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Add Gmail to a mail app without an app password

5 October 2026 · searched as gmail app password not working

Gmail refuses your Google password in every mail app but its own, and app passwords need 2-Step Verification and a page most people never find. MailCode signs in with Google instead: no app password, and Google Calendar comes with the account.

How to do it

Open Settings ▸ Accounts and click + Add Account.
Choose Gmail — Sign in with Google, no app password.
Click 🔑 Sign in with Google. Google’s own sign-in opens — over MailCode on a Mac, in your browser on Windows. Sign in and allow access to Gmail and Calendar.
Back in MailCode the status reads Signed in as your address. Click Connect →.

MailCode: Add Account ▸ Gmail: sign in with Google, no app password. — Add Account ▸ Gmail: sign in with Google, no app password.

MailCode never sees your Google password; Google gives it a token for your mail and calendar, kept in your computer’s keychain. If you would rather use an app password, add the account under IMAP / SMTP — but Google lets an app password reach mail only, not the calendar. A Google Workspace account may need its administrator to allow the sign-in.

MailCode is a mail client for Mac and Windows that keeps your mail in a searchable archive on your own disk. Free for 14 days.

Mac App Store Download for Windows