What is IMAP? 
IMAP, or Internet Message Access Protocol, lets you download messages from Gmail's servers onto your computer so you can access your mail with a program like Microsoft Outlook Express or Apple Mail, even when you aren't connected to the Internet.

IMAP creates a constant connection between mail clients (desktop and/or mobile) and Gmail.

What's the difference between IMAP and POP? 
Unlike POP, IMAP offers two-way communication between your web Gmail and your email client(s). This means when you log in to Gmail using a web browser, actions you perform on email clients and mobile devices (ex: putting mail in a 'work' folder) will instantly and automatically appear in Gmail (ex: it will already have a 'work' label on that email the next time you sign in).

IMAP also provides a better method to access your mail from multiple devices. If you check your email at work, on your mobile phone, and again at home, IMAP ensures that new mail is accessible from any device at any given time.

Finally, IMAP offers a more stable experience overall. Whereas POP is prone to losing messages or downloading the same messages multiple times, IMAP avoids this through two-way syncing capabilities between your mail clients and your web Gmail.

If you're trying to decide between using POP and using IMAP with Gmail, we recommend IMAP.

Enabling IMAPYou can retrieve your Gmail messages with a client or device that supports IMAP, like Microsoft Outlook or Apple Mail.
 

To enable IMAP in Gmail:

1. Sign in to Gmail.
2. Click Settings at the top of any Gmail page.
3. Click Forwarding and POP/IMAP.
4. Select Enable IMAP.
5. Configure your IMAP client and click Save Changes.

Note: At this time, it's not possible to enable IMAP while using the basic HTML interface. Please use the standard view to see this option.

Supported IMAP client list
Once you've enabled IMAP in Gmail, just configure your mail client or wireless device to download Gmail messages. To learn about configuration settings, click the name of your mail client or mobile device below.

If your client or device isn't listed here, we're not yet able to provide assistance with its configuration, but we suggest trying out the instructions for other mail clients.

Mail Clients 

• Outlook Express (Windows)
• Outlook 2003 (Windows)
• Outlook 2007 (Windows)
• Apple Mail 2 
• Apple Mail 3 (Leopard) 
• Windows Mail 
• Thunderbird 2 
• Other*

Mobile Devices 

• Android 
• iPhone 
• BlackBerry*
• Symbian*
• Windows Mobile 5*
• Windows Mobile 6*
• SnapperMail*

* While configuration instructions are available, we're currently unable to provide support for these clients