Is Gmail really not allowing other clients?

Post date: 2026-06-04 12:37:59

We used to have multiple gmail accounts we accessed through Outlook. I've been trying to set up Thunderbird and Mailbird to get to Gmail, and it will not work, either by automatically adding an account or doing it manually. Is there a workaround?

I'm seeing really contradictory information from the clients, their forums, and from google, but not finding anything clear about this.
Mailbird is trying to use the following for Incoming Server:
Authentication: Google OAuth 2.0
Server type: IMAP
Server Name: imap.gmail.com Port: 993
Encryption SSL/TLS
The error screen is highlighting the server name, but also a popup that says: "please check: 1)server settings are correct 2) No firewall is blocking mailbird 3) Proxy settings are correct in Windows Internet Options

A lot of online advice is saying to enable IMAP in Gmail, but that appears to be always on as of late.

Actual technical advice would be welcome, and if it is no longer possible, we'll have to deal with it. I don't know why Google would not make this obvious.

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