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Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions and answers about Gaivota.

General​

What is Gaivota?​

Gaivota is a desktop email client that brings Gmail-like keyboard shortcuts and workflow to Microsoft Outlook and Gmail accounts. It's built for speed and privacy, with all data stored locally on your computer.

What does "Gaivota" mean?​

Gaivota means "seagull" in Portuguese.

Which email providers are supported?​

Currently, Gaivota supports:

  • Microsoft: Outlook.com, Hotmail, Microsoft 365, work/school accounts
  • Gmail: Personal Gmail and Google Workspace

Is Gaivota free?​

Yes, Gaivota is free to download and use.

What platforms are supported?​

Gaivota runs on:

  • macOS 10.15 (Catalina) and later
  • Windows 10 and later
  • Linux (Ubuntu 20.04, Fedora 33, or equivalent)

Privacy & Security​

Where is my email stored?​

Your email is cached locally on your computer. Gaivota downloads and stores emails in a local SQLite database for fast access.

Are my emails encrypted?​

  • In transit: Yes, all connections use HTTPS/TLS
  • At rest: Emails are stored in your local database (not encrypted by Gaivota, but protected by your OS user account)
  • Credentials: Stored in your operating system's secure keychain

Does Gaivota send my data anywhere?​

No. Gaivota only communicates with:

  • Microsoft Graph API (for Microsoft accounts)
  • Gmail API (for Gmail accounts)

No data is sent to Gaivota servers or third parties.

Is my password stored?​

No. Gaivota uses OAuth 2.0 authentication. You sign in through Microsoft or Google directly, and Gaivota receives an access token. Your password is never seen or stored by Gaivota.

Syncing​

Why is the first sync slow?​

The initial sync downloads your folder structure and recent emails. Depending on your mailbox size, this can take several minutes. Subsequent syncs are much faster because they only fetch new messages.

How do I force a sync?​

Click the refresh button in the toolbar, or pull down on the email list. With polling enabled, syncs happen automatically at your chosen interval.

Are my changes synced back to the server?​

Yes. Actions like archive, delete, mark as read, and folder moves are synced to your email server. Other devices and web clients will see these changes.

Accounts​

Can I use multiple email accounts?​

Yes! Add as many Microsoft and Gmail accounts as you need. Switch between them using keyboard shortcuts (1-9) or by clicking in the sidebar.

How do I remove an account?​

Go to Settings → Accounts, select the account, and click Remove. This deletes local data for that account but doesn't affect your emails on the server.

Can I use IMAP/POP3 accounts?​

Not currently. Gaivota only supports Microsoft and Gmail through their official APIs. IMAP/POP3 support may be added in the future.

Features​

Can I use Gaivota offline?​

Partially. You can read emails that are already cached locally. However, you cannot send emails or sync new messages without an internet connection.

Does Gaivota support calendar/contacts?​

Not yet. Gaivota is focused on email. Calendar and contacts may be added in future versions.

Can I set up email rules/filters?​

Not directly in Gaivota. Use your email provider's web interface to create rules. Gaivota will respect server-side filtering.

For local filtering, you can use Plugins to create virtual folders that filter emails.

Does Gaivota support signatures?​

Not yet. This feature is planned for a future release. For now, you can manually add your signature when composing emails.

Troubleshooting​

Gaivota won't open / crashes on launch​

Try these steps:

  1. Restart your computer
  2. Delete the preferences file and restart Gaivota
  3. Reinstall Gaivota

If issues persist, report a bug.

Authentication failed​

  • Ensure you're using the correct account credentials
  • Check for two-factor authentication issues
  • For work/school accounts, your organization may have restrictions
  • Try removing and re-adding the account

Emails aren't loading​

  • Check your internet connection
  • Try manual refresh
  • Check if the issue is with a specific folder or all folders
  • Look for error messages in the status bar

Search isn't finding emails​

  • Remote search requires a stable internet connection
  • Very old emails may need to be synced first
  • Try more specific search terms
  • Check if the email is in a folder you're not searching

I can't see my folders​

  • Wait for the initial sync to complete
  • Check if folders are collapsed in the sidebar
  • Try refreshing the folder list
  • Some special folders may be hidden by default

Data & Backup​

How do I backup Gaivota?​

Copy the data directory to a safe location:

PlatformPath
macOS~/Library/Application Support/com.gaivota.app
Windows%APPDATA%\com.gaivota.app
Linux~/.local/share/com.gaivota.app

Can I export my emails?​

Not directly from Gaivota. Use your email provider's export feature (Google Takeout for Gmail, Microsoft export for Outlook).

How do I reset everything?​

  1. Delete the data directory (see paths above)
  2. Restart Gaivota
  3. Set up your accounts fresh

Getting Help​

Where do I report bugs?​

GitHub Issues

Include:

  • Your operating system and version
  • Steps to reproduce the issue
  • Any error messages you see

Where can I request features?​

GitHub Issues - use the "feature request" label.

Is there a community forum?​

Check the GitHub Discussions for community support.