


Afterward, launch the installer, follow the installation wizard instructions and open the program when finished. Step 1: Download, install, and launch Thunderbird - Assuming you don’t have Thunderbird already, navigate to the Thunderbird download page, and click the green download button to obtain the free email application. Afterward, click the Save Changes button at the bottom of the page to apply the new settings.īack up using Thunderbird (Windows, Max OS X, Linux) Step 2: Enable IMAP - Click the Forwarding and POP/IMAP tab located in the top navigation bar and select the bubble directly left of Enable IMAP within the IMAP Access section. Afterward, click the gear icon in the top-right corner the page, beneath your profile image, and select Settings from the resulting drop-down menu. Step 1: Access Gmail settings - Navigate and sign in to your Gmail inbox. Regardless, follow the instructions below to enable the IMAP protocol within Gmail while using the standard view of the email client. Keep in mind you will be required to input an application-specific password the first time a client asks for your login credentials if using Google’s two-step verification. Whichever email client you choose to use, each allows users to download messages directly from Gmail’s servers onto your computer thanks to various email-retrieval protocols like POP and IMAP. Perhaps you’re using the mail application that came pre-installed on your Mac, or maybe the bundled version of Microsoft Outlook you recently picked up, or less likely, the downloaded version of the Mozilla-based Thunderbird. In today’s constantly-connected world of communication, everyone has a desktop email client. Back up using desktop email clients (Windows/Mac OS X/Linux) Additionally, check out our quick guide on how to get the most of Gmail. Here’s our comprehensive guide on how to back up your Gmail account so you’ll never have to worry about access your email directory or the cloud giving you trouble in those dire times when you need it most. Thankfully, there is more than one way to back up your Gmail account and associated emails should the service falter or delete your data due to a software bug (it has happened). Hotmail may have been a hot commodity nearly 20 years ago, back when “The Rachel” haircut and Air Jordans were all the rage, but there’s no denying Google’s Gmail has become the go-to mode of communication for the more than 425 million users it caters to.ĭespite the sheer level of integration with the Google ecosystem and the downright awesomeness it exudes though, Gmail has been known to catch a case of the Mondays from time to time, occasionally suffering from widespread outages that cripple the bevvy of users who solely rely on the cloud-based service for all their work-related and personal needs.
