Create Gmail Desktop App. So your Gmail inbox is now syncing offline, but you still need to open your Chrome browser to access it. The next step is to turn Gmail into a regular desktop app. To do this, simply open Gmail in Chrome, then click “the three-dotted menu icon at the top right - More tools.

Rated (4.2 of 5.0) by 10 reviewers.
Kelly Heffner Wilkerson
February 26, 2018 at 10:00 AM
Categories: macOS | View Comments


Yesterday I helped a friend who had a problem where her outgoing email account (SMTP server) for a Gmail based email account kept appearing 'Offline' right after she set it up. Even adding the SMTP server manually in Mail didn't help.

You shouldn’t need to do any of the custom SMTP setup within Mail to get a Gmail based email account working in macOS. Now Gmail accounts should be setup just through 'Internet Accounts' in the System Preferences, and the SMTP will be setup automatically.

Removing the account and setting it up again should take care of the issue.

If your SMTP server / Outgoing Mail Account constantly appears 'Offline', here's how to fix it:

Gmail Offline Desktop App Mac
  1. Close Mail if it's open now.

  2. Click the Apple menu (upper left corner of your screen) > System Preferences > Internet Accounts.

  3. Select the account with the broken outgoing mail server, and then click the minus sign at the bottom.

  4. Reboot your Mac.

  5. Click the Apple menu > System Preferences > Internet Accounts.

  6. Click Google, and sign into your Gmail based account again.

Update February 26, 2018:

Gmail Offline Desktop App Mac Free

If you're email is still not working after this, in Mail open the Mail menu > Preferences > Accounts and select your Gmail account. Ensure that the little checkbox for Enable this account is checked.

Emailing is probably the activity we do the most on our computers. Even if you don't work on a computer during the day, you probably sit down in front of it to check your inbox at the end of the day. If the Mail app that comes with your Mac doesn't provide the features you need, you're in luck. There are dozens of great email apps in the Mac App Store. I've tested many of them and these are my favorites. Each one has a little something special that makes it unique.

Polymail

Polymail for Mac has a fantastic interface with cute buttons everywhere so you don't have to think about what to do next. It actually looks like it belongs on a mobile device, except that you click the buttons instead of tapping them.

There is a fourth section that appears whenever you select an email, which displays all of the past correspondences you've had with that particular contact or group of contacts. It's great for quickly tracking down something you've talked about in the past.

You can set up new mail with a pre-made template, send calendar invites, get notifications when someone has read your email, and schedule an email to be sent at a later time.

You can also write or respond to emails with rich text formatting. So, if you want to change the font, add bold lettering, bullet point a section, or just slap an emoji in there, it's all available right from the toolbar at the top of your new email. The only thing it's missing is Touch Bar support, which would really make this app shine.

Polymail can be used for free, but you'll need to sign up for a subscription if you want all of the awesome features that make Polymail stand out, like read notifications, send later, and messaging templates. You can add these features for as low as $10 per month. If you are a heavy email user and these features entice you, give the free trial a run to see if it's worth your money.

If you want your computer email experience to look and feel more like a mobile experience, with big, easy-to-find action buttons, Polymail is the one for you.

Spark

Spark has this 'Smart Inbox' feature that separates mail into categories: Personal, Notifications, Newsletters, Pinned, and Seen. That is, any email that is from someone in your contacts or otherwise looks like a personal email will be filtered to the top of the inbox list. Below that, in a separate section, emails that look like alerts from companies you deal with, like your gas company or Amazon, that include some kind of alert or notification. Below that, you'll see a section called 'Newsletters' which is exactly that. Below that, there are emails you've flagged or tagged as important in some way. Lastly, emails you've seen, but haven't moved to another folder.

Spark also allows you to snooze an email and come back to take care of it at a later time. This is invaluable when you regularly get emails that you need to respond to but don't have time for until the end of the day. I use it all of the time.

Gmail Offline Desktop App Mac

It also has gesture-based actions for getting to inbox zero. You can swipe to the right or left to delete, archive, pin, or, mark an email as unread.

And it has Touch Bar support, which I love.

Spark is best for people that like to have their inbox organized before they go through and move emails to new folders, address them, or delete them entirely. If that sounds appealing to you, try Spark.

Kiwi for Gmail

If you have one or more Gmail accounts, you should consider switching to Kiwi. This all-in-one triumph brings the look and feel of Gmail for the web to the desktop in the form of an app. With the service's unique Focus Filtered Inbox, you can view your messages based on Date, Importance, Unread, Attachments, and Starred. In doing so, you can prioritize your emails in real-time.

Perhaps the best reason to use Kiwi for Gmail is its G Suite integration. Thanks to the app, you now get to experience Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides, as windowed desktop applications. Kiwi is available for Mac and Windows.

Mac Gmail Offline

Postbox

New on our list for 2020, Postbox has been designed for professionals, but anyone with more than one email account should continue using it. Available for Mac and Windows, Postbox works with any IMAP or POP account, including Gmail, iCloud, Office 365, and more.

Postbox offers one of the fastest email search engines available, which is ideally suited when you need to find files, images, and other attachments. With the app's built-in Quick Bar, you can move a message, copy a message, switch folders, tag a message, Gmail label a message, or switch folders with just a few keystrokes.

Looking for more? Postbox comes with 24 (counting) themes, and much more.

Your favorite?

What's going to be your next email client for Mac?

Updated February 2020: Guide updated to reflect price changes and more.

macOS Catalina

Main

Gmail For Mac Desktop

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Gmail Offline Desktop App Mac Computer

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