How to: Sync Emails between your Blackberry and Outlook
When I started my home business, I had no way of checking my email unless I was physically at home. This worked for about a year, but after not responding to some important emails in a timely fashion, I knew I had to change something.
In came my first Blackberry Curve.
I loved it, and it was a breeze to setup using the setup wizard that came on the device. The only problem, I noticed, was that there was no easy way to sync emails between my Outlook 2003 (insert your desktop client here) and my Blackberry. Actually I read on many forums that it was virtually impossible without a BES server.
Blackberry apparently only allows you to sync your tasks, calendar and contacts though the Desktop Manager – nothing else. The important thing to me were to have the emails synced, but forum after forum, I found people telling me it couldn’t be done.
Moving to Gmail
I lived with the fact that my Blackberry had no idea what my Outlook was doing and vice versa for almost 5 months until I was forced to move my whole email setup from GoDaddy’s servers into Google Apps because of GoDaddy’s horrible email limitations.
Moving my admin @ cagintranet.com email address was pretty simple using Google Apps for Business. It is a free service, and all it took was setting up a couple new CNAME entries within GoDaddy’s domain control panel (which Google had tutorials walking me through the whole process).
Outlook Setup
Setting up Outlook was pretty easy too, and I originally settled on connecting to my new Gmail account via regular old POP3 access, but later switched it to IMAP. I did this because by using IMAP, I was able to keep what I did in Outlook synced with what Gmail saw. If I moved an email into a folder within Outlook, it was moved into a corresponding “label” within Gmail. When I sent an email, it was placed in my Outlook’s Sent Itmes folder as well as the Sent Items in Gmail. Anyway, you get the hint, so after taking the next hour or so moving all my old emails from Outlook into my new Gmail account, I was ready to reset up my Blackberry to connect to Google’s servers.
Disclaimer: You can use any desktop client (Mail, Thunderbird, etc.) to interface between Gmail and your computer – I have Outlook, which is why I used it in this example.
Blackberry Setup
Because I switched email servers, I had to go into the “Personal Email Set Up” icon on my Blackberry and delete the admin @ cagintranet account that was already there.
Using the default setup wizard when adding a new account to the Blackberry, uses the POP3 connection protocol. POP3 is fine, but it is what was stopping me from having any sort of two-way email sync with Outlook. I decided to poke around the internet for an alternative, and lo and behold, I found a Google article detailing the steps needed to setup a Blackberry via IMAP.
The steps in that article are a little long (22 in all), but they were easy to follow and the outcome was perfect. I now have my Outlook desktop client syncing with my Gmail account which also syncs with my Blackberry – all in harmonium. I realize that this only helps a select few of you out there, but I thought it could be helpful enough that I wanted to post it here.
December 1st, 2008 @ 7:40 pm
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! This article was a lifesaver!
December 12th, 2008 @ 1:03 pm
Quick Question…if you DELETE an email from Outlook, does it also delete on your Blackberry? That is the one issue that I need to solve. Thanks!
December 14th, 2008 @ 12:05 am
@Matt – I think so…. haha, I am honestly not sure once you mention it. I know that if it does, it takes some time…
December 30th, 2008 @ 12:53 pm
Thanks for a great post…. I had a question; were you able to also set it up to automatically synchronize your calendar and contacts? Or did you have to continue using Blackberry’s desktop program (Desktop Manager) to do so?
Mahi
December 31st, 2008 @ 6:51 am
@Mahi – I still use the desktop manager for that, but I don’t really use calendar, so to tell you the truth, I haven’t really looked into it.
January 13th, 2009 @ 6:14 pm
Thanks for this – a great help to me and my new Blackberry Bold! Followed your directions and MOST everything works like a champ , Outlook seems to be in perfect synch with gmail and when i delete an email from blackberry it deletes from gmail and outlook client. Cannot get it to work other direction (i.e. delete in outlook and ultimately deletes off Blackberry) Am i doing something wrong?
Thanks again!
January 15th, 2009 @ 4:17 pm
Todd. I’m in the same boat with you. I’ve searched so many help forums looking for a solution to no avail. Deleting from g-mail should sync with the Blackberry via IMAP, but mine doesn’t work either. (I use AT&T BIS) I spent 90 minutes on the phone crawling up the blackberry technical support hierarchy. In the end they said they could only help if I could get someone from Google. Well Google doesn’t formally support the blackberry IMAP interfce. So I was SOL. I’m using the Mobile G-mail app now just because of this, but would prefer the native BB interface. If you have any luck finding a solution or finding out who you have to pay, please post it!
January 17th, 2009 @ 7:12 pm
Can I do this on my BB curve 8330? I can’t see that Icon Personal Email Setup or BlackBerry set up icon I only have Enterprise Server account setup. Any suggestions? Thanks.
January 20th, 2009 @ 2:39 pm
I’m trying to sync my Outlook email with my Curve WITHOUT having a data plan with AT&T (in other words, it’s not real time). Will these instructions allow that? Like Jacob, I’m also not able to find that “Personal Email Setup” icon anywhere.
January 26th, 2009 @ 1:51 pm
Ok I need some help. I have a Black Berry Storm and I have setup my Gmail account, but when I open an email on my BB it does not sync to my gmail account. How can I set it up to when I open it in my BB it’s shows to have been opened in my Gmail account?
January 29th, 2009 @ 12:52 pm
Todd, RXF & Jim – These are problems that I have too. I haven’t found a way around them yet, but it is still better than the original alternative of using POP3 access instead.
Jacob & John – I have no idea how to circumvent the BB data plan.
February 10th, 2009 @ 1:55 pm
Like most of you, if only the blackberry would offer true imap syncing it would really put the icing on the cake. Its crazy that it doesn’t do this ‘I’ve read it on my gmail, so please BIS please sync with the gmail imap server and update the blackberry as the message being read’… Seems like a bug to me, afterall what is imap about??
Pani
February 23rd, 2009 @ 9:38 pm
Dude, you are awesome. I think this is the first comment I have ever posted anywhere ever. I don’t think many people out there actually use this sync between Gmail, Outlook and Blackberry but it is freakin’ incredible once you have it going. Thanks a lot man.
February 23rd, 2009 @ 10:58 pm
Matt, I am privileged – and I am happy I helped.
As you can see from the comments above, there is still a little work to be done to make everything fully working together, but right now it is the best solution and I don’t mind its shortcomings… too much!
March 11th, 2009 @ 4:01 pm
the”personal email setup” is not on my 8320? all I have is the “set up wizard” wich will only set up via an exchange server? is this article about email sync similar to windows mobile without data plan?
April 5th, 2009 @ 5:13 am
Everything works for my blackberry with one exception: sent e-mails.
The e-mails sent from my blackberry do not show up in the sent items folder of my IMAP account.
An y advice how can i make thsi work ?. thanks
May 28th, 2009 @ 9:50 pm
Thanks so much for your help! It has me headed in the right direction but I could use a little more clarification. I obviously do not know as much about email as I need in order to make this work.
I am using Outlook ’07 with my Yahoo! email address and would like this to sync with my Blackberry Curve 8330. I’m not sure exactly which steps to follow.
Any guidance would be greatly appreciated :-)
Thanks!
June 26th, 2009 @ 5:14 am
I’ve just been asked to look into this by a small business here in UK. (I write small business software.)
It seems the high-fallutin’ way of solving this is to install BlackBerry Enterprise Server and that will act as a go-between for companies with say an Exchange server.
However, I really like your way Chris and my SUGGESTION FOR SOLVING SYNC ISSUES between sent/deleted items is this. Use Outlook for calendar, contacts, tasks etc. Use Microsoft’s “Windows Live Mail” for email. It’s free, no more difficult to set up than Outlook and updates your folders so that whatever you do within it is reflected at the next send/receive. All changes you carry out on your Blackberry are synchronised next time you open Live Mail on your PC. Easy-peasy.
If you struggle to get hold of “Live Mail” drop me a line through my website. (Hey, I’m doing Microsoft’s work for them!)
July 8th, 2009 @ 1:59 pm
Thank you so much for your post on this – I searched everywhere!
The ONE problem I am having is with folders (I am a newbie GTDer and trying to get the hang of this!). I have folders (basically sub-inboxes) set up in Outlook which basically every incoming email gets put into – @Sent, Need to Act On, Holding for Future Events, @ Waiting For, etc. I have these set up for both my personal gmail and my gmail-apps account for work. (Each account shows up separately in Outlook 2007 & on the Blackberry 8800) These folders then show up as labels in both of my separate gmail accounts. HOWEVER, the sub-inboxes are not showing up on my blackberry making it so that I can’t file the emails on my blackberry.
Big picture, not that big a deal, but….. it would be great if all 3 systems were identical for ease of use. Otherwise I’ll just end up scanning emails on blackberry to have to really handle them in Outlook when I get back to my laptop. Any suggestions?
Thanks,
Katie
July 14th, 2009 @ 9:19 am
Hi – can anyone help – i have a blackberry curve and cant work out how to sync my sent items back to outlook – i use desktop manager but it doesnt copy my sent items from blackberry to outlook – any answers ?
July 24th, 2009 @ 8:09 am
Hi Chris,
Very much a Blackberry newbee… and just want to know a couple things. Do I need to have BES in order for this to work.
What I am basically trying to do is any emails that come to 3-4 email addresses, I would like to come to my outlook and my blackberry. If I answer a message on my blackberry, read a message or delete a message. I would like that to reflect the same in Outlook and visa versa…
Setting up a Gmail account and setting my blackberry to my gmail account should work correct as is…and not have BES or an Exchange server.. is this correct?
July 31st, 2009 @ 9:05 pm
@Many – a BES is a “Blackberry Enterprise Server” which only large companies have. This writeup is a way to get the same type of service (if your you’re used to that type of thing).
@All – I do see the same problem where if I delete an email out of Outlook it doesn’t move off the BB or vice versa. But there are times I do… i can’t explain why it works sometimes, and it doesn’t others…
@Katie – I see the same problem with my subfolders. I cant seem them on my BB either.
@Bill – I have gmail do all the combining of my other email addresses. I have them all go to one central email account and then both my Outlook and BB are setup to only access that one central account.
August 20th, 2009 @ 3:34 am
Thank a lot Chris… You are a life saver. Let me know how can I help you ..
I think we are all greatful and willing to do anything to help in your business..
August 27th, 2009 @ 3:10 pm
I have the BBS (or blackberry storm) and I have the gmail APP installed I think that the GAMIL APP work better then the IMAP,POP account
and I also have google sync app on my bbs which Synchronize my contacts, and Synchronize my calendar(S) on google and my bbs and I have more then one google Calendar in my gmail account account or google account and it lets me pick which calendar I want to Sync I can one or the other or both
if you want to found out more about google sync here is a link
http://www.google.com/mobile/products/sync.html#p=default
I hope this help you all out here!!!
December 7th, 2009 @ 8:37 pm
HI! not sure if you can help, but I’m desperate and can’t find any one with answers! Do you know how to sync the info from your blackberry to your desktop? I deleted my entire calendar, but it is all current on my blackberry. Any suggestions? I’m on vista with a blackberry curve.
THANKS for trying!!
DD
December 14th, 2009 @ 4:38 pm
I’m going to use the BCC in Email Settings on my berry, pretend my e-mail is jp@gmail.com… I’m going to set auto BCC to jp@googlemail.com… then I’m going to set up a rule in Outlook that says if a note comes from jp@gmail.com that it should move it automatically into my sent folder.
I looked around and I couldn’t find the 22 step IMAP thing online anymore. I used the above solution like 6 years ago and it worked. I’m about to do it now but I think it will work as a stop gap solution.
December 15th, 2009 @ 8:08 pm
[...] tricky but I found a useful workaround: How to Sync Emails between your Blackberry and Outlook. <open in new window> | <open in current window> « How to Connect Globally With [...]
December 28th, 2009 @ 9:36 am
Can I use desktop manager to physically sync calendar and tasks without BES? The verizon rep said I needed BES but my company does not have BES so I don’t see why I need it.
December 28th, 2009 @ 9:45 am
I don’t see the 22 steps here. Have they been removed?
December 28th, 2009 @ 10:23 am
@Wayne – just updated it with the new link – looks like G change it on us…
@BLJ – I’ve never tried this, but Google Sync looks like it might be able to help you – http://www.google.com/mobile/products/sync.html
January 7th, 2010 @ 9:54 am
Hey Chris,
Here’s a good for you. I work for a construction company and at the site there is no internet connection. I still want to upload my emails from my Blackberry and sync them with my outlook. I have tried setting this up but it still does not work. I can get it to update my calendar but not my inbox. Your thoughts? Does it have anything to do with using the Advanced Security features with windows?
Thanks
January 25th, 2010 @ 11:21 am
Hi, I just received my BB9000 for biz purposes. When receiving emails, it seems that it only receives it either in oulook OR on the BB.
Also, with the sync process you describe here, can the receiver see that your email comes through a gmail account? cause that wouldnt look very professional to clients.. Thanks!
January 25th, 2010 @ 4:57 pm
@Sjoerd – You are using Gmail as the backend, but not for their @gmail.com address. This is a business account so you supply your own domain name. Mine is admin@cagintranet.com – it uses this process – and all my clients or friends see is that address.
March 8th, 2010 @ 3:29 am
Sjoerd – You need to check option of “Leave a copy on server” in outlook than you will be able to receive emails on both BB and outlook.
May 9th, 2010 @ 11:08 am
For problem on deleting email – on the blackberry – messages – email reconciliation – Delete on – Mailbox and Handheld (or you wanted to change to delete on handheld only)
Wireless Reconcile – On
On confilicts – Mailbox Wins
hope this helps
May 19th, 2010 @ 10:09 pm
Great post – would be a live saver for BIS users.
I have a question, though, before starting setting it up: does this way of syncing allow you to see the personal folders in Gmail or the linked account, along with old emails in the inbox?
June 2nd, 2010 @ 11:29 pm
Jace: it appears that calendar & tasks will sync between Outlook and BB only when Wireless Reconcile is turned off, any take on this?
My company has BES, mails deleted from my BB will be sync to my Outlook, but not the other way round, anything i’m missing here?
June 9th, 2010 @ 5:05 pm
At one point I was able to make the choice to either delete email messages on just my Blackberry device, or to delete on both the Blackberry and my laptop. Now, for some reason, I am only able to delete each individually. Why do you think that is, and how can I change it back to be able to actually use the choice that pops up?
June 17th, 2010 @ 1:53 pm
Unable to sync my road runner outlook to BB curve 8300. Can’t remember how I did it with my other curve 8300. So frustrating!
July 7th, 2010 @ 2:19 pm
Ming,
“…calendar & tasks will sync between Outlook and BB only when Wireless Reconcile is turned off, any take on this?”
This is not a true statement as you are using BES.
“My company has BES, mails deleted from my BB will be sync to my Outlook, but not the other way round, anything i’m missing here?”
For this one I will quote Jace -
“For problem on deleting email – on the blackberry – messages – email reconciliation – Delete on – Mailbox and Handheld (or you wanted to change to delete on handheld only)
Wireless Reconcile – On
On confilicts – Mailbox Wins”
You should be able to find the settings by hitting the BlackBerry menu – while in your BB Mail application – then you should find the preferences mentioned above – and choose, Delete on – choose Mailbox and Handheld.
If things do not synchronize, you may need to remove your Outlook profile from your computer and re-add it – or perhaps better ask your Administrator for assistance.
Best of Luck,
Ron
July 30th, 2010 @ 8:08 am
Hey i have the blackberry curve 8250.
i’ve had it a few months and 2 start with my emails were fine then afta a while i was only receiving my junk mail and now i’m not recieving anything. it’s from my hotmail account so the only way i can read them is if i go on a computer.
i’m really stuck i’ve searched everywere but i’m not really gd wiv all this so i would really appriciate it if some 1 could help me
September 2nd, 2010 @ 3:08 am
Sometimes I receive a gmail email in outlook and on Bold at the same time, read the outlook email before it just disappears-I discovered it actually goes to the All Mail folder-which is good to know. I disabled the pop in gmail settings but it made it worse? So i put it back to imap and pop in the gmail settings.
Bit annoying…
September 3rd, 2010 @ 8:15 am
Hi
My employer uses Outlook with BES.
I have a BB Storm2 with Edge data plan (No BIS/BES).
1. How do I configure my BB to Login to my outlook email acct to receive my email on my BB?
2. How do I synch up my calendar & company contacts with outlook wout BES?
3. I couldn;t find any icon on BB to configure email. Am I missing something? Am running OS 5.x
Pl advice with step by step soln.
Thanks in adv
September 10th, 2010 @ 8:02 am
Once you are on the google apps for business ($50 per year) use your newly found enterprise server to load the free version of Blackberry’s Enterprise Server. You will then be able to sync all your outlook functions.
October 26th, 2010 @ 5:02 pm
i just got a blackberry curve . i bought it off my friend , so it already had an email in it . can you please tell me how to delete her email adress & put mine in ?
November 15th, 2010 @ 2:28 pm
PLEASE HELP! I sent some very important responses to e-mails via my blackberry but I don’t know how to access the responses. I can’t find them on my BB or my home computer. Any ideas?
February 21st, 2011 @ 8:52 pm
Found a very simple way to do this with changing your service provider, user LogicMail for Blackberry, its a very simple App for Blackberry that allows you to Sync you IMAP.
March 18th, 2011 @ 4:02 am
Hi,
I just got a Blackberry Bold 9780 and the IMAP thing for Gmail is not working on it.
Any idea how you can help me st it up.