Ask the MACist -- Getting Gmail with Apple Mail

Welcome to the latest edition of "Ask the MACist" the column where I answer your Macintosh and technology questions. Our question this week comes from Steve in NoHo. He asks: "I'm using Apple's Mail program and I want to check my Gmail account using the program as well. Can I do it and if so, how?"

Google offers so many great features and one of the best is, of course, Gmail. Some people like to check their email online using their web browser and for that, Gmail is just fine. But what if you want to check your Gmail email along with several of your other POP email accounts all using the same program like Apple's Mail?

Fortunately, Google has provided a way to do this using POP access. Before you can check your Gmail email using Apple's Mail program you need to first enable POP access in your Gmail account. This is how you do it:

1. Log in to your Gmail account at www.gmail.com.

2. Click 'Settings' at the top right of any Gmail page.

3. Click 'Forwarding and POP' in the orange Mail Settings box.

4. Select 'Enable POP for all mail.'

5. Choose the action you'd like your Gmail messages to take after they are accessed with POP. I usually leave it at 'Leave Gmail's Copy in the Inbox' and you should to.

6. Click 'Save Changes.'

Then, to configure Apple's Mail program to get your Gmail email:

1. Open Apple Mail.

2. Click ‘Mail,’ in the left of the top menu and select ‘Preferences…’

3. Open the ‘Accounts’ tab, and click the plus sign (+) along the bottom to add a new account.

4. Enter ‘pop.gmail.com’ in the ‘Incoming Mail Server:’ field.

5. Enter your Gmail username (including ‘@gmail.com’) in the ‘User Name:’ field.

6. Enter your Gmail password in the ‘Password:’ field.

7. Select ‘Add Server…’ from the pop-up labeled ‘Outgoing Mail Server,’ and enter ’smtp.gmail.com’ in the ‘Outgoing Mail Server:’ field.

8. Enter ‘587′ in the ‘Server port:’ field.

9. Check the box next to ‘Use Secure Sockets Layer (SSL).’

10. Select ‘Password’ next to ‘Authentication:’ and enter your Gmail username (including ‘@gmail.com) and Gmail password.

11. Click ‘OK.’

12. Click ‘Advanced’ and click the box next to ‘Use SSL.’ (The port number changes to ‘995.’)

Close your Mail Preferences and if you are asked to save, do so. Then, click the 'Get Mail' button to check and see if you did it all correctly. If your Gmail email starts to show up, congratulations you did it right! If not, go back and check your settings again.

That's it.

Remember, if you have a question about anything Mac, Mac-related, or even something about other technology like TiVo, cell phones, Blackberry or even Windows, send it to me, The MACist, at: themacist at gmail dot com.

About Chris Ullrich: Chris is the technology editor at LAist as well as a frequent contributor to other sites like Cinematical and Comic Book Resources. He also consults with clients in entertainment and related industries about how technology can best help them exceed their goals.

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