How to set up and use Gmail

If you have an iPhone or iPad:

• You can download the official Gmail app from the App Store.
• Create a new Gmail address and password, or use one you already own.
• Sign in to the app with your Gmail address and password.

When the app is set up on your Android or Apple mobile device, Gmail will sync automatically between the app and the browser version.

Gmail is also your Google Account

Your Gmail address and password are also used to sign in to your Google Account, which enables lots of features in the Chrome web browser and also on your Android mobile device.

Many websites offer a Sign in with Google option, which is a button you can click to securely sign in without sharing your password with that site.

How to set up a Google Gmail account

To set up a brand new Google account and Gmail address, visit https://mail.google.com and when the Sign In screen appears:

• Click Create Account and follow the steps.
• When asked, choose a unique name for your email address, which appears before the @gmail.com part.
• If the name you choose is already in use, Google will suggest some alternatives, or you can choose something else.
• You can use your own name or something different.
• If your name is taken, try adding some numbers to the end.
• When asked, choose a strong password with a combination of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols
• Enter your first and last name as you’d like it to appear in the From field of emails that you send.

Reading and managing emails in Gmail

When you sign in to Gmail, a page will open showing a list of emails in your Inbox. New and unread emails appear in bold. From the menu to the left:

• Sent shows emails you have sent to others.
• Draft shows emails you are writing but have not yet sent.

Click More to see:

• All Mail is a list of all emails, including any you have archived.
• Spam is a list of unwanted or junk emails that will be deleted after 30 days.
• Bin (sometimes called Trash) is for emails you have deleted yourself which will be permanently erased in 30 days.

At the top of the page:

• Primary: click this to see emails from people you know and unlabelled email. This is the default view.
• Promotions: click to see deals, offers, and other promotional emails.
• Social: click to see messages from social media networks.

Click any emails to open it on the Read screen. Attachments appear in a small box at the bottom of the screen. To delete an email, select it in the Inbox and click the garbage bin icon at the top of the screen or press Delete on your keyboard.

You can check the header of an email to see if it might be a scam:

• Open the email on the Read screen and click the small arrow under the sender’s name.
• In the box that appears, find the mailed-by detail.
• If it doesn’t match the email address above or looks strange, delete the email.

How to change your Gmail password

If it’s time to change your Gmail password, follow these steps:

1. Click the Google profile circle in the top right of the screen.
2. Click Manage Google Account.
3. On the new screen, click Security, then Signing in to Google.
4. On the next screen, scroll to find the Password option and click it.
5. Verify your identity with your current password, and then follow the steps to choose a new strong password.

Sending, receiving, and organising mail in Gmail

To write an email:

• Click the Compose button, and on the screen that appears, enter an address in the To field, a subject, and then type your email.
• Reply to an email by opening it on the read screen, then click the Reply button. Type your reply in the panel that appears.
• You can reply to everyone an email was sent to by clicking the Reply to all button, and all their addresses will be copied into the To field.
• Forward an email by opening it on the read screen and clicking the Forward button. Type an address in the To field.

To attach a file or picture:

1. Click the paper clip icon at the bottom of the screen.
2. A File Explorer panel (in Windows) or a Finder panel (in MacOS) will appear.
3. Find and click the file or document you want to attach.
4. The file will appear at the bottom of your email. If it’s a large file, a coloured bar will fill to show the file is uploading to Gmail.
5. When the coloured bar disappears, the file is ready to send.

To send an email:

• When you are ready to send your email, click Send at the bottom of the screen.
• Emails sent using Reply or Reply to all will have the original subject with Re: displayed in front.
• Emails sent using Forward will have the original subject with Fwd: displayed in front.
• When replying or forwarding an email, click the Display Name in the To field to check you are sending it to the correct email address.

Other things you can do in Gmail

Gmail has lots of features to explore:

• Search. Use the Search bar to search for emails in your Inbox, Archive, Sent, and Drafts folders.
• Labels. The labels feature lets you organise email. Right-click an email in the Inbox and choose Label as from the menu to create a new label or use an existing label.
• Report spam. Click the tick-box to the left of an unwanted email sender’s Display Name, then click the Report spam icon at the top. Google will put future emails from this sender in the Spam folder.
• Change your Display Name. You can change how your name appears on emails you send via the Settings cog on the right of the page.

How to delete a Gmail address and Google Account

You can completely delete a Google Account and the Gmail address associated with it.

1. Click the profile circle in the top right of the Gmail screen.
2. In the box that appears, click Manage your Google Account.
3. Follow the steps to delete your account. You will need your password to verify your identity with Google.