Adding Gmail to Outlook lets you handle thousands of emails in bulk, something the Gmail web app can’t do nearly as fast. Also, if you’ve used Outlook for years and your new company runs on Gmail, you can still read your Gmail in Outlook. Just follow the simple steps below.
Pros and cons of adding Gmail to Outlook
Advantages
- Process thousands of emails quickly, because your Gmail messages are synced to Outlook on your computer. You can run bulk actions without waiting for pages to load like on Gmail.
- More advanced tools than Gmail. The editor works like an office app, with as many formatting options as Word.
- New mail notifications just like a mobile app, so you’re less likely to miss an email.
- You can open several Gmail accounts in the same Outlook app, so you don’t waste time switching accounts like on Gmail.
- I’ve listed a few other advantages in the article How to set up domain email in Outlook.
Disadvantages
Outlook can group messages with the same subject in its conversation view, but it organizes mail differently from Gmail. Gmail labels show up as folders in Outlook, so if you rely on labels to sort your mail, it will take some time to get used to.
Steps to add Gmail to Outlook
The steps below were done in Outlook for Mac (2021 interface). Outlook for Windows uses slightly different menu names, but the process is similar. To make the setup quicker, open your browser and sign in to Gmail first. Then open Outlook and follow these steps.
Step 1: Go to Preferences > Accounts to see your existing accounts and add a new Gmail account.
If this is your first time using Outlook, it will show the sign-in window for a new account right away, so you can skip steps 1 and 2.
Step 2: Click the plus sign (+) > New Account to add a new Gmail account.
Step 3: Enter your Gmail address and click Continue to start adding it to Outlook.
Step 4: When the browser opens, click the Gmail account you want to add to Outlook.
Step 5: Click the Allow button to grant Outlook the required permissions, then click Open Microsoft Outlook to return to Outlook.
Step 6: When Outlook shows a green check mark, the account has been added. Now click Done to finish.
Now you can enjoy Gmail in Outlook!
Conclusion
Outlook 2016 and 2019 reached end of support on October 14, 2025, and older versions like Outlook 2010 are even more outdated. For a new setup, use Outlook from Microsoft 365 or the new Outlook app (as of 10/2026). Remember to open your browser and sign in to Gmail first so the steps go faster.
Have you managed to use Gmail in Outlook? Leave a comment below and let me know!
