Google Mail question

Early this year I started using Google Mail to monitor my three busiest email addresses. It’s a system that has been working well, allowing me to respond to emails during the day if required. Essentially I’m using Google Mail as a temporary “email checker”.

This system has a downside though.

I’ve got Google Mail set to leave the emails on the server, as there are some emails I want to be able to store on my home PC, but there are many others that will just be deleted.

So, what I really want is to be able to delete emails in Google Mail, and have the deletions reflected on the mail server. That way, when I go home at night, I only need to download the emails I want to store.

Make sense? If it does make sense, is it possible?

Of course the easiest thing would be for me to just use Google Mail fulltime. I could easily setup a new mailbox for any emails that simply HAVE to be stored locally (things like House Insurance claims and whatnot, I’d want them locally so I can still access them if I lose my internet connection), so there is a workable solution there.

I fear I may have answered my own question, but any other thoughts, suggestions or considerations are, as ever, more than welcomed.

The fact that Google has just opened access to Google Mail for everyone (no more invites required) is purely coincidental.

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Long time blogger, Father of Jack, geek of many things, random photographer and writer of nonsense.

Doing my best to find a balance.

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6 comments

There was something on Lifehacker this week about backing up a Google Mail account using POP3 access. I would suggest using gmail as the ‘principal’ store, and then set your PC to download a backup of emails from there.

Not sure you can do what you want, unless there are some clever plugins (for Thunderbird, for example) that can help.

Sounds like what you really want is for your three email accounts to offer IMAP, and then set up both your home and work email clients (Outlook at work, IIRC) to access via IMAP.

That would be ideal David yes.

But looks like I might have to go the way Richard suggests..

Oh, my – you sound very busy and important with your three email accounts! I mainly use my work one – which I can also access from home – and always forget to check the one I set up for my blog.

Google Mail has taken to posting your blogposts twice. Strange no-one else noticed. How pedantic am I?

Cat – our Gordon IS very busy and important.

You mean Google Reader Peter??

Hmmm no idea why it would do that, I’ll look into it though, thanks.

And I’m not THAT busy, and certainly not important at all.

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