Gmail SMTP Settings: Server, Port and App Password

Here are the Gmail SMTP settings you need to send mail from an app or a script, whether you’re on a personal @gmail.com account or Google Workspace. The settings themselves are simple. The part that trips people up is authentication, because Gmail no longer accepts your normal password over SMTP.

The settings

Setting	Value
SMTP server	smtp.gmail.com
Port	587 (STARTTLS) or 465 (SSL)
Encryption	STARTTLS on 587, SSL/TLS on 465
Username	your full Gmail address
Password	a 16-character app password (or OAuth 2.0)

Use port 587 unless your app specifically wants 465. Both are secure and both work.

Setting up an app password

Gmail retired “less secure app access” back in 2022, so you can’t just use your account password anymore. On a personal account with two-step verification on, you generate an app password:

1. Turn on 2-Step Verification in your Google Account under Security (if it isn’t already).
2. Go to Security, then App passwords (you can search “app passwords” in your account settings).
3. Create a new app password. Google shows you a 16-character code.
4. Use that code as your SMTP password. Enter it without the spaces.

Keep it somewhere safe, because Google only shows it once. If you lose it, delete it and generate a new one.

Higher volume: the Workspace relay

Google Workspace also offers smtp-relay.gmail.com on the same ports. It authenticates by IP address rather than a single user and allows a higher ceiling, up to around 10,000 recipients per user per day. It’s aimed at applications sending on behalf of your domain, and it needs setting up in the Google Admin console.

Fixing common Gmail SMTP errors

• “Username and Password not accepted”: you’re using your normal password. Generate and use an app password, or switch to OAuth.
• “Please log in via your web browser”: Google wants a browser sign-in, usually meaning OAuth is required for this account. Use the tool’s OAuth connect flow.
• Connection times out: the port is blocked or wrong. Try 587, then 465.
• Sending suddenly stops: you’ve hit the daily limit (around 2,000 messages). It resets on a rolling 24-hour basis.

Where SMTP stops being enough

These settings are perfect for sending from one Gmail account through an app. But cold outreach at volume is a different job. Pushing high volume through a single mailbox’s SMTP connection, especially cold, damages that inbox’s reputation quickly, and the ~2,000-a-day ceiling caps you well before serious scale.

For real outbound, you want several inboxes, warmed up and sending in rotation, not one Gmail account working flat out. HotHawk connects your Google inboxes over OAuth (no app passwords to juggle), warms them up on real inboxes, and uses inbox rotation to spread sending across all of them, so each stays healthy while your total reach climbs into the tens of thousands a day. A cold email sequencer runs the campaign and every reply arrives in one Master Inbox.

A few common questions

What is the SMTP server for Gmail? smtp.gmail.com, on port 587 with STARTTLS or port 465 with SSL. Your username is your full Gmail address.

Why won’t Gmail accept my password over SMTP? Because Gmail retired plain-password access in 2022. You need a 16-character app password (with two-step verification enabled) or OAuth 2.0 instead of your normal account password.

How do I get a Gmail app password? Turn on 2-Step Verification, then go to your Google Account under Security, App passwords, and generate one. Google shows the 16-character code once, so save it.

How many emails can I send through Gmail SMTP per day? The standard authenticated server allows around 2,000 messages a day. Google Workspace’s SMTP relay (smtp-relay.gmail.com) raises that to around 10,000 recipients per user per day.

For the same details on Microsoft, see the Outlook SMTP settings guide, and for a plain-English primer on how SMTP works, start with SMTP settings explained. If your goal is bulk sending, read how to send mass email in Gmail.