The Mail app lets you access your Gmail account on Mac. If your Gmail isn’t working on Chrome, you can sign in and manage your email account using the default macOS Mail app. Sometimes users complain that they cannot access their Gmail account using the Mail app.
Some users fail to authenticate their Gmail account in Mail app on Mac. If you are also facing the same then we bring working solutions to fix Gmail login failed in Mail app on Mac.
1. Check your internet connection
Starting with a few basic solutions, we suggest running a speed test on your Mac to check the strength of your internet connection. If you have a dual-band Wi-Fi router, we suggest switching to a 5 GHz frequency band and sitting closer to the router. Try logging into your Gmail account again. If that doesn’t help, refer to the following solutions.
2. Verify email address and password
If you have multiple email accounts in the Mail app, sometimes you may be using the wrong Gmail account. Also check that the password you enter is correct.
3. Force quit and relaunch the Mail app
The next basic solution is to force quit and restart the Mail app to give it a fresh start on your Mac. This should help fix the problem and force you to log into your Gmail account.
Step 1: Click the Apple logo in the upper left corner of the menu bar.
2nd step: Select Force Quit.
Step 3: Select Mail from the list of options and click Force Quit at the bottom right.
Step 4: Relaunch the Mail app and try logging in again.
4. Enable IMAP access
IMAP or Internet Messaged Access Protocols allows you to download mail to your computer from servers and access it on mail clients such as the Mail app on your Mac. So you need to check if IMAP access has been enabled for Gmail.
Step 1: Open the Gmail website in your Mac’s browser.
2nd step: Sign into your account.
Step 3: Click the Settings icon in the upper right corner.
Step 4: Click See all settings.
Step 5: Click Forward and POP/IMAP in the top menu bar.
Step 6: Scroll down and click Enable IMAP.
Step 7: Scroll down and click Save Changes.
Step 8: Open the Mail app and check if the issue is resolved.
5. Enable Access for Less Secure Apps
Your Google Account suggests limiting email access for less secure apps. Your Google account may have deemed the Mail app on your Mac less secure. Here is how you can check and fix the same. Note that this option will not be available for accounts with Two-factor authentication alight.
Step 1: Open the Google Account page in a browser on your Mac and sign in to your Google account.
2nd step: On the Google account page, click the profile icon in the upper right corner.
Step 3: Click on Manage your Google Account.
Step 4: Click Security in the left menu.
Step 5: Scroll down and click Less secure app access.
Step 6: Enable the toggle next to “Allow less secure apps” to enable the feature, if it’s disabled.
Step 7: Close the browser window and open the Mail app to check if the issue is resolved.
6. Switch to Safari as your default browser
Whenever you log into your email account using the Mail app, the authentication process takes place in your browser. If you are not using Safari as your default browser, you can try to fix the Gmail connection error in the Mail app. Here’s how.
Step 1: Press Command + Spacebar to open Spotlight Search, type System settings, and press Return.
2nd step: Scroll down and click on Desktop and Dock.
Step 3: Scroll down and click the drop-down menu next to Default browser.
Step 4: Select Safari.
Step 5: Close the window and check in the Mail app if the issue is resolved.
7. Use Safe Mode
Safe Mode on Mac fixes any issues with system apps like the Mail app. Your Mac will prevent third-party apps from loading in Safe Mode to check if it’s the whole system or a particular program that’s causing trouble. You can read our article to learn how to use Safe Mode on Mac.
8. Update the messaging app
Finally, you can update the Mail app version by updating macOS. This should help by removing any bugs or glitches in the Mail app that are causing this Gmail login failure on your Mac.
Step 1: Press Command + Spacebar to open Spotlight Search, type Check for software updates, and press Return.
2nd step: If an update is available, download and install it.
Step 3: After your Mac restarts, launch the Mail app and check if the issue is resolved.
Use Gmail on Mac
These solutions should fix the Gmail login failed issue with the Mail app on Mac. You can also read our article if Apple Mail search isn’t working on your Mac.
