GMail allows you to use IMAP to access your email using the Mac Mail application. This means that your emails will be synced between your Mac and the GMail servers, so if you read, delete or move an email, the changes will be visible if you log in using another computer.

First you must enable IMAP access in the Gmail settings. Go to your Gmail inbox at http://www.gmail.com and click the Settings link in the top right. Go to the Forwarding and POP/IMAP tab, Enable IMAP, then click Save Changes.

Now switch to Mail and choose “Add Account” from the File menu. Type in your name, email address and email password, then click Create. Mail should do the rest of the work for you, and create your account.

If you want to modify an existing account, these are the settings to use:

Account Type: IMAP
Description: Gmail (or something similar)
Full Name: Your Name
Email Address: Your GMail address
Incoming Mail Server: imap.gmail.com
User Name: Your GMail address
Password: Your Gmail Password Make sure Use Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) is checked.

For the outgoing mail server:

Server Name: smtp.gmail.com
User Name: Your GMail address
Password: Your Gmail Password
Make sure Use Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) is checked.