Gmail SMTP Settings

Gmail is the most used email service with a whopping 1.2 Billion Active users as of Aug, 2017. It has two types of accounts. A normal Gmail account and Google Workspace account which is used by companies for employee’s unique Gmail accounts.

Example: Frank’s email address, who is working at a company named ACNE, is frank@acne.com and his account is owned and administrated by the company itself. Then there are Gmail accounts which are under some restrictions laid out by their Google Workspace administrator and they are called Restricted Gmail Accounts.

Gmail SMTP Settings

Server Address: smtp.gmail.com
Username: Your Gmail Address (e.g. example@gmail.com)
Password: Your Gmail Password
Port Number: 587 (With TLS)
Alternative Port Number: 465 (With SSL)
Internet Protocol: Dynamic IPs Allowed
Sending Limits: A registered Google Workspace user can’t relay messages to more than 10,000 recipients per day.

Google Workspace relay SMTP Settings

Server Address: smtp-relay.gmail.com
Username: Your Gmail Address (e.g. example@gmail.com)
Password: Your Gmail Password
Port Number: 587 (With TLS), 465 (With SSL) and 25 (with TLS/SSL)
Internet Protocol: One or more static IP addresses are required.
Sending Limits: 2,000 Messages per day.

Restricted Gmail SMTP Settings

Server Address: aspmx.l.google.com
Username: Your Gmail Address (e.g. example@gmail.com)
Password: Your Gmail Password
Port Number: 25 (TLS not required)
Internet Protocol: Dynamic IPs allowed
Restriction: Email can only be sent to Gmail or G Workspace users.
Sending Limits: Per user receiving limits apply. This option restricts sending messages to Gmail or Google Workspace users only.

An added layer of security called “Less secure apps”

To make Gmail more secure, Google has added an extra layer of protection to Gmail accounts. When a third party server tries to read or enter into your Gmail account and it gets blocked by Google servers if their security is not up to Google’s level.So, before you go on and start the configuration, make sure that Less Secure Apps option is enabled for the desired account in Gmail.Generally, it is not recommended to enable “Less Secure Apps” option as it comes with certain risks to your Gmail account. So, it is advisable to use this when no other option is available.To enable Less Secure Apps, You can visit this link. It will look something like this:

Less secure apps

If you have enabled Google’s “Two Step Verification” process for your Gmail account then you won’t be able to enable the option of “Less Secure Apps”.With “Two Step Verification” option enabled, the “Less Secure Apps” page will look something like the below image.

To enable “Less Secure Apps”, You will have to disable “Two Step Verification” for your Gmail account. After that, you can easily enable the “Less Secure Apps” option.

Less secure apps