Connect your work Gmail account to read customer mail and send replies from Email → Inbox in Cedros. Google continues to host the mailbox; this connection gives Cedros access to the account you authorize.
This guide applies to self-managed Cedros sites with the Google Workspace connection configured. The connection is not shown in the Cedros-managed interface. If you are still deciding where to host your mail, start with Choosing Cedros email or Google Workspace.
Before you connect
Have these ready:
- A working Google Workspace mailbox. Sign into Gmail and confirm the intended account can receive mail. Connecting Cedros does not create a Google mailbox or activate Gmail for your domain.
- Access to the correct Cedros site. You need permission to manage email provider settings. Being able to read the inbox does not necessarily let you connect or disconnect its provider.
- A configured Google connection. The person who manages your Cedros installation must have completed the Google app configuration for this site.
- Approval to connect the intended mailbox. This is the site's Google email connection, not a separate personal connection for every teammate. Decide which account the site should use and who should be able to work with its mail.
- Access to Google sign-in and verification. Be ready to complete any sign-in checks required by your organization. Allow the Google sign-in popup opened by Cedros.
If another Google account is already connected, stop and confirm whether it should be replaced. Do not disconnect a working shared connection just to add your own account.
Keep the domain's working Google mail-routing records in place. You do not need to change MX records to authorize Cedros to access an existing Gmail mailbox. Domain setup and moving mail hosting are separate tasks.
Open the Google Workspace connection
- In Cedros, open Settings → Site → Mail.
- Find the Google connection. If the mail setup flow is showing, expand Use Google Workspace instead. If the site already has native mail configured, expand Other mail providers.
- Find Google Workspace and read its status and any message above the controls.
- If the panel shows No account connected and a Connect button, continue with authorization below. If it already shows Connected, verify the displayed address before making any changes.
If the panel says the server has no Google app credentials, Connect is unavailable until the installation administrator finishes that setup. This is a site configuration issue; changing your Google password or adding DNS records will not resolve it.
If the panel is absent altogether, confirm that the site is self-managed and that your access includes the relevant settings. See Why can’t I see or edit a feature? for access and availability checks.
Authorize the intended Google account
- Select Connect in the Google Workspace panel. Cedros opens a separate Google sign-in window.
- Choose the work account this site should use. Read the full email address, especially if your browser has several Google accounts signed in. If necessary, choose another account in Google's account chooser.
- Complete Google's sign-in and verification steps in that window.
- Review the app identity and requested Gmail access. Confirm that the app is the one configured by your site's administrator and that the access is appropriate for the mailbox.
- If you approve the connection, complete Google's consent flow. Button wording can vary with the account and your organization's policy.
- Wait for the Cedros confirmation page headed Google Workspace connected. It says you can close the window and return to Cedros.
- Close that sign-in window, then return to the original Cedros settings tab. Closing it lets the panel refresh its connection status. Confirm Connected and the exact account address you intended to use.
The current connection requests Gmail access to read messages, send mail, and modify mailbox state. That last permission enables supported read, archive, trash, and other message-state changes to synchronize back to Gmail. This is broader than merely using Google to sign into Cedros. Google explains how sharing account access with another app works.
Your Google Workspace administrator may need to approve the app or its requested access. If Google blocks the app, requires administrator approval, or shows an unexpected app identity, pause and have the administrator review it using Google's app access controls. Do not grant unrelated permissions just to get past a warning.
If you cancel or deny access, the connection has not completed. Return to the panel, read the status, and start a new Connect attempt only when you are ready to authorize it. Do not reuse an old sign-in window after an expired or invalid authorization attempt.
Run a sync and test incoming mail
A successful authorization proves Cedros connected to Google. Verify actual mail separately:
- In the Google Workspace panel, select Sync now. Wait for the sync to finish and read the result. The panel can show a Synced date and time; check that it reflects your recent attempt and that no sync error is shown.
- From an independent email address you control, send a new message to the connected Google account. Use an easy-to-find subject such as “Cedros inbox connection test” and ordinary test text.
- Confirm that the message arrives in that account's Gmail inbox. If it does not arrive there, resolve receiving or routing in Google first.
- Return to Cedros and select Sync now again, then open Email → Inbox.
- Clear old searches and filters. If a mailbox picker is present, select the connected mailbox or All visible mailboxes, as appropriate for your access. Switch from Needs attention to All mail, or use Show all mail if the inbox says you are caught up.
- Find and open the test message. Check its sender, recipient, subject, and body against the message in Gmail. You can also use Search mail to find its distinctive subject.
A result of zero synchronized messages does not, by itself, prove a failure; there may be nothing new for that sync. A recent sync timestamp plus the fresh message appearing in Cedros is stronger evidence than a status badge alone.
The initial sync brings in a limited set of recent messages. It is not a full historical mailbox import or a backup. Do not use the number of messages from the first sync as proof that every folder and old conversation has been copied.
Test a reply and mailbox changes
Open the test message in Cedros and select Reply. Confirm the sending address is the connected Google account, write a short reply, and send it to the independent test address. Verify receipt there and check the displayed sender. A message appearing in Cedros's sent view is not a substitute for checking delivery at the recipient.
If you also need read or archive changes to match between Cedros and Gmail, test with this disposable conversation. Mark it unread or archive it in Cedros, then refresh Gmail and confirm the expected state. Restore it if you want to keep it in the inbox. Avoid using an important customer conversation or permanent deletion as a setup test.
If the connection panel says read, archive, and delete changes currently stay in Cedros, the account needs reconnection with Gmail write access before those changes can sync back. Ask the administrator to review that access. Even with permission granted, verify the result in Gmail if the two views disagree; a local change in Cedros alone does not prove Google accepted it.
Campaign and transactional email use separate sending configuration. Completing this inbox connection does not configure newsletters, receipts, or account-notification delivery. Use Setting up outgoing email delivery for those workflows.
Resolve a connection or sync problem
If a previously working connection has stopped, or you need to grant Gmail write access, follow Reconnecting Google Workspace when syncing stops. Start with the displayed status so you do not disconnect a working account unnecessarily.
| What you see | What to check next |
|---|---|
| No Google Workspace panel | Confirm that the site is self-managed, the Google connection is configured, and you can manage its settings. |
| Missing Google app configuration | Ask the installation administrator to configure the connection for this site's address. Repeated sign-in attempts will not fix this. |
| Google sign-in popup was blocked | Allow popups for your Cedros site, then start a fresh connection attempt. |
| Google denies access or shows an app setup error | Record the error text and ask the Google or site administrator to review the app configuration and account policy. Do not change mail-routing DNS to fix an authorization error. |
| Cedros remains on Connecting | Finish or close the sign-in window, then revisit the settings panel. Read any returned error before trying again. |
| Connected, but the address is wrong | Stop syncing and sending. Coordinate with the site administrator to disconnect that account and connect the intended one; this affects the site's connection. |
| Connected, but the test message is missing | Check Gmail first, then Sync now, the sync result, mailbox access, folders, and Focus or search filters. |
| Reconnect Required | The existing authorization needs attention. Reauthorize the intended account, then repeat the fresh-message and reply checks. |
Where push synchronization is configured, the panel may also show Push sync status and Renew push sync. Push setup is optional and is separate from the basic account authorization. Use Sync now for the initial test; ask your installation administrator to investigate a push-specific error rather than assuming a new Google sign-in will configure it.
The Disconnect button ends this site's Google connection. It does not cancel Google Workspace or change the domain's mail hosting. Disconnecting also should not be treated as deleting mail already synchronized into Cedros. Coordinate access and data-retention changes separately if you need to remove that data.
Confirm setup is complete
You are ready to use the connection when the panel shows the correct account as Connected, a recent sync has completed without error, a fresh message appears in Cedros, and a test reply reaches its recipient. Check mailbox-state synchronization too if your team relies on it.
If you need help, share the Cedros site, the expected account address, the displayed status or error, and which test failed. Include the approximate test time so your administrator can find the relevant activity. Keep passwords, authorization codes, and the full sign-in callback URL out of support messages.