Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Use Gmail with Mail
If you have a Gmail account and want to use it in Mail under Mavericks, this chapter is for you.
(For information on using Gmail in iOS 7 Mail, see
Set Up Gmail as a Regular IMAP Account
.
)
I cover the ways Gmail in Mail differs from Gmail on the Web, the ways Gmail differs from
other IMAP providers, how best to configure Mail to use a Gmail account, and how to avoid
common problems. All of this, I hope, will help make your experience of using Gmail in Mail
as good as it can be.
Note:
Everything in this chapter applies equally to standard Gmail accounts and to
Google Apps accounts with a custom domain name.
If you don't use Gmail (or don't want to use Mail to access Gmail), there's nothing to see here.
Move right ahead to
Find Your Messages
.
Understand How Mail Works (or Not) with Gmail
If you're accustomed to Gmail's Web interface, you may expect it to work similarly in Mail. On
the other hand, if you're used to using Mail with other IMAP accounts, you may expect Gmail
accounts to behave the same way. In both cases, the reality will differ quite a bit from your ex-
pectation, and you'll have an easier time using the combination of Mail and Gmail if you know
more up front about how the two systems try (and sometimes fail) to work together. I'll start
by talking about the differences between the Gmail Web site and Gmail as it operates in Apple
Mail, and then turn to
Gmail vs. Other IMAP Providers
.
Note:
Although Mail can also access Gmail via POP, I recommend against it and don't
cover it in this topic. Among other issues, with POP, Mail can't see archived Gmail mes-
sages or messages you've sent from your Gmail account using the Web interface.
Gmail on the Web vs. Gmail in Mail
Gmail started as a Web-only email system; POP and IMAP access were tacked on later. As a
result of its Web focus, Google designed Gmail to handle email in a fundamentally different
way from conventional email servers. Although I don't care for Gmail's model, I understand
why a lot of people prefer it—but unfortunately, it's a way of looking at email that Mail can't
entirely replicate. Here are some of the key differences:
