Connecting Gmail, step by step

Google is still reviewing Inbox OCD. Until it finishes, Google shows an extra warning screen when you connect Gmail. This is temporary and goes away once Google's review is done. It takes about a minute, and this page walks you through every screen.

Before you start

You need a Standard license key (Gmail + Outlook). It's shown on the page you land on after buying. Outlook-only licenses can add Gmail later for the difference.
Use a personal Gmail account. Work and school Google accounts are often set by their admin to block apps Google hasn't finished reviewing.
One Gmail address per license while Google limits new Gmail users. Pick the one you want to clean up.
Download Inbox OCD only from inboxocd.com.

1. Unlock Gmail in the app

Open Inbox OCD.
Click Using Gmail? Unlock it, or go to Settings → Plan → Enter license key.
Paste your license key and click Unlock. The Connect Gmail button appears.

2. Sign in on Google's own page

Click Connect Gmail. Your web browser opens.
Check the address bar. It must start with https://accounts.google.com. If it doesn't, close the page.
Pick your Gmail account, or sign in. Your password goes only to Google. Inbox OCD never sees it.

3. Get past "Google hasn't verified this app"

This is the temporary screen. Google shows it for every app still going through its review, not just ours.

Check that the screen names Inbox OCD. If it names any other app, stop.
Click the small Advanced link near the bottom left. (Don't click "Back to safety". That cancels.)
Click Go to Inbox OCD (unsafe). "Unsafe" is Google's standard label for apps it hasn't finished reviewing. It doesn't mean Google found a problem.

4. Tick every permission box

Google now lists what Inbox OCD is asking for, each with its own checkbox. Tick every box (or "Select all"), then click Continue. If you leave a box empty, that part of the app won't work and the app will ask you again.

Read and change your email: so Inbox OCD can show your mail, label it, move it to Trash and run your rules. It can't permanently delete anything with this.
Your Gmail settings and filters: so the screener and rules can create real Gmail filters when you ask them to.
Your calendar events: for the Calendar view and adding events.
Your "Other contacts" (read only): so it can tell people you've emailed apart from strangers.
Your name and email address: so the app knows which account is connected.

Google's exact wording can differ a little from the list above.

5. Back to the app

Your browser shows a "Signed in" page. You can close it.
Go back to Inbox OCD. Your Gmail starts loading.

Later: Delete forever asks once more. The first time you use Delete forever or empty Trash, Google asks for one extra permission (to permanently delete email). You'll see the same "hasn't verified" screen, so repeat step 3. Only approve it if you want that feature. Everything else works without it.

Your login and your email stay yours

We never see your password. You sign in on Google's own page.
Your mailbox key stays on your computer, locked with your Mac's Keychain or Windows' built-in encryption.
Your emails and your Gmail sign-in never reach our servers, and no AI reads your mail. There's no Inbox OCD database of emails or logins to break into.
You can cut access any time at myaccount.google.com/permissions.
Best protection for any email account: turn on 2-Step Verification in your Google account.

If something goes wrong

"Access blocked" or "This app is blocked": usually a work or school account whose admin blocks apps still in review. Use a personal Gmail account.
No Connect Gmail button: unlock Gmail with your Standard license key first (step 1).
The app says this license already has a Gmail account: each license connects one Gmail address for now. Use the address you connected first, or email us.
The browser didn't open, or nothing happened after Continue: go back to the app and click Connect Gmail again.
Part of the app says it needs permission: a box was left unticked. Connect Gmail again and tick every box.

Still stuck? Email [email protected]. Never send your password or screenshots of your emails.