Solved Offline Account -> mail client -> desktop Browser

crabladyanne

@Ayespy
Thanks for your response. I changed the server settings in Vivaldi to the POP settings provided in Gmail Help.

No error messages for incoming, but this is the outgoing results:
With Outgoing connection security "StartTLS" and app password entered I get error "Error: Login for outgoing server failed. Server responded with TLS handshake failed. Reason: nwt::ERR_SSL_PROTOCOL_ERROR"
With Outgoing connection security "SSL/TLS (Recommended) and using OAuth, I get the same error.
With Outgoing connection security "StartTLS" and using OAuth the error is "Error: Logon for incoming server failed. IMAP server responded with: Cannot read properties of undefined (reading 'length')

When I searched Google Account Help with these errors, it suggests I turn on "Less secure app access". I can't do that. Google's explanation is "To help keep your account secure, from May 30, 2022, Google no longer supports the use of third-party apps or devices which ask you to sign in to your Google Account using only your username and password."

Is it possible to use POP for incoming and IMAP for outgoing? Or is there any configuration to get past this error message?

Thanks again.

Ayespy

@crabladyanne I don't think an account can be both POP3 and IMAP.

And I'm not aware of a possibility to use POP3 with an account that was set up as IMAP. As far as I know/knew, it is necessary to set up the account originally as POP3. I have never tried POP3 with Vivaldi Mail, so I am not an authority on this.

crabladyanne

Thanks for the info. I would delete the account and start over with just a POP account, but I think the outgoing still won't work.

If I can make sure the email in Vivaldi are offline I'll try to figure how to archive, or back-up, or un-sync and then delete the messages from gmail. It might not end up as seamless as I hoped for but I'll try to make it work.

So my next step is learning how to get the messages downloaded offline.

Thanks for your help.

Ayespy

@crabladyanne Well, it's not that tough. Just install a standalone instance of Vivaldi and use that one, while going into the mail settings on this one, classifying the account as "offline," and then removing all of the information in the username and password boxes in mail settings for this one.

But FIRST, set this one to "Download Messages for offline viewing or searching," and then leave it connected to the server for a few days to ensure that all mail contents get downloaded. That takes time.

crabladyanne

@Ayespy
Thank you so very much for your patience with me.
To make sure I've got this right

In the current Mail Account settings Check only Download Messages for Offline viewing and searching. Don't check to upload sent or take account offline. It's okay to leave the other setting options as they are.
Close all Vivaldi windows.
Install a second copy of Vivaldi. Select Mail Account setting to Take Account offline. Leave all of the Mail Server settings (IMAP and POP) blank.
Do I need to do anything to start it (like check all messages) or will it run by itself?

You are so kind. Please know I appreciate all your assistance.

Ayespy

@crabladyanne Sorry, not at all.

For the time being, leave your gmail account the way it is, except activate "Download Messages for Offline viewing and searching" Do not yet select "Take account Offline."
Leave Vivaldi and the mail client OPEN and running for several days until you have verified, by spot-checking if nothing else, That the body/contents of every single one of your emails has been downloaded to your current copy of Vivaldi (in the alternative, you could do all of this with a new, standalone installation of Vivaldi that you do not intend to use for browsing all the time.)

After you are SURE all of your emails are fully downloaded - not just the list of mails but the contents of each individual mail as well, THEN you can take the account off line and remove the server settings so that it will not accidentally hook up to the server. This is now your archived copy of all your mails to date. You can reference it off line at any time.

Once that is done, use a different instance of Vivaldi with a fully functioning email client. This will allow you to keep up with your current mail flow. In that instance of Vivaldi, or using the web interface of GMail, you can now delete emails that you do not have a current need to interact with, keeping only those which you feel you may need to refer to on a daily basis, reply to, forward to others, etc.

Your disconnected version of Vivaldi is your archive. Your connected version is your working platform.

At least, if I were in your position and just wanted to archive years of mail and still make more room in my gmail account without having to buy storage space, that's what I would do.