Manage Multiple Email Accounts with Gmail

Using Gmail to manage multiple email accounts :: A Tutorial

Gmail is a free online webmail client. There are many benefits to using it for your email. Here are just a couple:

• Your email always stays on the web and is never downloaded to your computer unless you choose to download attachments, etc. Less chance of catching a virus. (Gmail automatically scans attachments for viruses as well).
• If you have ever had your hard drive crash, you have felt the pain of loss that comes with losing all your info since your last backup... many times this includes irreplaceable emails. With your mail online, it's safe from loss in a computer crash.
• Gmail's tools allow you to gather all your mail from multiple sources and label and archive (no need to delete unless it's junk mail).
• If you have ever had a nagging thought that there was someone you were forgetting, and all you remember is that person saying "can I have it by the 14th?" there's no need to worry! Gmail's built in search Mail function will find it for you. Just type in the phrase and any relevant emails will pop up.

How To Set Up Your Accounts

Step 1 :: Edit Your Settings

Log into your gmail account. Go to the "settings" link in top right corner of your screen. You will see several tabs. Click on the second tab called "Accounts and Imports".

Step 2 :: Add POP3 Email Account

In the 3rd section down, you will see "Check mail using POP3". Click the button in that box that says "Add POP3 email account".

Step 3 :: Enter Email Address

A popup box will appear (you may have to set your browser to allow popups from gmail). Enter the name of the email address from which you want gmail to fetch mail. Click Next to continue.

Step 4 :: Enter Username / Password

Enter the username and password for the account and check the boxes below according to your preferences. A particularly handy feature to help keep the mail sorted in your inbox is to check the box to label incoming messages. I gave this account the label "Facebook". Click Add Account.

Step 5 :: Send Mail from this email?

Choose if you want to also send mail from the email address you just added. Click Next Step.

Step 6 :: Enter Name Associated

Enter the name you want associated with this new account when you send mail. (The name the recipient will see in the "from" column). Click Next Step.

Step 7 :: Choose how to send your mail

On this step you can choose to send mail through your gmail account (it will still appear to be from the account name you are adding), or to send through your SMTP server. I chose to send through gmail. Click Next Step.

Step 8 :: Verification part 1

Before you can send mail from the account you are adding, gmail needs you to verify that you own the account. Click Send Verification.

Step 9 :: Verification part 2

There are 2 ways to confirm. 1) simply click the verification link in the email or 2) return to the popup and enter the verification code that was in the email. (if you have closed the popup, don't worry... your new email address will now appear under your "Accounts" tab and have a "verify" link beside it. This takes you right back to that popup.)

Step 10 :: You're Done!

Congratulations! You have now added the email account and you can check or send mail from this account right through your gmail account.

2 Final Tweaks...

1. In Settings>Accounts and Imports, see the second section titled "Send mail as:". You can decide there whether or not to reply using the same address mail was sent to, or to always reply from your default address.

2. Since gmail doesn't check the mail of those accounts quite as often as I like, I have added a gadget from the "labs" in gmail that puts a "refresh" link at the top of my inbox to allow me to click to force the checking of all POP3 accounts without my having to go back into the settings to click "check mail" beside each individual account.

To add this gadget, click on the little green beaker at the top right of your gmail screen. (between your email name and the link for settings). Scroll down until you see the gadget called "Refresh POP accounts" and click the radio button to the right to enable it. Scroll down to save changes.

Now to send an email...

You now have a dropdown box in the "From" section of your Compose Mail box. You can select which address to send your mail from.