Gmail
Gmail is Google's webmail service, used by hundreds of millions of business users as their primary email client.
Definition
Gmail is Google's webmail service, used by hundreds of millions of business users as their primary email client. In the Salesforce context, Gmail is the most common integration target for sales-team email workflows: logging emails to the right Salesforce record, syncing contacts and calendars between Gmail and Salesforce, and surfacing Salesforce context inside the Gmail UI itself. Salesforce ships a Gmail integration (formerly Salesforce for Gmail, now part of the Salesforce Inbox family) that runs as a Chrome extension and a Google Workspace Marketplace add-on.
The integration handles four core jobs. It surfaces Salesforce records (Lead, Contact, Account, Opportunity) inside the Gmail sidebar so reps see deal context without leaving the inbox. It lets reps log an email or attach it to a Salesforce record with one click. Einstein Activity Capture optionally syncs every email automatically without manual logging. And the same Google Workspace add-on extends into Google Calendar, doing the same record-context work for meetings. Setup happens once in Salesforce, once in Google Workspace, and once per user via Chrome.
How Salesforce hooks into Gmail end to end
The Salesforce integration for Gmail
Salesforce ships the Gmail integration as a Chrome extension paired with a Google Workspace add-on. The extension renders the Salesforce sidebar inside Gmail, lets the user search for and create Salesforce records without leaving the inbox, and provides the Log Email button on each thread. The same code path runs inside Outlook with a different host wrapper; the Salesforce-side configuration is shared.
Einstein Activity Capture for auto-sync
Einstein Activity Capture is the automatic email-and-event sync engine. Once enabled and configured, it watches the user's Gmail and Calendar, matches each message to a Lead or Contact based on email address, and attaches the activity to the matched Salesforce record. EAC stores the email body in a separate Salesforce-hosted activity store rather than the Task object, which is the source of most admin confusion (the activities do not appear in standard Task reports without specific configuration).
Connecting a Gmail user
User connection is a three-step flow. The admin enables Lightning Sync (or Einstein Activity Capture) for the user under Setup. The user installs the Salesforce Chrome extension and the Google Workspace add-on. The first login OAuths Gmail through Google's consent screen and stores the refresh token on the user record. From that point, the user can log emails, see Salesforce context, and (if EAC is enabled) have everything auto-synced.
Logging an email to Salesforce
With the extension installed, every Gmail thread shows a Log Email button in the Salesforce sidebar. Clicking it opens a record picker; the user chooses which Lead, Contact, Account, Opportunity, or custom-object record to attach the email to. The action creates a Task (legacy mode) or an Email Message tied to the chosen record. Salesforce captures the subject, body, attachments, and the participant list. Auto-Bcc to Salesforce (the old Email-to-Salesforce model) still works as a fallback for users who do not have the extension.
Calendar sync alongside email
The Google Workspace add-on extends to Google Calendar. Meetings sync to Salesforce Events under the same matching rules as emails. Two-way sync is supported via Lightning Sync (one-way down from Gmail to Salesforce, two-way under specific configurations). EAC handles event capture differently; events are stored in the EAC activity store, not as standard Salesforce Events.
Salesforce Inbox features
Salesforce Inbox adds productivity features on top of the base Gmail integration: send-later scheduling, email tracking (open and click notifications), insert-availability for booking meetings, and email templates from Salesforce. Inbox is licensed as part of the Sales Engagement product family (formerly High Velocity Sales) and requires the Inbox SKU on each user.
Permissions, security, and Google Workspace setup
The Google Workspace admin must allow the Salesforce add-on (Apps, Marketplace, allow-listed apps). The Salesforce admin must grant Lightning Sync or EAC access via permission set. Users authenticate with OAuth scopes covering email read, calendar read/write, and contacts read. Pulling the auth token requires the user's consent, which Google logs in the Workspace admin audit trail.
Enable Gmail integration for a sales user
The setup runs in three places. Plan one hour per user for the first rollout; ongoing onboarding is a 10-minute task once the org-wide configuration is in place.
- Enable the Gmail integration in Salesforce
Setup, Gmail Integration and Sync, toggle Let users access Salesforce when working in Gmail. Confirm Lightning Experience is the active UX; the extension does not work with Classic.
- Allow the Google Workspace add-on
Google Workspace admin opens admin.google.com, Apps, Google Workspace Marketplace apps, and allow-lists the Salesforce add-on for the relevant OU.
- Configure Einstein Activity Capture (optional)
Setup, Einstein Activity Capture, create a configuration, assign users, and pick the sharing model (Everything, Contacts and Events, Don't Share).
- User installs the Chrome extension
User opens Chrome Web Store, installs the Salesforce extension, signs in with their Salesforce credentials.
- User installs the Google add-on
From Gmail, user opens the right-side panel, clicks the plus icon, installs Salesforce add-on, accepts the OAuth consent.
- Test logging an email
User opens any thread, clicks the Salesforce sidebar, searches for a record, clicks Log Email. Verify the Task or Email Message appears on the chosen record.
- Einstein Activity Capture stores emails in a separate activity store, not as standard Task records. Reports built against the Task object will miss captured activities unless the EAC virtual report types are used.
- Lightning Sync was deprecated in 2023; new orgs use Einstein Activity Capture. Existing orgs on Lightning Sync should plan a migration before Salesforce removes the feature.
- Auto-Bcc to Salesforce (Email-to-Salesforce) still works as a backup but creates Tasks without the rich Email Message metadata the modern integration produces.
- Google Workspace policy can block the OAuth consent, leaving users stuck on the sign-in screen. The Workspace admin must explicitly approve the Salesforce add-on for the user's OU.
Trust & references
Cross-checked against the following references.
- Gmail IntegrationSalesforce Help
- Einstein Activity CaptureSalesforce Help
Straight from the source - Salesforce's reference material on Gmail.
- Set Up the Gmail IntegrationSalesforce Help
About the Author
Dipojjal Chakrabarti is a B2C Solution Architect with 29 Salesforce certifications and over 13 years in the Salesforce ecosystem. He runs salesforcedictionary.com to help admins, developers, architects, and cert/interview candidates sharpen their fundamentals. More about Dipojjal.
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