With 1.5 billion active users around the world, Gmail is one of the most popular webmail services available today.
In this full guide, you’ll learn how to make a new Gmail account, how the inbox works, and some tips for more advanced users. You will also learn how to use third-party services to make Gmail better.
What is Gmail
Gmail is Google’s free email service that you can use on the web.
A bit of history: In 2001, Google started making Gmail. Later, in 2004, when only a small group of people could try out the beta version, it was made public. In 2007, it was finally released to the public.
Gmail is now one of the most popular email services in the world. This is because it took a long time to build and test. It’s popular because it has a lot of features and a simple interface that makes gmail sign up easy and quick to learn how to use.
Why should you use Gmail?
Gmail has a lot of good things about it, which is why people all over the world love it so much. Storage, layout, integration, personalization, advanced search, labels, and filters are the main features.
Let’s look at how each one works in Gmail and how you can use it to your advantage.
Storage
Google has made its storage space bigger over time, while its competitors only offered 2 to 4 megabytes. Now, Gmail gives you 15 gigabytes of space to start with. This much is free, and it’s enough to save all of the most important emails you’ll need to look at again in the future.
Just remember that Gmail, Google Drive, and Google Photos all share the free 15 GB. You can buy more space if you want to, but if you work for a company, one of the G Suite plans is a better choice.
Layout
Gmail was the first webmail service to break away from the inbox-style interface. This gave its users a cleaner look and better organization.
Gmail gave people the idea of putting emails together based on the subject line. When you get a reply to a message, all of the related messages before it are shown in a vertical thread that you can collapse. This makes it easier to see the whole conversation and helps you quickly look back at what was said.
You can also choose between three different ways to see your inbox: Default, Comfortable, or Compact.
Security and Anti-Spam
Gmail’s anti-malware and anti-virus scanners are always being updated so that you can be as safe as possible. All the file attachments are saved on Google’s servers, which is an example of this. So, if a virus or malware is attached to a message, it shows a warning and puts the message in a special folder.
When it comes to spam, Gmail has great filters that stop spam messages from getting to your main inbox.
When you first visit the Gmail homepage, in the middle of the page, and at the upper right you’ll see the blue box “Create An Account”. Click one of these buttons to start creating your account.
How to Sign Up for Gmail
On the next page, there is a simple form where you need to fill in some information:
Your name and your last name;
A valid username, and if you type one that isn’t available, you’ll see some suggestions;
Your chosen password and verification;
To confirm this information, just click Next.
As a security measure, the next step is to enter your cell phone number. You will get an SMS with a verification code to confirm.
Then, to keep your account safe, you’ll need to enter a recovery email, your birthday, and your gender.
Then, on the next screen, you can agree to add your phone number to your account so you can use it with other Google services, like getting video calls and messages.
If you don’t agree with that, you can also skip this part.
The next step is to read Gmail’s Privacy and Terms and agree to them. When you agree to these rules, your account will be set up.
Gmail tips and tricks
Now that you’ve set up your account and learned the basics of Gmail, why not move on to the next level and learn some more advanced tips?
Undo a Sent Email
If you sent an email by accident, misspelled it, or hit the “Send” button by mistake, you can take back what you did. Then, after you click “Send,” you have 30 seconds to stop the message from getting to its destination.
At the bottom left of the screen, a small window will pop up. You can stop the email from being sent by clicking “Undo.” It will show up again in the Compose email window, so you can make any changes you need to send it again.
Smart Compose
Smart Compose is a feature in Gmail that was made to save you time when writing an email. It knows what you’re going to write before you do, so it can help you finish your sentences. This is a great feature if you need to write emails quickly.
Machine learning is what makes Smart Compose work, so the more you write, the better it gets. This also means that the suggestions it gives you are based on how you usually write, so that your writing style stays the same.