What Is Gmail SMTP and How to Use Gmail With My Domain?
Gmail is a free mail service that billions of people use for personal or business communication. It is secure, has an intuitive interface, and various extensions are available to complement your experience. Along with that, you can benefit from the Gmail SMTP server functionality.
The SMTP for Gmail is a feature you can use to send emails through different email clients using your Gmail address or domain. To take advantage of this perk, you only need to have your own free Gmail account.
This article will cover the required Gmail SMTP settings for sending free emails through email applications. We will also guide you how to use Gmail with your own domain.
When the SMTP server is up and running, email programs can connect and communicate with it. It is the application that maintains the function of sending messages from the email server.
What is the Gmail SMTP server?
The SMTP server for Gmail is a free SMTP server that anyone across the globe can use. It allows you to manage email transactions from your Gmail account via email clients or web applications. Email clients are user-end mail applications. Some of the most popular ones are Thunderbird, Outlook, and Mac Mail.
The default Gmail SMTP server name is smtp.gmail.com and if you use it, you can configure any external email application to send out messages.
The email platform connects to the SMTP server over particular email ports. An SMTP port is an endpoint used to transmit emails across the internet. The secure SMTP Gmail ports are 465 and 587.
What are the Gmail SMTP server settings?
To use the SMTP server of your Gmail address, you will need a combination of details. The SMTP Gmail settings you need are listed below.
- Outgoing Mail (SMTP) Server: smtp.gmail.com
- Use Authentication: Yes
- Use Secure Connection: Yes (TLS or SSL depending on your mail client/website SMTP plugin)
- Username: your Gmail address (e.g., user@gmail.com)
- Password: your Gmail password
- Gmail SMTP Port: 465 (SSL required) or 587 (TLS required)
Note: Make sure to replace “user@gmail.com” with your actual email address.
Reasons to use Gmail SMTP for sending emails
In order to use the Gmail SMTP, you would need to sign up for a free Gmail account. You can configure the above settings on any email app if you already have an existing Gmail account. This way, you will be able to send messages using your Gmail address from different devices.
Consider the information below if you wonder why you should go with Gmail SMTP for your outgoing emails.
- Manage emails across multiple devices
Optionally, you can send mails from your MS Outlook or MacMail application with your Gmail account. In such a case, you can follow these steps to Manually Configure Outlook and Configure Mac Mail Manually, respectively. It is important to note that you should use the Gmail SMTP settings when following the steps in these guides.
- Storage space
A free Gmail account includes up to 15 GB of storage per inbox, which is a considerable amount of space to use. Keep in mind that this is a shared space between your Gmail inbox, Google Drive and Google Photos.
- Premium email service with Google Workspace
If you have а paid Google Workspace account (previously known as GSuite), you can take advantage of more features and higher limits. This professional plan allows you to send up to 2000 emails per 24 hours.
Furthermore, you can create email addresses for your domain with the paid Gmail SMTP server. Instead of using your @gmail.com email, you can set up a @yourwebsite.com address to work over Google’s SMTP.
You will have to modify your domain’s MX records for Google Workspace Mail to make this happen. By doing this, your domain’s email service will be routed through Google’s mail servers.
To learn how to set up a Google Workspace through SiteGround, read this guide on Google Workspace account setup.
- Google level of Security
Google is known for its sophisticated security implementations, and this also applies to your Gmail service. You can use their SMTP service over two secure ports – 465 and 578. Port 465 is secured via SSL (Secure Sockets Layer), and 578 works over TLS (Transport Layer Security).
The Gmail search operators allow you to search through your inbox efficiently using various filtering commands. You can also combine different search commands to filter results even further. This functionality helps you find the message you are looking for faster and easier.
How to use Gmail with my domain?
So far, we have talked about the perks of using the Gmail SMTP server with your @gmail.com address. This solution is suitable for managing personal email correspondence and small websites.
However, if you have an online business, you should consider using a professional email address. Most web host providers include email hosting that enables you to create an email address for your domain name. Your hosted email service would also provide you with a Webmail platform for email management.
In the past, users could also integrate their business email with their Gmail account on their desktop, allowing them to manage all their inboxes from a single interface. This setup was highly popular and was the preferred choice for many looking to efficiently manage their email accounts.
However, since January 2026, Google has discontinued POP fetching for third-party accounts, so your desktop Gmail is no longer an option for managing professional email addresses. Although it may be an inconvenience for those accustomed to this setup, you can choose from several viable alternatives that can make the transition to other account management methods seamless. For detailed information, read this guide on Gmail POP alternatives.
