Best desktop e-mail client for Windows 7?

[xKratosx]

Hi all,

After using iMail and Sparrow on my girlfriend's Macbook, and even iCloud's online web interface, I'm after something a little nicer to view my Gmail messages in!

I've got absolutely loads of emails to sort through, so need something really simple to use, with an intuitive and simple interface... I've tried Windows Live Mail and it isn't brilliant (find it clunky/slow, considering it's a desktop app) and Thunderbird just feels really quite out-dated with a kinda ugly interface.

Any recommendations would be very much appreciated, thank you!

[Xilo]

I use Windows Live Mail for 3 accounts... Never seemed clunky or slow to me... You could try Outlook.

If you have that much mail to sort through, why don't you set up rules/filters/etc?

[rajputwarrior]

^ outlook is terrible with gmail IMAP. gmail IMAP doesn't fully conform to standards so a lot of email programs have problems with it. Outlook for whatever reason, had to download EVERY message on gmail, headers and the mssages itself, including the attachments, whenever i try to set it up. Plus it hangs sometimes on me when it's trying to receive a message. so annoying. I wish outlook and gmail played together better.

Hi all,

After using iMail and Sparrow on my girlfriend's Macbook, and even iCloud's online web interface, I'm after something a little nicer to view my Gmail messages in!

I've got absolutely loads of emails to sort through, so need something really simple to use, with an intuitive and simple interface... I've tried Windows Live Mail and it isn't brilliant (find it clunky/slow, considering it's a desktop app) and Thunderbird just feels really quite out-dated with a kinda ugly interface.

Any recommendations would be very much appreciated, thank you!

there's nothing like Mail and Sparrow for windows :( i stick with gmail online UI. best i've used so far on windows.

[Max Norris]

There was another thread asking the same thing just the other day -- http://www.neowin.ne...nt-for-windows/

Most seemed to be favoring Outlook 2010, myself included. I hear you on T-Bird, they really need to get their act together on the interface. For me, not so much that it's fugly (which it is, but can be skinned) but the interface itself.. tabs or popups, jeez pick one and stick with it. It's horribly inconsistent across the board and not terribly intuitive, took a nosedive after v2.

[xKratosx]

Yup after reading the site I had big hopes for the latest Thunderbird, but was very let down after a little while of using it.

Outlook 2010... meh, I use that every day at work and sadly find it quite horrific, it's such a shame there's no good e-mail client on Windows!

I have never actually tried Windows Live Mail with Gmail, but will do so now, I don't have very high hopes though sadly!

Thanks again

[Inertia]

Outlook 2010 for me :-)

[Reacon]

+1 more for Windows Live Mail.

You just need to give it a proper chance to explore all the corners of the software. It's really quite elegant and un-clunky as you get used to it. Outlook 2010 might give you a better experience, but it's not exactly free in legal circumstances.

I use WLM currently for all of my RSS feeds and two email accounts (hotmail and custom domain gmail). Gmail was a little odd to set up, so I'll give you the information:

Incoming: pop.gmail.com

Outgoing: smtp.gmail.com

Incoming port: 995 (check use SSL)

Outgoing port: 465 (check use SSL)

Check the box that says "Outgoing mail server requires authentication" in properties.

Hope it works for you.

Only quirk that I've had in using it daily is that Windows for some awful reason does not remember the window size and position when I set it by dragging it around. However, when you right click it on the title bar (top of the window), and click resize, it remembers the next time I start it up.

[migo]

PostBox Express is the most efficient app I've ever used.

http://www.postbox-inc.com/express_features

[Fraud OS 11]

Duplicate thread of: https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/1033513-best-email-client-for-windows/? Anyways Outlook's HTML rendering engine is based on Word 2010 whereas Live Mail/Windows Mail's engine is the one IE9/IE10 installs.

[PGHammer]

^ outlook is terrible with gmail IMAP. gmail IMAP doesn't fully conform to standards so a lot of email programs have problems with it. Outlook for whatever reason, had to download EVERY message on gmail, headers and the mssages itself, including the attachments, whenever i try to set it up. Plus it hangs sometimes on me when it's trying to receive a message. so annoying. I wish outlook and gmail played together better.

there's nothing like Mail and Sparrow for windows :( i stick with gmail online UI. best i've used so far on windows.

Then you have obviously not tried Outlook 2010 with GMail.

While Outlook 2007 did have issues dealing with GMail's odd IMAP settings, Outlook 2010 (even x64) does not - in fact, it configured itself automatically to use IMAP with GMail (which Outlook 2007 could not do).

[jesseinsf]

+1 more for Windows Live Mail.

You just need to give it a proper chance to explore all the corners of the software. It's really quite elegant and un-clunky as you get used to it. Outlook 2010 might give you a better experience, but it's not exactly free in legal circumstances.

I use WLM currently for all of my RSS feeds and two email accounts (hotmail and custom domain gmail). Gmail was a little odd to set up, so I'll give you the information:

Incoming: pop.gmail.com

Outgoing: smtp.gmail.com

Incoming port: 995 (check use SSL)

Outgoing port: 465 (check use SSL)

Check the box that says "Outgoing mail server requires authentication" in properties.

Hope it works for you.

Only quirk that I've had in using it daily is that Windows for some awful reason does not remember the window size and position when I set it by dragging it around. However, when you right click it on the title bar (top of the window), and click resize, it remembers the next time I start it up.

Windows Live mail Auto sets up gmail.

[caerma]

Outlook 2010 (Y)

[rajputwarrior]

Then you have obviously not tried Outlook 2010 with GMail.

While Outlook 2007 did have issues dealing with GMail's odd IMAP settings, Outlook 2010 (even x64) does not - in fact, it configured itself automatically to use IMAP with GMail (which Outlook 2007 could not do).

i have. it doesn't sync your contacts either like sparrow and mac mail.

[c3ntury]

Outlook 2010 for me :-)

This, brilliant program for email. Just a pity about GMail not working awfully well with it.

[Meena Bassem]

well, i think you should give inbox2 a try

[xKratosx]

Huge thanks for the replies guys, some great suggestions! Like eM client since it syncs contacts and calendar too, and has chat, but the interface of WLM is maybe a little nicer, decisions decisions...!

Outlook 2010 using the Word 2010 rendering engine is a deal breaker for me too, have sent mailouts at work and it's a nightmare!

(edit) Inbox2 seems to be iPad only, unless I'm missing something...?

[articuno1au]

The 2010 renderer isn't an issue.

I get thousands of emails in HTML and they all load and look fine. Performance is good as well :)

Outlook is one of Microsoft's "**** all you other guys" products. They know they own this market and they don't plan on letting go >.<

[Jan Veteran]

Inbox2 is quite nice.

[Amarok]

I've been using Postbox the last couple of weeks. It seems pretty nice so far. Before that I was using WLM.

[~Johnny]

(edit) Inbox2 seems to be iPad only, unless I'm missing something...?

They never quite finished the desktop version (I remember using it a few years back...) but here's a link to it - https://github.com/waseems/inbox2_desktop

[Innuendo]

If you don't mind laying out a little coin, two programs I have found to be highly regarded by some are PocoMail at http://www.pocomail.com and The Bat! at http://www.ritlabs.com.

Outlook is like using a cannon to kill a flea if you don't need its non-email capabilities.

[migo]

They never quite finished the desktop version (I remember using it a few years back...) but here's a link to it - https://github.com/w.../inbox2_desktop

Thanks, gonna try it out. I suppose since the source is there it's possible that someone else could finish it.

[xKratosx]

Huge thanks again, not keen on laying out any cash right now when the programs don't seem an awful lot better than the free ones, but thank you :)

Trying inbox2 now, thanks for the download link! It really looks stunning, love it.

(if not, then it's back to eM Client / Windows Live Mail for me!)

[xKratosx]

Inbox2 is absolutely useless for my needs unfortunately, if you delete something from there for example, it doesn't instantly push to Gmail's server, or indeed push to their server at all anyway that I could see...

So for example I can delete something from Windows Live Mail, and check eM client and see it dissapear just a couple of seconds later. No such luck in Inbox2... it seems to download all of the messages as if it was like POP only

[vanx]

PostBox Express is the most efficient app I've ever used.

http://www.postbox-i...xpress_features

I am using a trial, but Hotmail folders do not load at all. Any advice? Cheers :)

[Sarm]

Outlook 2010 with Gmail Apps (pro version, not the free Gmail) = BEST email solution ever, and I own a fleet of my own servers but still prefer the Gmail system.

It uses MAPI, not IMAP.

For commercial mailings, I do it in HTML and import it into Outlook, thus bypassing WORD rendering, and sending out compatible HTML/CSS emails.