Gmail

Setting up a Gmail Account

Introduction

         Setting up a Gmail account is easy. You will begin by creating a Google account, and during the quick signup process you will choose your Gmail account name. In this lesson, we'll show you how to set up your Google account for Gmail, add and editcontacts, and edit your mail settings.

Setting up a Gmail account

To create a Gmail address, you'll first need to create a Google account. Gmail will redirect you to the Google account signup page. You'll need to provide some basic information like your name, birthdate, gender, andlocation. You will also need to choose a name for your new Gmail address. Once you create an account, you'll be able to start adding contacts and adjusting your mail settings.

To create an account:

1. Go to www.gmail.com.
2. Click Create an account.
   
3. The signup form will appear. Follow the directions and enter the required information, such as your name, birthdate, and gender.
   
4. Finally, review Google's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, click the check box, then click Next step.
   
5. The Create your profile page will appear. Click Add a photo if you want to add a photo to your Google+profile. If you don't want to set a profile photo at this time, click Next step.
   
6. Your account will be created, and the Google welcome page will appear.
   

Just like with any online service, it's important to choose a strong password—in other words, one that is difficult for someone else to guess. For more information, check out our Password Tips lesson.                                                                                                                                                                                                               

Signing in to your account

When you first create your account, you will be automatically signed in. Most of the time, however, you'll need tosign in to your account and sign out when you're done with it. Signing out is especially important if you're using a shared computer (for example, at a library or office) because it prevents others from viewing your emails.

To sign in:

1. Go to www.gmail.com.
2. Type your user name (your email address) and password, then click Sign in.
   

To sign out:

• In the top-right corner of the page, click your name and select Sign out.
  

Mail settings

Occasionally, you may want to make adjustments to Gmail's appearance or behavior. For example, you could create a signature or vacation reply, edit your labels, or change the theme. These adjustments can be made from your Mail settings.

To access your mail settings:

1. Click the gear icon in the top-right corner of the page, and select Settings.
   
2. From here, you can select the category you want to edit.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

   Adding contacts

   Like all major email providers, Gmail lets you keep an address book of contacts so you don't have to memorize everyone's email addresses. You can also add other contact info, such as phone numbers, birthdays, and physical addresses.

   To add a contact:

   1. In the Gmail drop-down menu, select Contacts.
      
   2. Your contacts screen will appear. Click New Contact.
      
   3. Type the person's name and email address. You can also type additional contact information if desired. All changes you make will be saved automatically.
      

   To edit a contact:

   1. In the left menu pane, click My Contacts.
      
   2. Click the contact you want to edit.
      
   3. You can now make any changes you want to the contact.
      
   By default, when you send an email to a new address, Gmail adds the address to your contacts. You can then go to your contacts to edit the person's information as needed.

   Importing mail and contacts

   You may already have a contact list from another email address, and it would be a lot of work to re-enter all of this information manually. Gmail allows you to import your contacts from another email account, and you can even import all of your email messages from that account. Several email providers are supported, including Yahoo!,Hotmail, and AOL.

   To add other accounts:

   1. Click the gear icon in the top-right corner of the page, and select Settings.
   2. Go to Accounts and click Add a POP3 mail account you own. You can then follow the instructions on the screen to import your mail.
        

      Gmail

       
   3. Gmail is a popular web-based email service provided by Google. Learn the basics of how to compose, send, and respond to emails, then explore Gmail's features for managing your email and accessing it from your mobile device

   4. Using Gmail

      • 1
        Introduction to Gmail
        
       
      • 2
        Setting up a Gmail Account
        
       
      • 3
        Sending Email
        
       
      • 4
        Responding to Email
        
       
      • 5
        Managing Email
        
      • 6
        Gmail for Mobile Devices