SMTP Setup
How to Connect Gmail / Google Workspace to GQ CRM (Step-by-Step)
Set up an App Password and connect your Gmail or Google Workspace address to GQ CRM over SMTP — including sending limits you need to know.
Published August 1, 2026
If you run cold outreach from a Gmail or Google Workspace address, you can send through it with GQ CRM — but Google requires an App Password for SMTP logins. This guide shows you how to create one and connect.
Sending limits to know first: Gmail (free) allows about 500 emails/day; Google Workspace allows 2,000 emails/day per account. For higher volume, connect an SMTP relay like Amazon SES or Mailgun instead.
1. Turn on 2-Step Verification
App Passwords only exist if 2-Step Verification is enabled on the account:
- Go to myaccount.google.com and sign in.
- Open Security → 2-Step Verification.
- Follow the prompts to enable it.
2. Create an App Password
- With 2-Step Verification on, open Security → 2-Step Verification → App passwords.
- Enter a name (e.g.
GQ CRM) and click Create. - Google shows a 16-character password like
abcd efgh ijkl mnop— copy it now; it won't be shown again. - Use this App Password as the SMTP password. Your normal account password will not work for SMTP.
Tip: If you don't see "App passwords", your account may be on an organization with restricted settings. Ask your Workspace admin to allow app passwords, or use a service account / SMTP relay instead.
3. Connect Gmail to GQ CRM
- Log in to GQ CRM and open Projects → your project → SMTP Configuration.
- Fill in the fields:
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| SMTP Host | smtp.gmail.com |
| Port | 587 (STARTTLS) or 465 (SSL) |
| Secure connection | On |
| Auth user | Your full Gmail/Workspace address (e.g. [email protected]) |
| Auth password | The 16-character App Password |
| From name | Your name or brand |
| From email | The same address as Auth user |
- Click Test connection.
- Save and send a test email to confirm.
4. Keep deliverability healthy
- Don't send more than ~50 emails per mailbox per day for cold outreach — Google's spam filters are aggressive. Use GQ CRM's per-task rate limits to pace delivery.
- Only send to recipients you verified — GQ CRM's built-in verification flags invalid, disposable, and duplicate addresses before they ever hit Google's filters.
- Warm up gradually — start at 10–20/day per mailbox and scale up over 2–4 weeks.
Troubleshooting
- "Username and Password not accepted" — you used your regular password instead of the App Password, or the App Password has a space in it (remove spaces).
- "Application-specific password required" — 2-Step Verification is off or app passwords are blocked for the account.
- 5.7.8 / "Too many login attempts" — Google temporarily blocked the account; wait 1–24 hours and slow the sending rate.
- Daily limit hit — 500 (Gmail) or 2,000 (Workspace). Connect a second mailbox or an SMTP relay.