Outlook – How to sync Gmail IMAP subfolders for Outlook 2013

Honestly, the easiest method I have found (if you want to keep a similar client) is to install Windows Live Mail, and use that instead of Outlook. I had HUGE issues with getting my folders to sync (would hold up for hours) due to the immense size. I had originally used a POP account, then moved over to IMAP with GoDaddy, transferring ALL my old emails over for ease of searching. Anyway, Outlook 13 was an absolute FAIL. After trying Windows Live Mail, I found it synced within 15 seconds after all the emails were downloaded initially (took FOREVER for the initial download). The only problem that I had with Windows Live Mail, the received and sent dates were listed as the day of the original upload. After some reading, found that deleting the email account from Windows Live Mail, then downloading all the emails into Thunderbird would reset the dates to the correct date, then reconfiguring the account in Windows Live Mail, the dates were now correct (still don't understand how it works, but it did). I love the ease of Windows Live Mail. It very closely mimics Outlook in both looks and feel, but without the lengthy hang-ups. I still don't understand causes Outlook to hang so severely with the IMAP folders, but I really don't care, now that I have a FAST alternative. I would simply suggest to anyone, just make sure all the emails are downloaded in Thunderbird BEFORE setting up the account in windows live mail. It took 5 hours for all the emails to download the first time, and that was truly 5 hours of wasted time, since I had to do it all over again anyway!! Hope this helps someone in future searches on the issue of getting rid of the inefficiency of Outlook with IMAP servers. Good Luck!!