IMPORTANT: In July 2019 Google stopped 3rd party software and web services from accessing Gmail using OAUTH2. You now need to use application specific passwords. On 30th May 2022, Google also stopped 3rd party software and services accessing Gmail that use your login credentials. You must use the the application-specific password method described below.


Gmail 2-step Verification and SyncBack


You can use SyncBack with Gmail accounts where 2-step verification has been inaugurated by simply creating and using an application-specific password in Gmail after logging in to the Gmail service:
https://support.google.com/mail/answer/1173270?hl=en


Use the application-specific password in SyncBack (instead of the password you would use to log in to Gmail manually) with your normal Gmail address for the account in question.


Configuration


To send emails to a gmail email account:

  • Modify your profile and go to the Log -> Email Log settings page of the profile configuration
  • Set the Hostname to smtp.gmail.com (or as appropriate if different for your gmail account)
  • Set the To as appropriate, and From as your gmail address, e.g. xyz@gmail.com
  • Enter an email Subject, e.g. Log file for %PROFILENAME%
  • Tick the Must login to email server checkbox
  • Enter your gmail address as the Username and enter your SyncBack Application Password as you Gmail Password
  • Go to the Log -> Advanced settings page
  • Select either Use STARTTLS command or Direct SSL/TLS connection
  • Make sure the Port setting is left as zero. This ensures that SyncBack will automatically choose the correct port number based on your settings.
  • Go to the Log -> Email Log settings page and click the Test Email Settings button to make sure the settings are correct

GMAIL OAUTH method


While it's possible to use application-specific passwords with Gmail, we recommend using the more secure OAuth method for better protection of your account. To set this up, you will first need to create a unique client ID and client secret, which are then used to authorize SyncBack with the Gmail server.