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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​