⚠️ This behavior applies to Front companies with a start date of Aug 16, 2023 or later. See this article for legacy sync behavior.
Overview
When you connect a Gmail individual inbox or shared inbox to Front, you will have the option to import your history and Front will maintain a two-way sync with Gmail for your emails and calendar events. This allows you to retain copies of conversations within both systems.
See this article for the same information on Office 365 channels. Note that SMTP forwarding channels will not have history import and syncing.
Gmail history import
When connecting your Gmail account to Front as a new channel, Front will perform a one-time history import. All tags and statuses on your emails will be imported into Front.
History import | Shared inbox | Individual inbox |
| Optionally import 50K most recent messages upon adding inbox | Optionally import 50K most recent messages upon adding inbox |
| Conversations archived by default and found in the Archived tab of shared inbox. | Conversation read/unread and open/archived status mirrored in Front. |
Individual inboxes | Status in Gmail | Status in Front |
| Read in Inbox | Read in Inbox |
| Unread in Inbox | Unread in Inbox |
| Open in Inbox | Open in Inbox |
| Archived in All Mail | Archived in Inbox |
| Snoozed in Inbox | Archived in Inbox |
Folders | Location in Gmail | Location in Front |
| Inbox | Inbox |
| Drafts | Does not import or sync |
| Trash folder | Trash tab in Inbox |
| Spam folder | Spam tab in Inbox |
| Sent folder | Does not import to Front Sent folder, but does import with inbox history (Open and Archived tabs) |
| Starred folder | Starred folder |
| Label (alongside Inbox label) | Inbox |
| Label (without Inbox label) | Skips individual Inbox; shared tag for shared inboxes |
Gmail sync
After your Gmail account has been connected, Front will continue to sync the following items:
Action in Front | Sync | Effect in Gmail |
New message received in Inbox | ✅ | New message received in Inbox |
Email is sent | ✅ | Email appears in Sent |
Email is marked as spam | ✅ | Email moves to Spam |
Email is unmarked as spam | ✅ | Email moves to Inbox |
Action in Gmail | Effect in Front | |
New message received in Inbox | ✅ | New message received in Inbox |
Email is sent | ✅ | Email appears in Inbox as Open |
Email is marked as spam | ✅ | Email moves to Spam |
Email is unmarked as spam | ✅ | Email moves to Inbox |
❌ All additional items like read/unread status, archived/unarchived status, tag changes, trash and snooze actions, etc. will not be synced.
FAQ
How do Gmail labels sync to Front exactly?
See this article for details about how Gmail labels become Front tags.
What happens when I reauthorize an offline Gmail channel?
If a Gmail sync channel is denied then reauthorized, Front will import any messages that were missed during the time it was offline. Tags and statuses for these imported messages will not sync with Front. Tags and statuses are only synced during the initial import.
How long does it take for an import to complete?
Import times vary based on the inbox’s number of messages, message contents, and attachments. It may take up to 72 hours to finish an import.
What order is my history imported?
Messages are imported from newest to oldest.
How do I automatically archive emails sent outside of Front?
When an email is sent from outside of Front, it will sync into your Front inbox as Open. To automatically archive these emails, you can create the following rule:
The Email headers contains condition is available on the Growth plan or above.
Anything else I should know?
See this FAQ section for common questions that apply to both the Gmail and Office 365 import and sync.