To set up Gmail on Outlook, open classic Outlook for Windows, select File, then Add Account, enter your Gmail address and select Connect. Sign in with Google, then select Allow on the permissions window. In new Outlook, you start from Accounts, Your accounts and Add Account instead. Older versions may need an app password.
Older Outlook versions may not offer the faster sign-in
Start here if you're on an older copy of Outlook. Microsoft's help page for adding Gmail warns that you might have an older version that doesn't support this faster setup. Google gives Outlook 2016 as an example of an older version that may not support the modern sign-in.
If that's you, there are two ways forward. You can upgrade, or you can use an app password, which also needs two-factor authentication. Check Google's help page for how to set one up. If your version is current, skip all that and go straight to the steps below.
Classic and new Outlook each have their own steps below, so follow the set that matches your screen.
Adding Gmail to classic Outlook for Windows
- Select File.
- Select Add Account.
- Enter your email address.
- Select Connect.
- In the Gmail sign-in window, confirm the email you're adding.
- Select Next.
- Add your password and follow the prompts.
- On the Google account permissions window, select Allow.
- When the account has finished adding, select Done.
At that last screen you can add another email account in place of selecting Done, so if you've got a second address to bring in, this is the moment to do it.
Notice where your password goes at step seven: into the Gmail sign-in window. If Outlook turns down a password you know is right, that's covered in the troubleshooting section further down.
Adding Gmail to new Outlook
The newer app gets you to the same place, but you start from a different menu.
- On the View tab, select View settings, or from the File tab, select Account info.
- Go to Accounts.
- Select Your accounts.
- Select Add Account.
- In the Suggested account dropdown, add the Gmail account you want.
- Select Continue.
Whichever version you're on, the sign-in is the part to get right. Google's own guidance for email clients says to look for an option to Sign in with Google in your email client, so if Outlook offers you that, take it.
Still weighing up where your email should live? We've got a comparison of Gmail and Outlook side by side that may help. Once your messages are coming through, it's also worth knowing how to whitelist a sender in Outlook, so the emails you care about stay where you can see them.
When Gmail won't connect to Outlook
Find the symptom below that matches what's on your screen, then follow the fix under it.
Outlook won't accept your password
If you know the password's right, you might be on an older version that doesn't support the faster setup. Upgrade, or take the app password route described at the top of this page.
There's no Sign in with Google option anywhere
That's the option Google tells you to look for, but it's a label to look out for rather than a step you have to find. Follow the classic or new Outlook steps above.
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The sign-in window shows the wrong address
You're asked to confirm the email you're adding, so don't select Next until it's the right one. Go back and enter the address again if it isn't.
Setup stalls at the permissions screen
The Google account permissions window needs you to select Allow before the job can finish.
Another email client won't take your Gmail account
A single account can be added to up to 15 email clients at a time. If you've been setting it up on everything you own, count how many you've got before assuming something's broken.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need an app password to add my Gmail account?
Not on a version that supports the faster setup. It's the fallback for older releases that don't.
Can I connect more than one Gmail address?
Yes. Run through the steps again for each address, or choose to add another account when the first one finishes.
Which versions do these steps cover?
Classic and new Outlook for Windows. On a Mac or a phone, check Microsoft's help page for your device.
Does two-factor authentication have to be switched on?
It's tied to the app password route. If you don't need an app password, it isn't part of these steps.
Will Outlook 2016 work with this setup?
It may not support the modern sign-in, so be ready to upgrade or use an app password.
Is it better to upgrade or use an app password?
Upgrading gets you the faster setup. An app password lets you stay on the version you've got, but you'll need two-factor authentication in place before it's an option.
