Connect Gmail

Blockjay connects to your Gmail mailbox over IMAP to filter spam. You connect with a one-off app password — it works only with Blockjay, you can revoke it any time, and your normal Google password is never shared. It takes about two minutes.

What you’ll need

A Google Account with 2-Step Verification turned on. App passwords aren’t available without it. (Google Workspace accounts may have app passwords disabled by an admin — if so, ask your admin to enable them.)

Before you start: 2-Step Verification

Most people already have it on. To check, open myaccount.google.com/security and look for 2-Step Verification. If it’s off, turn it on first — then come back here.

Don’t use your normal password

Your everyday Google password will be rejected by mail apps. You must create an app password using the steps below.

Open Google’s App passwords page

Go to myaccount.google.com/apppasswords. You may be asked to sign in again. If the page says app passwords aren’t available, your account doesn’t have 2-Step Verification on (or a Workspace admin has disabled them).

Google App passwords page with the App name field — Google’s App passwords page — type a name in the “App name” field

Name it “Blockjay” and create it

Type a name you’ll recognise later — Blockjay — and select Create.

Screenshot: Typing the app name Blockjay and selecting Create

Typing the app name Blockjay and selecting Create

Copy the password Google shows you

Google shows a 16-character password in four groups, like abcd efgh ijkl mnop. Copy it — the spaces are fine to include.

You can’t see it again

Google only shows an app password once. If you lose it, just create another and delete the old one — it costs nothing.

Google showing the generated 16-character app password (blurred) — Google shows the password once — copy it (yours is blurred here)

Paste it into Blockjay

In Blockjay, start connecting your mailbox, enter your Gmail address, choose Set up with an app password, and paste it when prompted. Blockjay checks the connection straight away, so you’ll know immediately that it worked. New mailboxes start in monitor mode — Blockjay sorts spam without removing anything until you switch to enforce.

Connect your Gmail mailbox →

Screenshot: The Blockjay connect step with the app password pasted in

The Blockjay connect step with the app password pasted in

Troubleshooting

“That sign-in was rejected.” You almost certainly entered your normal Google password. Create an app password (steps above) and paste that instead.

No “App passwords” option. Turn on 2-Step Verification first. On Google Workspace, an admin may have disabled app passwords — ask your admin to enable them.

Scanning stopped after a while. App passwords can be revoked from your Google Account, which pauses Blockjay. Create a new one, then in Blockjay open Settings → Connected mailboxes and choose Reconnect to paste it in — no need to remove the mailbox.

Frequently asked

Is this safe? Yes. An app password only grants mail access to Blockjay and can be revoked at any time from your Google Account. Blockjay stores it encrypted and never your normal Google password.

Will Blockjay delete my mail? No. Blockjay only sorts mail — spam moves to a quarantine you control, and nothing is ever deleted by the system. You decide what to remove.

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