Administrator setup for GWSMO

Google Workspace Sync for Microsoft Outlook

This article is for administrators setting up GWSMO. To begin using GWSMO, go to GWSMO User Help.

You can set up Google Workspace Sync for Microsoft Outlook (GWSMO) for users in your organization so they can synchronize their email, calendar, and contact data between Google Workspace and Outlook.

System requirements

For Microsoft Windows:

  • Windows 8 and 10 (32 and 64-bit), and Windows 11 (64-bit).
  • Windows 7 and Vista (32 and 64-bit)—Microsoft no longer supports these versions. We recommend upgrading to a supported version of Windows.

We recommend that you update to the latest patches for your Windows version.

For Outlook:

  • Outlook 2003 SP or 2007 SP2 (or SP1 with hotfix)—Microsoft no longer supports Outlook 2003 and 2007. We recommend upgrading to a supported version of Outlook.
  • Outlook 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021 (32 and 64-bit).

What's not supported

  • Mac iOS
  • Windows XP and Server 2003
  • Windows 10 ARM-based PCs
  • Outlook from Microsoft 365 (web, Android, Mac, and iOS versions)—Switch to a supported computer version of Outlook.

Permissions for users

To install GWSMO, users must have local administrator permissions for their machines. If you need help, contact your admin.

Port requirements

Open port 443 for the following applications on each client machine:

  • Outlook.exe
  • ProfileEditor.exe

For details on GWSMO ports, go to Open network ports.

Protocols

GWSMO uses HTTPS to connect to Google services using a proprietary GWSMO-specific Gmail sync protocol. It also uses the following APIs:

  • Google Calendar API
  • Google People API
  • Google Drive API
  • Google Tasks API

GWSMO doesn't use IMAP or SMTP.

Set up & install GWSMO

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Step 1: Set up GWSMO in the Google Admin console

Step 2: Install GWSMO

Users in your organization who want to sync their data between Google Workspace and Outlook must have GWSMO installed on their client machine. There are 2 options for installation.

Option 1: Push an MSI file to your users

To do this, download the MSI file from the GWSMO download page. Be sure to pick the correct edition (32 bit or 64 bit) for your users' version of Outlook.

You can then push the MSI file to your users with the software you use to deploy and secure your organization's applications.

Your users can then follow these instructions to install the file.

Option 2: Let your users download and install GWSMO themselves

Your users can download the EXE file from the GWSMO download page.

They can then follow these instructions to install the file.

Install location

The default location on each client machine is C:\Program Files\Google\Google Apps Sync.

Troubleshooting

If you have any issues installing GWSMO, go to Troubleshoot installation issues.

Step 3: Decide whether to turn on smart features & personalization

Before you migrate data, you need to decide if smart features in Gmail and Google Chat and Meet as well as personalization features in other Google products can use data from Gmail, Chat, and Meet. For certain features to work, such as autosorting in Gmail, smart features and personalization must be turned on in the target account before you migrate data.

Learn more about turning on smart features and personalization.

Step 4: (Optional) Set up free/busy information for Exchange users

If you're using GWSMO in a mixed Google Workspace and Exchange environment, and you want to query availability information for Exchange users, you need to:

  1. Install and set up Google Calendar Connector Web Service. For instructions, go to Google Calendar Connector Web Service Installation and Configuration Guide.

    Important: When you set up the web service, make sure you do not set up the Google Calendar Connector Sync Service.

  2. Create the following registry key and accompanying string value on each client machine where GWSMO is installed. If you're running a 32-bit version of Outlook on a 64-bit version of Windows, create this registry key in the correct location for 32-bit applications. For details, consult these instructions on using the Windows registry at Configure options through the registry.
    • Registry key— HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Google\Google Apps Sync\CalendarSync
    • String value—Value name: FreeBusyURL; Value data: <URL for the Calendar connector>

      Example:
      http://www.example.com/GCalExchangeLookup/ExchangeQuerier.aspx (where you replace example.com with the name of your company's server)

Note: Google Support cannot assist with troubleshooting your Google Calendar Connector Web Service installation.

Import data

Integration with Google Workspace Migration for Microsoft Outlook

With GWSMO, your users can import data from an Exchange account or Outlook PST file. To do this, GWSMO uses a separate migration product, Google Workspace Migration for Microsoft Outlook (GWMMO). GWSMO launches the GWMMO migration product automatically and, in most cases, users won't even notice they're using a separate product.

GWSMO launches the migration product when the user:

  • Imports data when they recreate or make another user profile. For details, go to Recreate or replace your profile.
  • Imports data after they create their profile. For details, go to Import your Outlook data later.

GWMMO as a standalone migration product

Users can launch GWMMO as a standalone application. In the Start menu, click Google Workspace Migration and then Google Workspace Migration for Microsoft Outlook.

However, GWMMO doesn't import Outlook notes, tasks, or journal entries. To import this data, users should run GWSMO.

How do I install the GWMMO migration product?

The GWMMO migration product must be installed on each client machine.

Users who download and install GWSMO themselves (Option 2 above) automatically install GWMMO migration product.

If you push GWSMO to users via an MSI file (Option 1 above), you'll also need to push the GWMMO migration product to them as well. Or, have them install GWMMO themselves. For details, go to Install GWMMO.

What's imported?

Users can sync email, contacts, calendar events, and Outlook notes, which are then available in Outlook and the Google Workspace web interface.

Outlook tasks sync to Google Workspace but only after GWSMO starts. (Email, contacts, and calendar events sync while importing.)

Outlook journal entries are not synchronized to Google Workspace, but users can import them from their Outlook profile during the initial sync.

For details, go to What's synchronized between Outlook and Google Workspace?

Get help

Contact Google Workspace support for help with GWSMO and GWMMO. If you have Outlook or Windows questions, consult your Microsoft documentation.


Google, Google Workspace, and related marks and logos are trademarks of Google LLC. All other company and product names are trademarks of the companies with which they are associated.

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