Adding External Email Accounts to Free Gmail -Step by Step

Here’s a step-by-step guide for adding your POP3 (only POP3 is supported) email account (hosted on your own domain) to web-based Gmail:

1. Log in to Gmail

• Go to gmail.com and sign in.

2. Open Settings

• Click the gear icon in the top right.
• Select See all settings.

3. Go to Accounts and Import

• Click the Accounts and Import tab at the top.

4. Add a Mail Account

• Find Check mail from other accounts.
• Click Add a mail account.

5. Enter Your Email Address

• Type in your full email address (e.g., you@yourdomain.com).
• Click Next.

6. Choose Import Method

• Select Import emails from my other account (POP3).
• Click Next.

7. Enter POP3 Server Settings

• Username: Your full email address
• Password: The password for your email account
• POP Server: (e.g., mail.yourdomain.com or as provided by your host)
• Port: Usually 995 (with SSL) or 110 (without SSL)
• Check:
  • Leave a copy of retrieved message on the server (recommended)
  • Always use a secure connection (SSL) when retrieving mail (recommended)
• Click Add Account.

8. Set Up Sending (Optional but recommended)

• Choose Yes, I want to be able to send mail as you@yourdomain.com.
• Enter your name as you want it to appear.
• Enter SMTP Server details:
  • SMTP Server: (e.g., mail.yourdomain.com)
  • Username: Your full email address
  • Password: Your email password
  • Port: Usually 465 (SSL) or 587 (TLS)
• Click Add Account.

9. Verify the Account

• Gmail will send a confirmation email to your domain email.
• Open that email (you can use webmail or your phone if Gmail hasn’t imported it yet).
• Click the verification link or enter the code in Gmail to confirm.

Important Notes:

• Gmail only supports POP3 for importing external accounts—not IMAP—so only inbox emails are imported, and changes in Gmail won’t sync back to your server.
• If you want full two-way sync (IMAP), you’ll need to use an email client like Outlook or Thunderbird, not Gmail webmail.

If you need your specific POP3/SMTP server names and ports, check your hosting provider’s documentation or let me know your provider for more details.