 2019, last updated February 2026)