Google Apps

Migration & Sync

Sync with other desktop clients

IMAP and POP access settings

If you're a Gmail user, and you're looking for instructions to sync your account via IMAP/POP in Outlook, Apple Mail, Thunderbird, etc., please refer to our configuration instructions for POP and IMAP access.

This feature, which is available for Google Apps for Business and Education customers, allows administrators to select global POP and IMAP access ability for all users in a domain.

To set global POP and IMAP access
  1. Sign in to the Google Admin console.
  2. Do one of the following:
  3. In the Organizations section, highlight your domain or the organizational unit for which you want to configure settings (see Configure email settings for an organizational unit for more details).
  4. Under POP and IMAP Access, select or clear the check box for Disable POP and IMAP access for all users in the domain.

If you select the check box, POP and IMAP are fully disabled for all users in your domain.

  • Users cannot access POP and IMAP settings in the Gmail interface.
  • Users cannot access their mail via POP or IMAP even if they originally had it on.
  • Users cannot access or search mail via Google Desktop (which uses POP).

If you clear the check box, POP is enabled for your users, but IMAP remains disabled.

  • POP access is automatically turned on for your users.
  • Users need to enable IMAP in the Gmail settings under Forwarding and POP/IMAP.
It may take 15-30 minutes for global IMAP and POP changes to take effect. As long as the box is cleared, users can configure POP and IMAP access for a host of clients.

If you intend to use an IMAP client to read messages or Google Apps Migration for Microsoft Exchange to migrate messages, you should remove any folder size limits and expose all folders in IMAP to ensure you obtain all messages.

To remove folder size limits in Gmail
  1. Click the gear icon at the top right of the browser window.
  2. Click Settings.
  3. Click Forwarding and POP/IMAP.
  4. Under Folder Size Limits, check Do not limit the number of messages in an IMAP folder (default).
  5. Click Save changes.
To show folders in Gmail
  1. Click the gear icon at the top right of the browser window.
  2. Click Settings.
  3. Go to the Labels tab.
  4. Check Show in IMAP for All Mail and for any other label you want to include in an IMAP client or migrate.

 

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