How to Set Up a POP3 Email Account in Gmail

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Access all your business emails directly from your Gmail inbox

If you use a custom email address like info@yourdomain.co.za but prefer Gmail’s interface and reliability, you can easily connect your mailbox using Gmail’s POP3 feature.

This lets you receive and send emails from your domain-based address — all inside Gmail — without logging into your hosting provider’s webmail.

☑️ What You’ll Need Before You Start

Make sure you have the following details ready:

Your full email address (e.g. info@yourdomain.co.za)
Your email password
Your incoming mail (POP3) server (e.g. mail.yourdomain.co.za)
Your outgoing mail (SMTP) server (e.g. mail.yourdomain.co.za)
The port numbers — usually:
- POP3: 995 (with SSL)
- SMTP: 465 or 587 (with SSL or TLS)

You can find these details inside your hosting control panel (like cPanel) or by contacting your hosting provider.

🧭 Step-by-Step: Adding a POP3 Email Account to Gmail

Step 1: Open Gmail Settings

Log into your Gmail account.
Click the ⚙️ gear icon at the top-right corner.
Choose See all settings.
Go to the Accounts and Import tab.

Step 2: Add Your POP3 Email

Under “Check mail from other accounts”, click Add a mail account.
A small window will pop up — enter your full email address (e.g. info@yourdomain.co.za) and click Next.
Select Import emails from my other account (POP3), then click Next.

Step 3: Enter Your Mail Server Settings

Fill in the following details:

Username: Your full email address
Password: Your email password
POP Server: mail.yourdomain.co.za
Port: 995
✅ Tick: “Always use a secure connection (SSL) when retrieving mail”
✅ (Optional) Tick: “Leave a copy of retrieved message on the server” if you also access mail elsewhere (like Outlook or mobile).
✅ (Optional) Tick: “Label incoming messages” to keep track of which account the emails came from.

Click Add Account to continue.

Step 4: Set Up Outgoing Mail (SMTP)

After adding the POP3 part, Gmail will ask if you want to send mail as your custom address.
Choose Yes, and follow these steps:

Enter your name as you want it to appear on sent emails.
Choose “Send through yourdomain.co.za SMTP server”.
Fill in the following:
- SMTP Server: mail.yourdomain.co.za
- Username: Your full email address
- Password: Your email password
- Port: 465 (SSL) or 587 (TLS)
Select “Secured connection using SSL” or “TLS”, depending on your server settings.
Click Add Account.

Gmail will send a verification email to your domain address.
Open your webmail or email app, find the Gmail verification message, and click the confirmation link — or copy the code back into Gmail.

✅ Done! Your Domain Mail is Now in Gmail

Once verified, Gmail will start fetching your domain emails automatically.
You can send and receive emails as info@yourdomain.co.za — all within your Gmail inbox.

Incoming messages will arrive with your chosen label, and you can reply using your domain address without switching accounts.

💡 Optional: Organize Your Domain Mail

Go to Settings → Labels to color-code your imported email account.
Use Filters to route messages to folders or skip the inbox.
You can manage up to 5 POP3 accounts in one Gmail inbox.

🧰 Troubleshooting Tips

If you encounter issues:

Double-check your username and password (it must be the full email address).
Verify that SSL is enabled and the correct ports (995 / 465 / 587) are used.
Ensure POP3 access is allowed in your hosting control panel.
Some providers use different mail servers (like pop.yourdomain.co.za or smtp.yourdomain.co.za).