<p>Set up POP3 to check your Gmail messages using your favorite email program.</p><p>Nick White/Digital Vision/Getty Images</p><p>While the ability to check your email from anywhere using through a Web interface is certainly one of the key benefits of webmail services such as Gmail, there are also benefits to using a standalone desktop client to check your email, ranging from simply preferring that program's interface to having an archived copy of each message that you can refer to even without being connected to the Internet. With Gmail, you can get the best of both worlds by activating POP3 and correctly configuring your email program. Activating POP3</p><p>Log in to your Gmail account using the Web interface, click the gear icon and select "Settings." Click "Forwarding and POP/IMAP" and select either "Enable POP for all mail" or "Enable POP for mail that arrives from now on," depending on your preference. Choose what you want to do with the messages after they are downloaded to your email program using the drop-down menu, scroll to the bottom of the page and click "Save changes." Username and Password</p><p><a href="http://science.opposingviews.com/pop3-addresses-gmail-3325.html">Keep reading...</a></p>