Connecting your Gmail account to SalesSheet.ai unlocks powerful features: automatic email syncing, contact importing, AI email drafting, and conversation tracking. This integration is secure, uses Google's official OAuth system, and gives you complete control over what data is synced.
Before You Start
- A Gmail or Google Workspace account
- Access to authorize third-party apps (check with IT if using corporate Google Workspace)
- Admin permissions in your SalesSheet.ai account
- About 2 minutes to complete the connection process
Navigate to Integrations Settings
From your SalesSheet.ai dashboard, click on Settings in the left sidebar. This opens your account settings panel with various configuration options.
In the settings menu, select Integrations. You'll see a list of available integrations including Gmail, Outlook, Calendar, and other third-party services. The integrations page shows both connected and available integrations.
Look for the Gmail integration card. It displays the Gmail logo and a brief description of what the integration enables. If you haven't connected yet, you'll see a blue "Connect Gmail" button.
Click Connect Gmail and Choose Your Account
Click the Connect Gmail button. A new window will pop up showing Google's official authorization screen. This is a secure OAuth flow managed entirely by Google - SalesSheet never sees your Google password.
If you're already signed into Google in your browser, you'll see a list of your Google accounts. Select the Gmail account you want to connect to SalesSheet.ai. This should be the email address you use for business communications and customer interactions.
If you're not signed in, you'll be prompted to enter your Gmail address and password. After signing in, you'll proceed to the permission authorization screen.
Important: If you use Google Workspace (formerly G Suite) with your company domain, make sure SalesSheet.ai isn't blocked by your IT administrator. Some organizations restrict third-party app access for security reasons. Contact your IT department if you encounter an error message about restricted access.
Authorize SalesSheet with Google Permissions
Google will display a permissions screen showing what access SalesSheet.ai is requesting. Read these permissions carefully to understand what data SalesSheet can access:
- Read, compose, send, and permanently delete email: Allows SalesSheet to sync your emails, send messages on your behalf, and manage email through the CRM
- See and download contacts: Enables importing your Gmail contacts into SalesSheet
- View your email address and profile info: Used to identify your account and display your name in the interface
These permissions are standard for email CRM integrations and necessary for full functionality. SalesSheet.ai uses enterprise-grade security to protect your data and only accesses information needed for CRM features.
Click Allow to grant permissions and complete the connection. If you click "Deny" or close the window, the connection won't be established and you'll need to start over.
After authorizing, the popup window will close automatically and you'll return to the SalesSheet.ai integrations page.
Configure Your Sync Options
Once connected, the Gmail integration card will update to show "Connected" with a green checkmark. You'll now see additional options to configure how your Gmail syncs with SalesSheet.ai.
Click Configure Sync Settings to customize your integration:
Email Sync Direction: Choose whether to sync all emails, only sent emails, or only emails with existing contacts. We recommend "Sync with existing contacts only" to keep your CRM focused on customer communications.
Sync Historical Emails: Decide how far back to sync past emails. Options include 7 days, 30 days, 90 days, 1 year, or all time. For most users, 30-90 days provides a good balance of context without overwhelming the system. Note that syncing "all time" on accounts with years of email may take several hours.
Auto-create Contacts: Enable this to automatically create contact records when you email someone new. If disabled, emails only sync for people already in your CRM.
Sync Frequency: Choose how often SalesSheet checks for new emails (real-time, every 5 minutes, every 15 minutes, or hourly). Real-time is best for active sales reps.
Email Signature: Optionally enable SalesSheet to append a professional signature to emails sent through the platform. You can customize this signature with your contact info, company branding, and social links.
Click Save Sync Settings when you're finished. The initial sync will begin immediately and may take a few minutes depending on your email volume and how far back you're syncing.
Pro Tip: Use Labels for Smarter Syncing
If you want more control over which emails sync to SalesSheet, create a Gmail label like "CRM" or "Customers" and configure SalesSheet to only sync emails with that label. This keeps your CRM focused on sales-relevant communications and prevents personal or internal emails from cluttering your contact records. You can set up Gmail filters to auto-apply labels based on sender, subject, or other criteria.
What Happens After Connecting Gmail
Once your Gmail is connected and the initial sync completes, you'll experience these benefits:
- Automatic Email Logging: All emails with customers and prospects automatically appear in their contact records - no manual copying or forwarding needed
- Send from SalesSheet: Compose and send emails directly from the CRM interface using your Gmail account
- AI Email Drafts: Use AI to write professional emails based on context from previous conversations
- Thread Tracking: Full email conversations sync with proper threading, making it easy to follow customer communications
- Contact Import: Import contacts from Gmail with one click (see related article)
- Attachment Access: View email attachments directly in contact timelines
- Calendar Integration: Automatically sync Google Calendar meetings and invites
You can disconnect Gmail at any time from Settings > Integrations. Disconnecting stops future syncing but preserves emails already logged in SalesSheet. You can also temporarily pause syncing without fully disconnecting.
Troubleshooting
I get an error saying "Access blocked" from Google
This typically happens with Google Workspace accounts where IT administrators have restricted third-party app access. Contact your IT department and ask them to whitelist SalesSheet.ai as an approved application. Provide them with our OAuth client ID and security documentation (available at salessheets.ai/security). Alternatively, if you have a personal Gmail account, you can connect that instead for sales purposes.
My emails aren't syncing or sync is very slow
First, check Settings > Integrations > Gmail to confirm the connection shows "Active" status. If you selected "all time" for historical sync and have years of email, the initial sync can take several hours - this is normal. For slow ongoing sync, try changing sync frequency to "real-time" in sync settings. Ensure you haven't exceeded Gmail's API rate limits by connecting the same account to multiple services. Try disconnecting and reconnecting if issues persist.
Emails are syncing but not appearing in contact records
Check your sync settings - if "Sync with existing contacts only" is enabled, emails only appear for people already in your CRM. Either create contact records for those people first, or enable "Auto-create contacts" in sync settings. Also verify that the email addresses in your contacts exactly match the addresses in the email thread (extra spaces or typos prevent matching).
Can I connect multiple Gmail accounts?
Yes! If you manage multiple email addresses or have separate accounts for different purposes, you can connect multiple Gmail accounts to SalesSheet. Go to Settings > Integrations and click "Add Another Gmail Account." Each connected account can have independent sync settings. When composing emails from SalesSheet, you can choose which account to send from.
How do I disconnect or remove Gmail integration?
Go to Settings > Integrations, find the Gmail card, and click "Disconnect." Confirm the action when prompted. This stops all future syncing and revokes SalesSheet's access to your Gmail account. Emails already synced to SalesSheet will remain in contact records. If you want to completely remove all synced data, contact support for a full data deletion.