Use Gmail Lab’s New Refresh Feature to Download POP Messages on Demand

The Gmail team recently announced the addition of a much requested feature in Gmail. Refresh POP accounts allows you to manually fetch emails from your POP accounts from the Refresh link located in the Inbox. You no longer have to run to Accounts and Import in the Settings menu to manually fetch your POP accounts. Now you can do it without ever leaving your Gmail Inbox.

The new feature is enabled via Gmail’s Labs in the Settings menu. The how-to below will show you how to access this menu and enable this great new feature. If only Gmail would allow you to specify the time interval between automatic fetching…Google are you listening?

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Note: I used Gmail with Chrome for this tutorial.

Enabling the Refresh POP Account Feature

1. Click on Settings.

2. When the Settings menu appears, click on the Labs tab.

3. Scroll down the Labs features list until you find the Refresh POP accounts and select the Enable radio button.

4. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click on the Save Changes button.

Return to your Gmail Inbox.

5. Click on the Refresh link to fetch your POP messages and to refresh the Inbox.

Note: You will notice that Fetching mail and a small animated icon will appear next to the Refresh link.