Gmail is the biggest email service provider on the internet, with over a billion users. It's common to want to send email from your Gmail account via other services - like Schrodinbox - and one way to do that is to connect over SMTP to your email provider. We'll be explaining in this post how to retrieve the settings that allow you to connect over SMTP to Gmail. Google take security seriously, and have a few unique steps to follow.
What is SMTP?
The Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) is the standard transmission protocol for email servers to send email across the internet. We've got a couple of posts that explain this in detail, depending on what you're after:
Basic settings
Gmail's SMTP settings are as follows:
- SMTP Hostname: Otherwise known as the server address:
smtp.gmail.com - Username: Your email address, eg. john.smith@gmail.com
- Username: Your app password; see below
- Port Number: 587
- Securty: TLS
App Password
As Google supports two-factor authentication (2FA) on your account, you have to use an App Password rather than your login password when connecting via SMTP. Follow the steps below to set this up.
Step 1: Enabling two-factor authentication in your Google account
Before you can access SMTP via Gmail's SMTP server, you need to configure your account with two-factor authentication. Here's how you do it:
- Open your Google account settings: Log in to your Google account and navigate to the settings. This can be done by clicking your profile picture in the top right hand corner of Chrome or Gmail, and selecting "Manage your Google Account".
- Security Settings: Within the left sidebar, click on "Security".
- Enable 2-Step Verification: Under "How you sign in to Google", you'll see an entry for 2-Step Verification. Follow the steps to configure your account.
Step 2: Create your App Password and connect
In the search bar at the top of the Google account page, type in "app passwords" and click the result. Create a new App Password and give it a descriptive name, like "Schrodinbox SMTP". Copy the result that appears on your screen, and paste it where you are asked for your SMTP password (for example, the Schrodinbox SMTP form).
And you're done!
Conclusion
Although it's a relatively simple process, it can be hard to work out what's required to connect over SMTP for your Gmail account. Email and deliverability can be complex; that's why we built Schrodinbox, to help you keep on top of your mailbox deliverability, and rest easy knowing that your emails aren't going to spam. We hope the guide has helped you!