Learn to Add Gmail to Thunderbird Using IMAP and POP Protocols
This article is a step-by-step guide for setting up IMAP or POP3 Gmail account in Thunderbird. For this, all you need is your Gmail address and password and it will configure the account settings for you. Try the below-mentioned steps to easily add Gmail to Thunderbird without any loss of data.
Setup Gmail in Thunderbird Using IMAP
Below are the instructions to configure a Gmail email account in Mozilla Thunderbird using IMAP protocol for incoming emails:
Step 1: Enable IMAP in Gmail
- Sign in to your Gmail account
- Click on the gear icon in the top-right and highlight the Gmail Settings option
- Select Forwarding and POP/IMAP
- In the IMAP Access section, check Enable IMAP
- Configure the IMAP client and click on Save Changes
Step 2: Configure Gmail in Thunderbird
- Launch Thunderbird
- Navigate to Create a New Account section and choose Email
- Here, enter your name, Gmail email address, and account password
- Hit Continue button
- Enable IMAP (remote folders) option and click Manual config
- Now manually enter the following settings in the Server hostname section:
- Incoming: imap.gmail.com / Port: Either 993 (SSL) or 143 (very infrequently 585 (SSL))
- Outgoing: smtp.gmail.com / Port: Either 25 or 465 (SSL) (very infrequently 2525)
- Next, click on Re-test
- If everything is correct then, the task will become completed successfully and you have to click on Create Account
- After this, you can access your Gmail account from Thunderbird via clicking on Reading messages
Add Gmail to Thunderbird Using POP
Mozilla Thunderbird allows users to configure and access the Gmail account that is using the POP protocol. Follow the below guidelines to add a pop Gmail account in Thunderbird:
Step 1: Set Up POP in Gmail
- On your system, open Gmail
- In the upper-right, click Settings
- Select Forwarding and POP/IMAP tab
- In the POP Download section, check Enable POP for all mail or Enable POP for mail that arrives from now on.
- Hit the Save Changes button
Step 2: Setup Gmail in Thunderbird
- Open Mozilla Thunderbird
- Click the Tools tab, and choose Account Settings
- Highlight Add Mail Account option from the drop-down menu list under the account list
- In Thunderbird’s Automatic Account Configuration wizard, type your name, your full email address, and your Google password
- Click Continue
- Then, Thunderbird will try to detect your mail server automatically
- Click the Manual Config button and select the POP3 option
- Select POP for your incoming messages, click Edit and enter the following values:
Incoming
Server hostname: pop.gmail.com
Port: 995
SSL: SSL/TLS
Authentication: Normal password
Outgoing
Server hostname: smtp.gmail.com
Port: 587
SSL: STARTTLS
Authentication: Normal password
– Eventually, click on Create Account button
Note: You might receive an error message that says that the SMTP3 account already exists. So, ignore and clear it.
Professional Approach to Add Gmail to Thunderbird
In this approach first, you have to backup all your Gmail emails in MBOX format with the help of Best Gmail Backup Software. This profèssional approach is better than the manual method because in the manual method you have to fill in so much information which is a very complex and time-consuming process.
But, in this professional approach, you have to just backup your Gmail emails in MBOX format with the help of the above-mentioned software. Then simply import MBOX file to Thunderbird.
The Bottom Line
Gmail is such a consistently growing and conveniently efficient emailing service on the web. Users also can access their Gmail account via Mozilla Thunderbird as the setup and accessing of Gmail in Thunderbird is easy. Here, we have discussed the steps to add Gmail to Thunderbird using POP and IMAP protocols. Besides, we also have discussed a direct method to configure Gmail in Thunderbird. If someone wants to archive their Gmail emails and other mailbox data then, a third-party solution is also mentioned above.
