Read Gmail messages in your favorite email client
The Gmail web interface offers great organizing, archiving, and searching features. However, some email users prefer to read Gmail in other apps or web interfaces that offer different features than Gmail or are more familiar.
For web services like Yahoo!, Gmail does this by allowing you to forward all received messages to any other email address you choose. Using filters, you can even forward messages that match certain criteria to external addresses, but the broad "all forward" approach is useful if you don't want to use a partial approach.
To use email clients such as Microsoft Outlook and Apple Mail, you can set up a Gmail account in your email client and receive mail directly without having to forward any messages.
To automatically forward incoming Gmail messages to another email address:
- Click the gear icon in the top right corner of your Gmail screen and select Settings from the drop-down menu.
Select the Forwarding and POP/IMAP tab .
- Shortcut Link to Gmail settings
- In the Forwarding box (the first one you'll see at the top right), click Add a forwarding address .
- Enter the address you want to forward future Gmail emails to in the field . Enter a new forwarding email address.
- Click Next , then click Continue on the pop-up window.
- Switch to the email client where you want to receive the forwarded email. Open the Gmail Team confirmation email with the subject Gmail forward confirmation to the address you are forwarding the message to.
- Highlight and copy the eight -part code in the Confirmation Code section .
Switch to Gmail in your browser.
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- Paste the eight-part verification code into the Verification Code field on the Forwarding and POP/IMAP tab .
- Click Confirm .
- Select Forward a copy of incoming mail and enter the email address you just configured.
Click the box next to the email address to tell Gmail what to do with the email that was received and sent to the address of your choice. Select an option from the drop-down menu. Regardless of which you choose, you will receive a copy of the email to the address you chose in the previous steps.
- Keep a copy of Gmail in your inbox tells Gmail to leave the message in your Gmail inbox as new and unread.
- Mark Gmail copy as read leaves messages in your Gmail inbox, but marks them as read.
- Archive a copy of Gmail —probably the most useful option—tells Gmail to mark forwarded messages as read, remove them from your inbox, and store them in an archive for later retrieval and retrieval.
- Delete copy of Gmail allows messages to be moved to the trash after they have been forwarded. Deleted messages are deleted automatically after 30 days. This is not recommended, however; storing your email in Gmail can be an easy way to back up. Delete important email in target app? You will still have a secure copy in Gmail.
Click Save Changes .
From now on, all email messages that arrive on your Gmail account, except for spam, are copied to the account you specified.
Turn off Gmail forwarding
To turn off automatic Gmail forwarding to another service, simply reverse the steps you took above. In particular:
Open Gmail.
Click Settings .
Select Settings .
Select Forwarding and POP/IMAP .
Select Disable forwarding in the Forwarding field .
Select Save Changes at the bottom of the screen.
Your changes will take effect immediately.