Clear answers, close at hand.

Connect a Google account

1. Open Northstar Mail and choose Add account.
2. Select Google, then continue to Google sign-in.
3. Choose the account you want to connect in the system browser.
4. Review Google's permission screen and approve only if you agree.
5. Return to Northstar after Google confirms authorization.

Northstar uses the normal Google account chooser. Never enter your Google password into a field inside Northstar itself.

Why Google asks for access

• Identity: labels the connected account.
• Gmail: displays and searches mail, synchronizes read/unread state, and sends a message only when you choose Send.
• Calendar read: displays events from your primary owned calendar.
• Calendar write: creates an event only when you choose Create event; it does not edit or delete existing events or send invitations.
• Contacts read: displays your Google contacts.
• Contacts write: creates one contact only when you choose New contact; it does not edit or delete existing contacts.

Initial sign-in requests identity and Gmail access. Northstar requests Calendar read access only from Calendar and Contacts read access only from People, after you explicitly choose Grant access for that feature. The event and contact creation actions request their own write permissions only when those grants are missing.

See the complete scope disclosure for the permission identifiers and data-handling details.

Google sign-in help

• Confirm the system clock and time zone are correct.
• Finish sign-in in the same browser window Northstar opened.
• Allow the browser to return to the temporary local callback on your PC.
• If access was denied, start again and review the permission screen.
• If a work or school administrator blocks third-party apps, ask that administrator about its policy.

A Google “app is being tested” notice means the OAuth project is still in testing and the Google account must be an approved test user. Public access depends on completion of Google's verification process.

Privacy and security basics

Provider content is processed locally in Northstar and is not uploaded to a TreeByte mail cloud. Local account settings and OAuth credentials are stored in your Windows profile; OAuth tokens are protected with Windows DPAPI.

TreeByte does not use Google user data for ads, sale, or AI training. Do not send passwords, authorization codes, OAuth tokens, or private message content in a support request.

Remote images in messages

When you choose to load remote email images, your PC contacts the sender's or image provider's server directly. That host can receive your IP address, request time, browser-engine information, and tracking identifiers contained in the image URL. Keep images blocked when you do not trust the sender.

WebView2 may cache remote-image responses or accept and send cookies under its browser rules. Removing any configured account clears this shared renderer data; cached images for remaining accounts may be downloaded again. If cleanup is interrupted, Northstar blocks remote images and retries before loading them again.