Use Outlook & other providers

You can use Shortwave with Outlook, Exchange, Fastmail, and many other providers by linking your existing inbox to a Gmail account.

Supported providers

Most non-Gmail accounts can be linked to Shortwave, including the following:

• Outlook
• Exchange
• Fastmail
• Zoho
• Yahoo
• AOL
• Any other provider that supports POP3

iCloud Mail accounts do not support POP and cannot be linked at this time.

How linking works

To access your email in Shortwave, you need to link your existing non-Gmail account to a Gmail address. Linking your account allows you to sync your email history and send emails from your non-Gmail address using an email alias.

If you do not have a Gmail address — You can create a free Gmail account to act as your bridge to Shortwave. This new account is just an intermediate step in the process, so the new email address you choose is inconsequential – your existing address will be shown as the sender / recipient of any emails sent through Shortwave.

If you already have a Gmail address — You can link your account to your existing Gmail or Google Workspace address. Doing this will combine emails from both accounts in a unified inbox. If you prefer to keep your inboxes separated, refer to the section above to create a free Gmail account.

How to link your account

1. On your computer, sign in to an existing Gmail account or create a new one for free to serve as your Shortwave link

2. Open your Gmail Accounts settings page

3. Under Check email from other accounts, click Add a mail account

4. Enter your email address → Next

5. Select your connection process → Next

   • Link with Gmailify – select this option if available to you (Outlook, Yahoo, AOL, and some select providers)
   • Import POP3 – for Exchange and other POP addresses, this will be the only available option

6. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the process

   💡 Tip — Use the following settings for Exchange accounts

   • Username: your full email (example@domian.com)
   • Password: your Exchange password
   • POP Server: outlook.office365.com
   • Port: 995
   • ✅ Always use a secure connection
   • ✅ Label incoming messages

   For other POP3 accounts, ask your Administrator for these settings

7. From your Gmail Accounts settings page, update your alias preferences under Send mail as:

   • Click “make default” to the right of your non-Gmail address
   • Select “Reply from the same address the message was sent to”

8. Sign in to Shortwave using your linked Gmail account

Sync and troubleshooting

Shortwave automatically keeps things in sync with Gmail, and Gmail keeps everything in sync with your existing accounts (Outlook, etc). For more information, you can see how Gmail + Outlook sync works here.

If you encounter issues when linking your account:

• Ensure you have POP access enabled in your non-Gmail account
• Refer to this troubleshooting guide
• If Gmail does not automatically import your historical emails, follow these steps import your old emails manually