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Setting up Google Apps email on a Mac, iPhone and iPad

The settings we used to connect Google Apps business email to Apple Mail and to iPhones and iPads, back when it took a little more manual setup.

By Boyd Burkhardt · January 18, 2013 · 2 min read

From the archive. We first published this in January 2013, and these steps are now out of date. Google Apps is now Google Workspace, and today the easiest way to add a Google account is to choose Google when you add an account, in System Settings > Internet Accounts on a Mac or in Mail's account settings on an iPhone or iPad.

We are often asked how to set up a Google Apps business email account in Apple Mail and on iPhones and iPads. Here are the basics, assuming your Mac and iOS devices are up to date.

Apple Mail on a Mac

  1. Open Mail, choose Mail > Preferences, then click Accounts.
  2. Click the + button at the bottom left.
  3. Enter your name, your Google Apps email address (for example, phil@mydomain.com) and your password, then click Continue.
  4. If you see an Account Summary showing a Gmail IMAP account, your Mac found the right settings on its own. You can also let it set up Notes, Calendars, Reminders and Messages for the account. Click Create and skip to step 6.
  5. If it did not set itself up, enter the settings yourself:
    • Account type: IMAP
    • Incoming mail server: imap.gmail.com
    • Outgoing mail server: smtp.gmail.com, with Use Authentication selected
    • User name for both: your full email address, plus your password
    Then click Create on the Account Summary.
  6. Select the new account and click Mailbox Behaviors. Normally only Move deleted messages to the Trash mailbox should stay checked, so uncheck everything else. Choose how long to keep deleted messages; one month is typical.

iPhone and iPad

  1. Go to Settings > Mail, Contacts, Calendars > Add Account.
  2. Choose Microsoft Exchange. Other choices work, but this was the preferred option for paid Google Apps accounts. For a free account, choose Google instead.
  3. Enter your full email address, password and a description, then tap Next.
  4. Set the server to m.google.com, leave the domain blank, and use your full email address as the user name.
  5. Leave Mail turned on. Turn Contacts and Calendars off unless you want to sync them from Google. If you sync calendars, you can choose which ones by visiting m.google.com/sync/settings on the device.
  6. Tap Save, then make sure the default account in Mail settings is the one you want.