Connecting TrekMail to Gmail

You can use Gmail as your client to read and reply to TrekMail-hosted email. There are two routes depending on whether you're on mobile or web — and they have very different capabilities. The mobile app supports IMAP fully; the web interface has significant limitations because Google removed IMAP fetching from "Check mail from other accounts" years ago.

The two paths at a glance

If you want a full Gmail-like experience for managing your TrekMail email, use the mobile app — even on your phone. If you specifically need it inside the Gmail web interface, follow the workaround below.

Option 1 — Gmail Mobile (recommended)

This is the cleanest path. The Gmail app on iOS and Android speaks IMAP correctly.

1. Open the Gmail app.
2. Tap your avatar (top right) → Add another account → Other.
3. Enter your TrekMail email address (e.g. alice@yourcompany.com).
4. Tap Next → select Personal (IMAP).
5. Enter your mailbox password (the password for this mailbox — not your TrekMail dashboard password).
6. Incoming Server Settings:
   • Username: your full email
   • Password: as entered above
   • Server: imap.trekmail.net
   • Port (if asked): 993
   • Security type: SSL/TLS
7. Outgoing Server Settings:
   • Username: your full email
   • Password: as entered above
   • Server: smtp.trekmail.net
   • Port: 465 (SSL/TLS) or 587 (STARTTLS)
   • Security: matching the port choice
8. Tap Next → review account options → Next → finish.

Your TrekMail account now appears as a separate inbox in the Gmail app's sidebar. Switching between this and your real Gmail account is one tap.

Gmail Mobile-specific tips

• Notifications — Gmail Mobile uses Google's push notifications for Gmail accounts. For IMAP accounts (including TrekMail), it polls IMAP IDLE — slightly higher battery cost. Limit watched folders to Inbox + a few.
• Sent folder — Gmail Mobile saves sent messages in TrekMail's Sent folder automatically (uses IMAP SPECIAL-USE).
• Conversations / threading — Gmail's conversation view works with IMAP accounts; threads are computed locally from Message-ID / References headers.

Option 2 — Gmail Web (Desktop)

Gmail.com has a "Send mail as" feature for outbound and used to have IMAP-based "Check mail from other accounts" for inbound — but Google removed IMAP fetch in 2024. Today, Gmail web only supports POP3 for fetching from other accounts.

Since TrekMail does not support POP3 (we're IMAP-only for inbound), the only way to receive TrekMail in Gmail web is forwarding at the TrekMail side.

So Gmail Web is a two-step setup:

Step A — Send from your TrekMail address (SMTP)

This makes "From: alice@yourcompany.com" available in the Gmail compose dropdown.

1. In Gmail.com: Settings (gear icon) → See all settings → Accounts and Import.
2. Under Send mail as, click Add another email address.
3. A popup opens. Fill in:
   • Name — how it appears in the From line.
   • Email — your TrekMail email address.
   • Treat as an alias — usually uncheck. If checked, replies from this address use the address. If unchecked, the From address is purely cosmetic.
4. Click Next Step.
5. SMTP Server: smtp.trekmail.net
6. Port: 465 (SSL recommended)
7. Username: your full email (e.g. alice@yourcompany.com)
8. Password: your mailbox password
9. Security: Secured connection using SSL (since port 465)
10. Click Add Account.
11. Gmail sends a verification email to your TrekMail address. Open TrekMail webmail or your phone's Gmail app, find the email, and click the confirmation link (or copy the verification code back to Gmail's setup popup).
12. Done. You can now select your TrekMail address from the From dropdown when composing.

Step B — Receive TrekMail email into Gmail (forwarding)

Since Gmail web can't fetch via IMAP, we set up TrekMail-side forwarding instead:

1. In TrekMail: Mailboxes → open the mailbox → Forwarding tab.
2. Add your Gmail address as a forwarding destination.
3. Decide whether to Keep a copy on TrekMail's side. Recommended YES — it gives you a backup, and you can still use TrekMail webmail/mobile as needed.
4. Save.

Forwarding requires a Starter, Pro, or Agency plan. Nano accounts can't set up forwarding from the dashboard.

From now on, TrekMail forwards every incoming mail to your Gmail. Inside Gmail web, you read and reply normally — when you reply, set the From to your TrekMail address (Step A) so the reply appears to come from alice@yourcompany.com, not you@gmail.com.

Limitations of the Gmail Web approach

• No two-way sync. When you read a forwarded message in Gmail, the original on TrekMail stays marked unread. If you also use TrekMail webmail or the mobile app, you'll see the same message marked unread there. (Marking as read in Gmail doesn't propagate back to TrekMail.)
• No folders. All forwarded mail lands in Gmail's Inbox. The original TrekMail folder structure isn't preserved.
• Replies from Gmail work but the conversation thread on Gmail's side won't include the messages already in your TrekMail Sent folder.
• Two copies of every email. One on Gmail (forwarded), one on TrekMail (the "keep a copy" original). If you reach Gmail's storage cap, switch off "Keep a copy" or upgrade Gmail storage.

If these limitations don't work for you, switch to Gmail Mobile (Option 1) which gives full two-way sync.

What you should NOT do

• Don't enable "Check mail from other accounts" in Gmail web pointing at TrekMail. Google's only option there is POP3. TrekMail doesn't support POP3, so the connection will fail. The verification step itself usually completes but no mail ever fetches. Don't waste time on this path.
• Don't use the Gmail "Import contacts and mail" tool for ongoing mail. That's a one-time migration import (POP-based), not a sync.

Common problems

"Authentication failed" when adding the Send mail as account

• You typed the username wrong — Gmail wants your full TrekMail address as the username, not just the local part.
• You typed your TrekMail dashboard password instead of the mailbox password. Different secrets.
• The mailbox password contains a special character that Gmail's setup form is mishandling — try changing the mailbox password to something simpler (alphanumeric + a couple of symbols) and retry.

Gmail says "Verification email never arrived"

• TrekMail's outbound looks fine; check your TrekMail mailbox via webmail. The verification email is in Inbox or Spam.
• If you've enabled forwarding (Step B) BEFORE doing Send mail as (Step A), the verification email may forward to your Gmail before you click the link from TrekMail. Open your Gmail inbox — it's in there. Use the verification link or code in the email.

"TrekMail mailbox shows messages I've already read in Gmail"

That's the no-back-sync limitation of the forwarding approach. Switch to Gmail Mobile for two-way IMAP sync, or use TrekMail webmail directly.

"I forwarded everything to Gmail, but now my TrekMail storage is filling up"

You enabled forwarding with "Keep a copy" ON, so every email is stored on both TrekMail and Gmail. Either turn off "Keep a copy" (forwarding without retention) or move old mail to Trash periodically on TrekMail.

"Sometimes Gmail sends from my @gmail.com address instead of @yourcompany.com"

Gmail web's compose interface uses whatever "From" was last selected. After replying to an @gmail.com thread, the next compose might default back to Gmail. Pick the right From explicitly each time — or set your TrekMail address as the default "Send mail as" account in Gmail's settings.