Step-by-step guide for setting up an personal email account on Gmail

If you want to use Gmail so you can send and receive emails from your personal email address directly inside Gmail, here’s a clear, step-by-step guide:

 

1. Log into Gmail

• Open mail.google.com and sign in with your Gmail account.

2. Open Gmail Settings

1. Click the ⚙️ gear icon (top right).
2. Select See all settings.
3. Go to the Accounts and Import tab.

3. Add Your Personal Email for Receiving Mail

1. In the “Check mail from other accounts” section, click Add a mail account.
2. Enter your personal email address (e.g., me@mydomain.com).
3. Choose Import emails from my other account (POP3) → click Next.

Gmail does not support IMAP fetch, only POP3. That means Gmail can download messages from your other account but won’t sync folders.

4. Enter your mail server details:
   • Username: full email address
   • Password: your personal email password (or app password if required)
   • POP Server: mail.yourdomain.com
   • Port: 995 (SSL/TLS mode)
5. (Optional) Choose:
   • Leave a copy on the server (so messages stay at your hosting too)
   • Label incoming messages (to identify them in Gmail)
6. Click Add Account.

4. Set Up Sending (SMTP)

After adding, Gmail will ask if you want to send mail as your personal email.

1. Select Yes → Next Step.
2. Enter your name (how it will appear to recipients).
3. Enter SMTP settings from your email provider:
   • SMTP Server: usually mail.yourdomain.com
   • Port: 587, STARTTLS mode
   • Username: full email address
   • Password: same as above (or app password)
4. Click Add Account.

5. Verify Your Address

• Gmail sends a verification code to your personal email address.
• Retrieve it (via webmail or another client)
• Enter the code into Gmail to finish.

6. Done

• Gmail will now download messages from your personal account.
• You can also send mail as your personal address from Gmail.
• All within one Gmail inbox!

Important Limitations:

• Gmail only uses POP3 for external accounts — no IMAP sync (so no folders, only inbox downloads).
• To get true IMAP sync, you need an email client (like Outlook, Thunderbird, Apple Mail).