For Gmail to send mail from an email program like Outlook or Thunderbird, the program needs to understand how to communicate with Gmail’s email servers. It does this through Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) server settings. The settings are the same for any email provider you use with Gmail.

Default SMTP Settings for Gmail

As you set up an email client to synchronize with your Gmail account, a screen asks for your Gmail SMTP information.

The steps in this article work regardless of the operating system you are using provided you are only trying to use a Gmail account.

Use these settings:

  • Gmail SMTP server address: smtp.gmail.com
  • Gmail SMTP username: Your Gmail address (for example, example@gmail.com)
  • Gmail SMTP password: Your Gmail password
  • Gmail SMTP port (TLS): 587
  • Gmail SMTP port (SSL): 465
  • Gmail SMTP TLS/SSL required: Yes

Gmail’s Default POP3 and IMAP Settings

SMTP settings are only for sending emails; you’ll also need to provide the settings for receiving emails. Receiving mail is done through POP3 or IMAP servers. Before you identify those settings in your email client, enable access through settings within Gmail by going to Settings > Forwarding and POP/IMAP.

Still Can’t Send Mail Through Gmail?

Do consider you are entering the wrong password before doing more troubleshooting. You can reset your Gmail password if you don’t remember it.

Some email applications use older, less secure technologies to log you in to your email account, and Gmail blocks these requests by default. In these cases, you’ll get a message related to the security of the email client.

To resolve this issue, log in to your Gmail account through a web browser and go to the Less secure app access page to enable access through less secure apps. You may also need to unlock Gmail for your email client.

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