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Using the Refresh Token for Gmail

This guide demonstrates how to leverage the refresh token obtained via Google OAuth to interact with the Gmail API.

Overview

After a user authorizes your application using Google OAuth, a refresh token is returned. This token can later be exchanged for an access token to perform actions using the Gmail API.

Steps

  1. Request Offline Access
    Ensure that your OAuth consent request includes the Gmail scopes and requests offline access.

  2. Exchange Refresh Token for a New Access Token
    Use the refresh token to get a new access token by making a POST request.

  3. Access the Gmail API
    Use the access token to make calls to the Gmail API for reading or sending emails.

Example Token Exchange Request

curl --request POST \
--url https://oauth2.googleapis.com/token \
--header 'Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded' \
--data 'client_id=YOUR_CLIENT_ID&client_secret=YOUR_CLIENT_SECRET&refresh_token=YOUR_REFRESH_TOKEN&grant_type=refresh_token'

Further Resources