ThreeStrands Download

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Getting Started

Install ThreeStrands, connect Gmail or an IMAP account, and set up the few things worth changing on day one.
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Content reviewed for v0.179.0. See changes since your version.

Install the App

Download the latest release from GitHub Releases:

  • macOS — a signed and notarized .dmg for Apple Silicon and Intel Macs.
  • Windows (experimental) — an x86-64 .exe installer, when included in the release.
  • Linux (experimental) — .deb, .rpm, and .AppImage packages for x86-64.

macOS is the platform used and tested regularly. Experimental Windows and Linux installers may be absent when a release build fails. Choose the installer, not an updater signature or archive. On macOS, open the DMG and move ThreeStrands to Applications before launching. For Linux, choose the package for your distribution or make the AppImage executable. See Compatibility.

ThreeStrands stores your mail cache in a local database on your computer. Sign-in tokens and passwords go to your operating system's credential store, never to a plain file.

Connect Gmail

  1. Open Settings with ⌘/Ctrl + ,, or click Add Account in the empty inbox.
  2. In Mail Accounts, click Add Account, then choose Gmail.
  3. Sign in to Google in your browser. The button reads Waiting for Google… until you finish.
  4. When the browser says ThreeStrands is connected, close the tab. Your mail starts syncing.

Connect an IMAP Account

Choose IMAP instead of Gmail to connect any IMAP/SMTP server.

  1. Enter your Email Address and click Find Settings Automatically. If your provider publishes its settings, ThreeStrands fills in the servers for you.
  2. Otherwise, fill in Incoming Mail (IMAP) and Outgoing Mail (SMTP): host, port, and security. STARTTLS defaults to ports 143 and 587, and Implicit TLS to 993 and 465.
  3. Enter the Password. Many providers want an app password here rather than your normal sign-in password.
  4. Click Test and Save. Both servers must connect before the account is added.
  5. In Map Your Mailboxes, confirm which folders are Sent, Archive, Drafts, Trash, and Junk. Mappings marked name guess — please verify are worth a second look.

Proton Mail Bridge

Proton Mail needs the local Bridge application and its own credentials. Follow Connect Proton Mail Bridge for server settings, certificate checks, and recovery.

Make Your Accounts Recognizable

In Settings → Mail Accounts, each account has:

  • Account Nickname — a short name such as Work or Personal, used on account icons.
  • Sender Name — the name recipients see in the From line.
  • A color — click the account's avatar to change it.
  • Order — with two or more accounts, move them up or down. ⌘/Ctrl + 1 through ⌘/Ctrl + 9 switch accounts in this order, and ⌘/Ctrl + 0 shows all accounts together.

Settings Worth a Look

  • Appearance — theme, accent color, font size, and when conversations are marked read. Email Zoom enlarges email text, images, and spacing together, and Email Text Colors lightens or darkens hard-to-read sender text just enough to read, or replaces it with your theme's colors. Press ⌘/Ctrl + d to switch between light and dark mode from anywhere. Appearance settings stay on each computer.
  • Availability — your timezone, working-hour blocks with gaps for breaks, and Drive Time Buffer around events with a location. Add profiles to keep different hours for each mail account.
  • Signatures — formatted sign-offs with logos, Gmail import, and separate defaults for new messages and replies.
  • Muted Senders — review senders whose new mail is marked read and archived automatically.
  • Privacy — remote images are blocked by default; turn on Load Remote Images Automatically here, or click Load images on a single message. You can also choose how long to keep mail on this device.
  • Default Apps — open email links and .ics invitations in ThreeStrands.

Updates

The app offers newer releases when available. Follow its Install Update or download action. macOS copies outside Applications may ask you to move the app there first. Updates can restart the app; resolve urgent unsent work first. If installation fails, keep the error and download the current installer from Releases instead of deleting local data. Package-based Linux installs may require downloading a replacement package.

After Connecting

Let the initial sync run. Locally available mail and server search are different: older messages may need an online search. New installations keep a 90-day local cache by default; retention cleanup leaves server mail alone.

Next: your first ten minutes, or troubleshoot a connection.