

It’s available for Windows and macOS, and it’s free for personal use for up to two email accounts. This isn’t a program that’s been specifically designed for Gmail, like Kiwi or Mimestream, but it’s an excellent, all-round program that will capably handle your Gmail inbox and any of the other inboxes you want to plug into it. Download Mimestream for macOS, from $US4.99 a month after a free trial.You can try the app for free for 14 days, but after that you’ll need to sign up for one of the subscription plans. You can manage multiple Gmail accounts through the software, and there are some smart integrations with Google Contacts and Google Calendar as well.Īmong the extras offered by Mimestream, you’ll find automatic email tracking protection, as well as the option to see profile pictures from your Apple Contacts app rather than the Google Contacts app, if you prefer.

If there’s a feature that Gmail offers, from marking emails as less important to bringing back sent messages, chances are that Mimestream offers it. You get the same labels, filters, and keyboard shortcuts as you do in the web app, all wrapped in a clean and clutter-free interface that puts the focus on your conversation threads. Mimestream is a desktop email client that’s been built specifically with Gmail in mind - though it’s only available on macOS for now. On the Forwarding and POP/IMAP tab, make sure the Enable IMAP option is selected, then set the other options as you prefer (you can limit how many messages get synced to the desktop, for example). To make sure third-party email clients can get at your Gmail messages, open Gmail on the web, then click the cog icon (top right) and See all settings. Making use of one of them doesn’t mean you’re abandoning the web interface for Gmail, by the way - it’ll still be there if you need to go back to it. You’ll find several desktop clients out there for Windows and macOS that are designed with Gmail in mind, as well as others that are just generally very good at managing emails from any provider. Desktop Gmail frees up space inside your web browser, can mean a more distraction-free email experience, and might even benefit you in terms of managing incoming messages.


Gmail is a powerful and intuitive email client when it’s open and running inside a browser tab - but you can access your Gmail through a desktop app, too, and you might be better served doing it.
