many people within the linux and open source community avoid google altogether. But for those who don’t, Google apps (including Gmail) are a business necessity. For those users, there are a few options to get to that google-branded email:
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gmail or inbox via a desktop web browser
gmail app or inbox app via mobile device
google compatible email clients.
is the last option I want to focus on. Although a surprising majority of people now use their mobile devices to access the internet and read email, there are still a large number of users who prefer a robust desktop client to communicate. but what do you do when your email of choice is gmail and your desktop of choice is linux?
You turn to a great email client. If you’re not sure which Linux email clients are compatible with Gmail, read on and you might find one that perfectly suits your needs and tastes.
note: to use any of these clients with gmail, you must have imap enabled from the pop/imap and forwarding tab of your gmail account settings.
thunder bird
thunderbird is usually the default email client on linux distributions. there’s a reason for that: thunderbird is feature rich, easy to use, offers many plugins (including an excellent calendar plugin, which supports google calendar out of the box), and offers some of the best gmail support of any. Open Source. client. Thunderbird’s Gmail support extends to Gmail tags, even allowing you to create Gmail tags (although in Thunderbird, they are still called folders).
thunderbird also supports google two-factor authentication (which I highly recommend using). one thing you will notice with thunderbird and gmail is that thunderbird does not archive gmail as it does with a standard account. instead, thunderbird archives the email in the all-mail folder. in fact the archive options button is disabled for gmail (so you can’t define the archive frequency).
To add a gmail account to thunderbird, do the following:
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open thunderbird
click edit > account settings
from the account actions dropdown (lower left corner), select add email account
enter your gmail account information (figure 1, above).
click continue
select image
click done.
If you have two-step authentication set up for gmail, you need to visit your google account and set up an app password for thunderbird. once you have generated that 16 character password, use it for your gmail password in thunderbird.
team
geary is a great little email client developed by yorba for the gnome desktop. Geary removes a lot of the bells and whistles to create a very simple and elegant desktop email client that offers built-in gmail support. Of all the clients available, Geary makes working with Gmail the closest thing to a web browser experience you’ll find.
although geary is not as feature rich as thunderbird, with it you will enjoy: email in conversational layout, full featured html composer, keyword search, desktop notifications and conversation tags. geary can be found in most of the default linux repositories (it is not installed by default).
Once installed, account setup for geary is incredibly fast. on first run (figure 2), you will be prompted to select the service (choose gmail from the service dropdown), enter your name, email address, and password (if you use two-factor authentication, you will need to create a password from the app as you would with thunderbird), and finally click add. finally the geary main window will appear and your gmail inbox will be filled instantly. the best thing about geary is its simplicity, speed and easy to use interface.
claw mail
claws mail is the email client for advanced users. With this particular version of email, you can do just about anything you want (it’s almost amazing in its configurability). Along with that power comes a bit more of a learning curve. in fact even setting up your gmail account is not as easy to use as with the other clients. you will need to manually enter the imap server address (imap.gmail.com ─ figure 3) as well as the smtp address (smtp.gmail.com). select use ssl to connect to the receiving server and enable smtp authentication.
note: clawsmail also requires an app password if you have two-factor authentication enabled.
once you have set up the account through the simple setup wizard, if you find that claws mail cannot connect to the gmail server, open the account settings (settings > edit accounts, select the gmail account and click edit) and then check your settings with these settings:
basic section
personal information: fill it in as needed.
server section
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server to receive: imap.gmail.com
smtp server: smtp.gmail.com
userid: your gmail address
password: your gmail password
reception section
authentication method: login
shipping section
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smtp authentication: enable this
userid: your gmail address
password: your gmail password
ssl section
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use ssl for imap4 connection: enable this
don’t use ssl (in smtp section): enable this
advanced section
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smtp port: 465
image port: 993
surprisingly, claws mail is still incredibly light and fast, even with the plethora of configuration options available.
evolution
evolution is a highly criticized but still very powerful and useful email/calendar/groupware client. evolution has probably the most extensive gmail support of any linux desktop email client (including contacts and multiple calendar support). evolution offers very easy setup and includes email, calendar, contacts, tasks and notes. Once you’ve synced your gmail account, you can start adding your google calendars (these need to be added manually). there is a caveat when adding your google calendars to evolution. you can assume that the calendar type should be gmail. due to a bug, this will not work. instead you should select caldav and then use a url in the form of:
//www.google.com/calendar/dav/ this email address is being protected from spambots. you need to enable javascript to view it /events”>https://www.google.com/calendar/dav/ this e-mail address is being protected from spambots. you need javascript enabled to see it /events
where yourusername is your gmail username.
once you enter that, fill in the rest of the information and then click search for calendars (figure 4). then you’ll be prompted for your gmail credentials (remember, if you’re using two-factor authentication, you’ll need to use an app password).
if you’re looking for a more business-friendly groupware client, one that can easily connect to gmail, evolution is your tool.
There is no reason why you should be relegated to a web browser when using linux and gmail. Each of these clients has a lot to offer, whether you are a beginner or an advanced user. try one of them and see if you can disconnect it from the web browser.
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