Student Notes

Setting Up a Gmail Account

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Setting Up an Email Account with Google

1. Open a new web browser window To set up a new Gmail account first open your web browser (eg Google Chrome, Internet Explorer, Safari, Firefox,

Microsoft Edge). The image below indicates the icons for Edge (the blue “e”) and Google Chrome (the red, yellow

and green circle) – clicking either of these icons will open a new browser window. This guide was created using

Google Chrome so some things might appear slightly differently if you are using a different browser – this is

absolutely fine.

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2. Navigate to Google’s Inbox Page Enter the following website address (known as a URL) in the search/address bar at the top of the page or click the

link below:

http://inbox.google.com

If another person has previously logged into Gmail on this computer then you will see the following screen.

Click Use another account

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3. Create a New Account Click More Options then Create Account on the menu that pops up

Enter your details in the form provided

Name

Enter your first name and surname – this is what people will see when they receive emails from you

Username

This will become the part of your email address in front of “@gmail.com”

Ideally you should use your name (with or without middle name) or first initial and surname eg:

• grace.holcott

• g.holcott

• grace.ada.holcott

• grace.a.holcott

• ga.holcott

NB: Gmail ignores periods (dots) in the username but it makes it much more readable if you include them

You may find that your name has already been taken by someone else. In this case Gmail will encourage you to use

unusual combinations or numbers in your username – avoid this if possible and try to use combinations of your

initials or nicknames or at the very least incorporate a number that is significant to you.

This will make it easier to remember and avoid embarrassment at a later date if you need your email for something

official or professional.

Password

We will cover strong passwords in more detail later in the course. For now you can simply follow Gmail’s

requirements – the password must:

• be a minimum of 8 characters long

• contain both letters and numbers

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You should use something memorable to you but not obvious to other people.

Birthday

Gmail requires you to enter your date of birth. If you are uncomfortable with entering your actual date of birth then

simply enter 1st January with your year of birth.

It is always wise to question how much personal information you want to share online – we will cover this in a later

module.

Gender

You can choose whether to select your gender or opt for “Rather not say”

Mobile Phone

This is optional. Gmail uses your number to help you reset your password if you forget it.

We will show you in a later module how to check what your phone number is being used for

Your Current Email Address

It is a good idea to enter another email address that can be used to help you get back in to your gmail if you forget

your password. If you don’t have another address of your own you might want to give the email of a parent or close

friend (make sure to check with them first).

Click the Next Step button

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4. Read the Privacy Agreement It is a good idea to actually read through all the details here before clicking I Agree.

There is an easier to read version of How Google Uses Your Data at the link below:

https://privacy.google.com/intl/en-GB/your-data.html

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5. Follow the Tutorial & Tips Congratulations! You have now set up your email account.

Follow the basic introduction by clicking through the arrows on the right of the screen.

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Here you can choose what type of emails should be “bundled” (grouped together so they don’t take up lots of visual

space in your inbox). You can always change this later if you don’t like the settings you choose here.

When the Intro screens finish you will be taken to your main Inbox view – this is what you will see whenever you log

in to your Inbox

You will have a few emails from Gmail with tips and tutorials – go ahead and read through them, especially the

video.

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6. Look at Email in other Folders, Bundles and Labels Click the 3 horizontal bars in the top left of the window to open the Navigation Menu

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You will be able to find all your email in these different folders and bundles eg Drafts (emails you have started

writing but not sent yet), Sent emails, Trash (deleted emails) and Spam (junk mail that Gmail automatically deletes

for you).

7. Writing your first email

Click the red circle with the + sign at the bottom right of the screen.

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If you hover the mouse over the + sign it will turn to a pen icon with a blue hand above it. If you want to create a

reminder instead of an email then you click the blue hand. This time we want an email so you would click the red

pen icon.

A blank email will pop up for you to complete:

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To: the email address of the person you are sending this to

Subject: a short title

Say something: this is where you write the content of the email.

When you are finished writing the email click Send

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Now go to the Sent folder in the Navigation menu on the left hand side and you will see the email you have just sent.

Congratulations!