Email Software for Windows or Mac

Mozilla Thunderbird:

IT recommends accessing email at gmail.com, but understands that desktop clients can offer some features which are not available in a web version. In these cases, IT supports Mozilla Thunderbird as a desktop email client.

To setup Mozilla Thunderbird, follow the instructions below, which applies to either Mac or Windows:

  1. Mozilla Thunderbird is free software and can be downloaded from Mozilla’s website.
     
  2. Open the Thunderbird application. 
     
  3. Enter your existing St.Olaf email and password and choose whether or not to allow Thunderbird to remember your password. Select Continue:

    Enter your St. Olaf email address and password.

     
  4. Select IMAP (remote folders). Under this heading, ensure that the below information is entered in correctly. Substitute your St. Olaf username for username.
    Incoming: IMAP, imap.gmail.com, SSL
    Outgoing: SMTP, smtp.gmail.com, SSL
    Username: username@stolaf.edu
    Select IMAP.

     
  5. Select Done.
     
  6. A new window (hosted by Google) will appear, asking you to enter your St. Olaf credentials. Enter your email address and select NEXT:

    Enter your St. Olaf email address.

     
  7. Enter your St. Olaf password and select NEXT.
     
  8. You will be prompted for your Google 2-step. 
     
  9. Google will ask for permission to allow Mozilla Thunderbird Email to read, send, delete and manage your email. Select ALLOW.
     
  10. You will be logged in and ready to use Thunderbird.
     

Other types of e-mail software:

The following basic settings can be used to configure your e-mail software of choice. NOTE: Substitute your St. Olaf username for username in the examples below.

Your e-mail address: username@stolaf.edu
Incoming Mail Server: imap.gmail.com
(notice there is no @ in this address, it’s all periods)
Incoming Server Type: IMAP — very important!
Outgoing (SMTP) Mail Server smtp.gmail.com
Outgoing (SMTP) Mail Server Port: 587
Incoming User Name: username@stolaf.edu
Outgoing User Name: username@stolaf.edu
Security Settings or Protocol: STARTTLS