Tech & Innovation

How Do I Sync Google Workspace with Outlook?

How Do I Sync Google Workspace with Outlook?
Photo: Canva

Google Workspace is a great, free way to stay organized and productive. But what if you also use Outlook for work? How can you make sure your calendars and email are in sync? In this post, we’ll show you how to sync Google Workspace with Outlook.

Well, Google provides an effective solution that helps users to sync Google Workspace with Outlook. You can now combine both platforms using the GWSMO tool. This tutorial will walk you through the detailed procedure to set up Google workspace in MS Outlook. It will help to foster productivity and collaboration between Google workspace and Microsoft 365 users.

What Is GWSMO?

Google Workspace Sync for Microsoft Outlook ( aka GWSMO) is a free desktop utility provided by Google itself. This advanced utility allows you to set up Google Workspace email in Outlook without using the IMAP and POP methods. By default, it uses Port 443, which is a standard TCP port for HTTPS domains.

GWSMO tool allows you to synchronize emails, calendars, contacts, etc., between Google workspace and Outlook applications. However, this utility doesn’t work for everyone as it relies on MAPI (Messaging Application Program Interface) protocol. It means that it only works on Windows OS that supports MAPI protocol. Also, it demands to fulfill the other setup requirements for the GWSMO tool to sync Google Workspace with Outlook using the GWSMO utility.

Setup Requirements for GWSMO Tool

Following are the minimum requirements to smoothly run the Google Workspace Sync for Microsoft Outlook (GWSMO) tool:

  • You have all the admin credentials of your Google Workspace account.
  • It requires one of the following operating systems to run this utility.
    • Windows 10 (32-bit or 64-bit)
    • Windows 8 (32-bit or 64-bit)
    • Windows 7 (32-bit or 64-bit)
    • Windows Vista SP1 (32-bit or 64-bit)
  • Download and install the GWSMO tool on the same computer/laptop where you use the Outlook desktop application.
  • GWSMO only works with the following Outlook versions.
    • Outlook 2019, 2016, and 2013 (32-bit and 64-bit)
    • Outlook 2010 (32-bit or 64-bit) — requires this Microsoft hotfix
    • Microsoft Outlook 2007 with Office SP2
    • Microsoft Outlook 2007 with Office SP1 — requires this Microsoft hotfix
    • Microsoft Outlook 2003 with Office SP3
  • You need to set your default profile in Outlook that you want to sync with your Google workspace account.

After fulfilling the above requirements, you can make the required changes in your Google Admin Console that will allow you to sync Google Workspace with Outlook. Using the Admin console, users can also migrate Google workspace email to Office 365 admin center if they want to switch from G Suite to Microsoft 365 cloud-based environment.

See Also: 12 Gmail Alternatives – Most Secure Email Providers

Prepare Google Workspace Account to Add Google Workspace Email to Outlook

You need to check out a few settings in your Google workspace account to sync Google Workspace with Outlook using the GWSMO utility.

  1. Sign in to the Admin Console of your Google workspace account. Then, select the Apps option.
  2. Now, click on Google Workspace to check the status of all the native apps.
  3. Here, ensure that the service status for various apps, like Gmail, Contacts, Calendar, Drive, etc., are ON for everyone.
  4. Then, go to Settings for Gmail and navigate to End User Access. Here, check on Enable Google Workspace Sync for Microsoft Outlook option.
  5. At last, go to Security, select the Less Secure Apps option and choose the option to Allow users to manage their access to less secure apps.

How to Sync Google Workspace with Outlook Using GWSMO?

After preparing your Google workspace account, you can start setting up Google Workspace in Outlook using the GWSMO tool. First, download the Google Workspace Sync for Microsoft Outlook tool. Then, perform the following steps to accomplish the task.

  1. Open the GWSMO tool and enter your Google workspace credentials.
  2. Now, it shows the associate account. Click on the account name to confirm the selection.
  3. After that, GWSMO utility wants your permission to access your Google Account. Tap on the Allow button to grant access.
  4. In the end, it shows the confirmation message. Now, you can switch to the Google Workspace Sync for Microsoft Outlook application.
  5. Now, check the option to import data from an existing profile. From the dropdown option, select Outlook.
  6. You can also specify the items that you want to sync with Outlook. Then, click on the Create Profile option to start the migration.
  7. The synchronization process will begin, and your data starts syncing with Microsoft Outlook.

Once the process is completed, you can start Microsoft Outlook to verify the process to sync Google Workspace with Outlook. GWSMO tool is an initiative by Google which allows users to set up Google Workspace email in Outlook. After adding your Google workspace email in Outlook, you can easily export your Google workspace email to PST.

There are two different approaches to accomplishing this task. Either select the manual approach, or you can perform it using an advanced Google Workspace backup software. However, according to experts, the software approach helps users to eliminate the chances of data loss.

Now, coming back to the topic, this Google Workspace Sync for Microsoft Outlook has a downside that prevents it from working properly. Therefore, experts suggest exporting Google workspace email to PST format that can easily import into your Outlook profile.

Disadvantages of Using the GWSMO Tool

From the above discussion, it is clear that setting up Google workspace in Outlook requires some technical knowledge. The process is executable if you follow the above steps carefully.

No doubt that Google puts its best effort into the GWSMO tool to combine both platforms. However, you might face the following synchronization issues with Google workspace sync for Microsoft Outlook (GWSMO).

  • Your calendar invitations do not sync properly, in case the invitation mail contains a winmail.dat attachment.
  • Sometimes, users select an unlimited mailbox size in GWSMO. It causes your local PST file to reach its maximum limit. Thus, it causes a synchronization error and prevents GWSMO from syncing with your workspace.
  • If your message contains multiple labels in Gmail, then Outlook will create each corresponding folder for every label. It ultimately increases the size of your local PST file.
  • GWSMO utility doesn’t send .exe, .eml, .msg, etc. file attachments.
  • You will get the operation failed error when you configure GWSMO and Exchange Server account in the same Outlook profile. So, always create a separate profile for both of them.

Also Read: 10 Best 10MinuteMail Alternatives

Conclusion

GWSMO is an effective solution for users who can’t sync Google Workspace with Outlook manually. It utilizes the functionality of both Google and Microsoft Outlook and enables users to set up Google Workspace email in Outlook. We hope this article delivered the best information about GWSMO and how to add Google Workspace email to Outlook without affecting data integrity.

To Top