Frequently Asked Questions

Please note that with Thunderbird 3.0, you'll automatically be configured with IMAP. If you’d like to add additional email accounts with IMAP access, please see the instructions below.

To set up your Thunderbird client to work with Gmail:

1. As a reminder, please make sure to Enable IMAP in Gmail and click Save Changes when you're done.
2. Open Thunderbird.
3. Click the Tools menu, and select Account Settings...
4. Select Add Mail Account... from the drop-down list located under the account list on the left.

5. The first dialog in Thunderbird’s Automatic Account Configuration will be displayed. Enter your name, your Gmail email address and your password. Click Continue.

6. Thunderbird will query the Gmail server and automatically configure the appropriate IMAP connection settings for your account. When complete, Thunderbird will show you a confirmation dialog similar to this one:

7. Confirm that the connection settings are the same as those shown above and click Create Account.
8. Check our recommended client settings, and adjust your client's settings as needed.