How do I sync Gmail with Apple Mail?

Last reviewed: October 3, 2026 · Markdown version

Add Gmail to Apple Mail as a Google account and sign in through Google's own sign-in screen; on a personal account there is nothing to switch on in Gmail first. Google's page for other mail programs says that "When you add Gmail, your messages and labels are synced with the email client.", that for personal accounts "IMAP access is always turned on in Gmail", and that Gmail "no longer supports third-party apps or devices which require you to share your Google username and password." Its instruction is to look for "Sign in with Google" instead (Add Gmail to another email client, read 3 October 2026).

On iPhone

Apple's steps: open the Settings app, tap Apps, then Mail, then Mail Accounts, then Add Account. Enter your address, or tap "choose from a list" and pick Gmail (Google) (Set up mail, contacts, and calendar accounts on iPhone, read 3 October 2026). Google's own iPhone instruction matches, ending in Add Account, Google, and it carries one warning worth knowing before you start: "When you discard a draft on your iPhone, it gets permanently deleted in Gmail." (Choose your IMAP email client settings for Gmail, read 3 October 2026).

On a Mac

In the Mail app, choose Mail > Add Account, enter the address (or use "choose from a list"), click Continue and follow the sign-in. If the Google account is already on the Mac for Contacts or Calendar, Apple's tip is to open Mail > Accounts and make sure Mail is selected for it (Add and manage email accounts in Mail on Mac, read 3 October 2026).

Why new mail can show up late on iPhone

Apple Mail checks some accounts on a schedule. Apple's guide explains that an account which "doesn’t support Push notifications" can be given a fetch schedule under Mail Accounts, Fetch New Data, where the default, Automatically, downloads new mail when the phone is charging and on Wi-Fi; "To fetch more often outside of these conditions, choose a timed schedule." (Add and remove email accounts on iPhone, read 3 October 2026). That guide does not say which providers support Push, so check what Fetch New Data shows for your Gmail account. If mail is missing in the Gmail app too, the problem is not Apple Mail; Gmail not syncing covers that side.

Settings that protect your mail

Your labels come across with your messages, as Google's page above says; Show in IMAP explains how to choose which ones Apple Mail sees. Google's settings page for IMAP programs then gives three rules that matter more than they look (the Choose your IMAP email client settings page above):

Deleted mail: "Don't change your IMAP settings to save deleted messages in the Trash. When you do this, any messages you delete from your email client will get permanently deleted from Gmail in 30 days."
Junk: "Don't turn on your client's junk mail filters. Gmail automatically sorts spam and malware before it reaches your client."
Sent mail: the page advises against saving sent messages on the server, because Gmail already copies them to its Sent folder when the program sends over SMTP.

The same page's Apple Mail entry only says to open Mail's settings and "Update the settings" under Accounts, Junk Mail or Viewing; it names no values for Apple Mail specifically, so the general rules above are the ones to apply.

Limits and removing it later

Google allows Gmail in "up to 15 email clients at a time per account"; past that you may see "Too many simultaneous connections" (the Add Gmail to another email client page above). Removing the account from a Mac takes its messages off the Mac only: "Copies of messages remain on the account’s mail server and are still available (from webmail, for example)." (the Add and manage email accounts in Mail on Mac guide above). For several accounts on one phone, see how many email accounts an iPhone can hold.