Gmail App for Windows 11 and the Best Gmail App for PC

Google does not make a Gmail app for Windows 11, and it never has. On a Windows PC your real choices are Gmail installed as a web app from Chrome or Edge, the new Outlook that ships with Windows 11, a paid Gmail wrapper such as Kiwi for Gmail, a desktop client such as eM Client, Mailbird or Thunderbird, or a browser unified inbox like ours. Which one is right depends on one question: is all of your mail Gmail, or only some of it?

If every address you use ends in gmail.com or sits on Google Workspace, you can stop after the next two sections. If you also carry a Yahoo address, an old internet provider address or mail on your own domain, the shortlist changes, and the table further down is the part to read.

Is there a Gmail app for Windows 11?

No. Google ships Gmail apps for Android and iPhone only. There is no Gmail listing in the Microsoft Store from Google, no installer on google.com and no announced plan for one. Any site offering a "Gmail for PC download" is offering either a web shortcut or somebody else's software, so check who publishes it before you install anything that will hold your mail.

What Windows 11 used to give you, the built-in Mail app, is gone as well. Microsoft ended support for Windows Mail, Calendar and People on December 31, 2024. The apps stopped sending and receiving on that date and were pulled from the Microsoft Store. A lot of older guides still tell you to open Mail and add a Google account. That advice no longer works, and it is why so many people land on this question in the first place. The full story is on our Windows Mail app replacement page.

How to install Gmail as an app on Windows 11

The closest thing to an official Gmail desktop app is the one you make yourself from the browser. It takes under a minute and costs nothing.

1. In Chrome, open mail.google.com, open the three dot menu, choose Cast, save, and share, then Install page as app.
2. In Edge, open mail.google.com, open the three dot menu, choose Apps, then Install this site as an app.
3. Pin the new Gmail icon to the taskbar. It opens in its own window without browser tabs and shows notifications like any other app.

This is a good answer for one Gmail account. It gets awkward at two. The installed web app is still Gmail in a browser, so a second account means switching accounts or opening a second window, and there is no single list showing the mail from both. Anything that is not Gmail cannot go in at all.

The best Gmail app for PC, compared

Seven options cover nearly everyone. Prices are the US list prices each vendor publishes, checked directly with the vendor. eM Client and Kiwi publish US dollar prices; Mailbird publishes its prices in euro.

New Outlook for Windows

New Outlook is already on most Windows 11 machines, it costs nothing to use without a Microsoft 365 subscription, and it connects a Gmail account with Google sign in. For a lot of people that settles it. Two catches are worth knowing before you commit. First, a Gmail or other non-Microsoft account added to new Outlook is synced through Microsoft's cloud, and the Windows version has no switch to decline that. Second, its combined All Accounts view only started reaching Windows in August 2026, and Microsoft has said the first release searches your primary account only. If you live in Microsoft 365 for work, new Outlook is the obvious pick. If your mail is mostly Google, it is a heavy way to read it.

Kiwi for Gmail

Kiwi is the closest thing to the Gmail desktop app Google never built. It runs Gmail, Calendar, Docs, Sheets, Slides and Meet in their own windows on Windows and Mac, keeps up to nine Gmail accounts apart without the sign-in conflicts a browser causes, and has a Do Not Disturb mode for the whole workspace. Its US pricing table lists Starter at $4 a month for 1 account, Pro at $6 for 3 and Power Pro at $8 for 9, all billed yearly, or $4.99, $8.99 and $12.99 month to month. The limit is in the name. Kiwi states in its own FAQ that it does not support other email providers. We compared it in detail on our Kiwi for Gmail alternative page, including where Kiwi is the better buy.

eM Client

eM Client is the most complete traditional desktop client on Windows, with mail, calendar, contacts and tasks in one window and a single folder tree across every account. It connects Gmail with Google sign in and any other mailbox over IMAP. The free tier allows 2 accounts for personal use. On the US price list, Personal is $39.95 a year covering 3 devices, or $59.95 once for one device. Read the license terms before buying the one-time version, because future major versions are a separate upgrade. Our eM Client comparison covers the price ladder in full.

Mailbird

Mailbird started as a Windows client and still feels most at home there. It has a real unified inbox, app integrations in a sidebar and a free tier for a single account. Premium is sold per user, billed yearly or as a one-time license, and Mailbird publishes those prices in euro, so the dollar figure you pay depends on the exchange rate at checkout.

Thunderbird

Thunderbird has a full Windows build, carries no license fee and merges any number of accounts through Unified Folders. It connects Gmail with OAuth or an app password. It looks plainer than the paid clients and asks you to build your own filters, but for a person who wants every mailbox in one place at no cost, it is the honest default.

Inboxes

Ours is the option for a different problem. It runs in the browser, so there is nothing to install and the same inbox opens on the office Windows PC, the laptop at home and a Chromebook on the road. It connects Gmail with an app password over IMAP and puts it on one board next to Yahoo, AOL, iCloud, your own domain and most US internet provider addresses. An AI model reads each new message as it arrives and files it under a category with a spam verdict, and archiving syncs back to the real mailbox. It costs more than every desktop client above, and it gives Gmail labels as folders rather than as labels. The full feature list is on the Gmail desktop app page.

Which Gmail app for Windows should you pick?

Match the app to the mail you actually have, not to the screenshots.

• One Gmail account, nothing else. Install Gmail as an app from Chrome or Edge. Paying for anything is overkill.
• Several Gmail or Workspace accounts and a day spent in Docs and Meet. Kiwi for Gmail. It is cheap, it is built for exactly this, and it keeps Gmail looking like Gmail.
• Microsoft 365 for work plus a personal Gmail. New Outlook, accepting that the Gmail account syncs through Microsoft.
• Gmail plus other providers on one Windows PC, and you want a calendar too. eM Client if you will pay, Thunderbird if you will not.
• Gmail plus other providers on several computers, and too much mail to sort by hand. A browser unified inbox such as Inboxes, which sorts every message before you open it.

The last group is bigger than it sounds. Plenty of small business owners still receive customer mail at a comcast.net, att.net or earthlink.net address they set up years ago, run the business on Gmail, and keep a personal iCloud address on top. For them, the question was never really which Gmail app to use. It was how to stop opening three of them. If the inbox is where customer requests arrive, the phone is usually the other half of the same problem, and an AI receptionist that answers business calls covers the calls you miss while you are working through email.

What changes for Gmail on Windows in 2026 and 2027

Two dates matter if you are choosing now.

Windows 10 consumer Extended Security Updates end on October 13, 2026. If you are reading this on a Windows 10 PC, the app you pick should also work on whatever machine replaces it. A desktop client means a fresh install and setup on the new PC; a browser-based inbox means signing in. We covered that decision on its own in our mail app for Windows 10 article.

In January 2027 Google removes Gmailify and POP fetching from Gmail, the features that let Gmail pull mail in from another provider's address. Many people use them precisely so that the Gmail web app, or an installed Gmail window on Windows, is the only thing they open. After that change, the other mailbox has to be read in its own app or alongside Gmail in a client that connects both directly. Google's own suggested route is a desktop email client connected over IMAP.

Questions people ask about Gmail on a Windows PC

Is there a Gmail app for Windows 10?

No. As on Windows 11, Google offers no Gmail app for Windows 10. You can install Gmail as a web app from Chrome or Edge, or use a third-party client such as eM Client, Thunderbird, Mailbird or Kiwi for Gmail. The old Windows Mail app no longer syncs, since Microsoft ended its support on December 31, 2024.

Can I download Gmail on my PC?

Not as a Google-made program. The nearest thing is installing mail.google.com as an app from Chrome or Edge, which gives Gmail its own window and taskbar icon. If you want a downloadable program, Kiwi for Gmail, eM Client, Mailbird and Thunderbird all install on Windows and connect a Gmail account.

Does Windows 11 have a Gmail app?

Windows 11 has no Gmail app, but it ships new Outlook for Windows, which can add a Gmail account with Google sign in. Bear in mind that new Outlook syncs non-Microsoft accounts through Microsoft's cloud, with no option on Windows to turn that off. If you want Gmail on its own, install it as a web app instead.

What is the best Gmail app for Windows with multiple accounts?

For several Gmail accounts only, Kiwi for Gmail, which manages up to nine on its top plan. For Gmail mixed with other providers on one PC, eM Client or Thunderbird, which merge every account into one list. For Gmail mixed with other providers across several computers, a browser unified inbox such as Inboxes, which also sorts the combined mail by AI.

Do I need an app password to use Gmail in another app?

It depends on the app. Clients that support Google sign in, such as new Outlook, eM Client and Thunderbird, do not need one. Apps that connect over plain IMAP, including Inboxes, need a Google app password, which requires 2-Step Verification on the Google account and can be revoked at any time. Our guide to app passwords walks through creating one.

If your mail is all Google, buy Kiwi or install the web app and be done. If it is not, see what a single board for every mailbox costs, and connect Gmail next to everything else.