Apps

POP Goes the Gmail: Taming the Beast (2 of 2)

In Part 1 of this post series, I wrote about some issues I’ve been having with my ASU Gmail account. Today I will break down the steps of how to set up an ASU Gmail account for IMAP access. The information to do this was scattered around various sites, and was a major pain to find on my own. Once I figured it all out, it was relatively simple. Hopefully this can post will be a one-stop-shop for anyone interested in setting up IMAP. Put on your helmets and safety goggles, and let’s get started.

Here are the steps I had to go through to get everything to work. I use the Mac Mail application, so that is what steps 5- are based on. I also tested these with Thunderbird 2 for Mac and it worked, so hopefully it will work for the email client you use as well.

*If you’ve been trying different methods than I’m about to describe, you may need to go through one additional step. If you’ve tried to enter your password too many times into your email client, Google may have flagged your account and require that you reset what is known as a CAPTCHA. This is a security feature that many websites offer to keep hackers out of accounts and commenting systems. (Read more here) If you think this may pertain to you, go here to reset your CAPTCHA. Simply enter your existing ASURite username and password, and then type in the word/letter combination that you see. After you have done this, return to this post and continue with the steps.

1. Enable Authenticated SMTP Service | This will allow you to “use ASU’s outgoing mail server (smtp.asu.edu) securely from any location, using your favorite e-mail client.” Go here for step-by-step instructions.
2. Turn on IMAP access in your ASU Gmail account | This will allow you to synchronize your email client with your web mail.
   1. Log in to your ASU Gmail account.
   2. Click the “Settings” link in the top right of the screen.
   3. Click the “Forwarding and IMAP/POP” button on your Settings screen.
   4. Click the “Enable IMAP” radio button, and save your settings.
3. Set up your POP/Chat Password | This may seem redundant to set up another password, but it is necessary for later steps. I recommend setting this password to the same as your ASURITE password. It will make everything easier. Go here to set it up.
4. Take a deep breath | You’re almost done.
5. Set up your email client to access your ASU Gmail account | Depending on the mail client you use (Outlook, Thunderbird, Eudora, Entourage), the step numbers of the following modifications will be different. I am basing the step numbers off of the Mac Mail instructions. Regardless of the mail client you choose, these modifications must be made for IMAP to work properly. Here is a page that has links for step-by-step instructions for various email clients.
   • Follow the steps on this page with a few modifications.
     • In step 5, choose IMAP instead of POP as your Account type
     • In step 10, set the incoming mail server to imap.gmail.com instead of pop.gmail.com
     • In step 11, DO NOT include the “recent:” prefix before your “asuriteID@asu.edu” information
     • Note: In step 12, the password for the Incoming mail server is the POP/Chat password you established in Step 3.
     • Note: In step 17, the password for the Outgoing mail server is your ASURITE password. (This is why I recommended making both passwords the same. Now you don’t have to remember two passwords.)

You should be finished! You can now view your ASU email from your mail client. Any changes you make within your mail client will be simultaneously changed in the web-based ASU Gmail account as well. If you are anything like me, you check your email from various different places…home computer, laptop, mobile device, etc. By setting up IMAP access, you can ensure that everything is synchronized. The beast is still the beast, but at least we have put a leash on it. Good luck.