Gmail, or Google Mail, is the top and most popular email provider worldwide. Since it’s one of the most used email service, Google always makes sure that it looks great, reliable, provides features that powerful and useful for the users. If you are looking for a guide on how to create a Gmail account, you’re at the right place. In this article, we’ll explain the steps in creating and setting up a new Gmail account.
Table of Contents
How to Create and Set Up a New Gmail Account?
After reading a brief introduction and answers to a few related questions, the next step would be to create a new Gmail account. Additionally, since the platform’s inbox, interface, and other components are in their default styles, changing a few settings is an ideal action.
Create and Verify a Gmail account
Creating a Gmail account isn’t that complicated and only takes a few minutes to complete. In detail, the process should look like this:
1. In your browser, go to google.com and click the “Sign in” button in the top right corner.
2. In the form, click the “Create account” text and choose the “For myself” option in the popup.
3. Fill up all details in the form. If a username is taken, mix words, use periods and numbers, or choose from the suggested items in the “Available” identifier. After doing so, click the “Next” button to proceed.
4. Change the country code by clicking the flag image, input the phone number, and press the “Next” button to confirm.
5. Input the verification code sent on your phone in the text field. Press the “Call instead” text if you want to receive a verification code via phone call. Click the “Verify” button to continue.
6. Input all necessary details and click the “Next” button to advance.
7. Click “Skip” or “Yes, I’m in” if you want Google to use your phone number across different services. In Privacy and Terms, hit the “I agree” button.
8. The Gmail account is successfully created.
View and Change Themes
In a new Gmail account, the user can customize the appearance of the inbox and other components. First, in browsing and changing the theme, please be guided:
1. Click the settings icon and then the “View all” text in the “THEME” divider.
2. Click any theme; choose from images, colors, or patterns. Click “Save” to apply changes.
3. Select the “More Images” photo or the “My photos” text to view more backgrounds. Press “Select” and “Save” to complete changes.
Enable Reading Pane
Gmail’s built-in reading pane feature enables multi-tasking and flexibility in an inbox. By doing so, a user can browse the inbox while reading a message or replying to someone concurrently. To enable this function, please follow these steps:
1. Click the settings icon and then select either “Right of inbox” or “Below inbox” options under the “READING PANE” divider.
2. When you select the “Right of inbox,” the view looks like this:
3. When you select the “Below inbox,” the view looks like this:
4. Click the three-line icon to toggle reading pane view and switch types.
Change Inbox View Type
Aside from the themes and reading pane, a user can also change the inbox view:
1. Press the settings icon and choose from “Important first,” “Unread first,” “Starred first,” “Priority Inbox,” and “Multiple Inboxes.”
2. Click the “Customize” text under the “Default” option to toggle labels visibility. Hit “Save” to proceed.
3. In the “Important first” view, Gmail displays the critical or urgent emails in the Inbox.
4. Using the “Unread first,” Gmail displays all unread emails up top.
5. In the “Starred first” view, the inbox displays the favorite or starred emails up top.
6. Using the “Priority Inbox,” inbox shows the important and unread emails first. Click “Customize” for granular control.
7. In the “Multiple Inboxes” view, the “Starred,” “Drafts,” and “Inbox” are visible. Hit the “Customize” text to add more inboxes and control.
Change Inbox Density
Depending on someone’s preferences, Gmail can change into three different email display densities:
1. Click the settings icon and select choose from “Default,” “Comfortable,” and “Compact.”
2. In the “Default” view, each mail shows ample details and filenames.
3. Using the “Comfortable,” the mail display sizes are smaller.
4. In the “Compact” view, the mail display sizes are even smaller
Add Filters
In Gmail, the interface isn’t the only essential thing to personalize. When an account starts contacting different individuals and entering numerous websites databases, spam and other harmful content will inevitably come in. Fortunately, using the platform’s filtering feature, a user can set parameters regarding what emails to accept and what to do with those that fall short. You can also create an automatic spam filter and delete in Gmail. Regardless, the following steps are ways to do so:
1. Click on the settings icon, then the “Filters and Blocked Addresses,” and then the “Create a new filter.”
2. Fill in all or any details to filter out incoming emails. Hit the “Create filter” text to save changes.
Change Gmail Language
After you create a new Gmail account, typically, the default language is “English US.” While it’s not an issue for most western countries, users from other regions might be more comfortable using Gmail in their language. Luckily, Google operates probably the best dialect translation algorithm. Consequently, in Gmail, a user can change the interface to display other dialects. Nevertheless, the process to change the Gmail language should look like this:
1. Hit the settings icon, then the “General” text, and the “Gmail display language” dropdown.
2. Scroll and select any language in the moving list.
3. Scroll down and click the “Save Changes” button.
4. Wait for the site to load and view Gmail in your dialect.
Add, Change, or Remove Phone Numbers
Over time, the phone number a user used when signing up might be lost, replaced, or expire. In that case, it’s best to remove or add a new number. While a Gmail account can still function without an associated phone, its security for two-factor authentication and Google services integration is highly beneficial and can help you secure your Gmail account. If by any chance you want to add or delete your phone, these steps would help:
1. Hit the nine-dotted menu and then the “Account” icon in the popup.
2. Click the “Personal info” in the sidebar.
3. Press anywhere in the “PHONE” section.
4. Click anywhere in the phone’s section.
5. Click the pencil icon to update the number. Input your password to proceed.
6. Press the “UPDATE NUMBER” text and enter the new phone in the “Enter number” input area. Hit “NEXT” and verify.
7. Click the bin icon to delete the number. Input your password to proceed.
8. Select the “REMOVE NUMBER” and confirm to remove the number.
You can also use your phone number to recover your Gmail password in case you forget it.
Toggle Email Threading
Another excellent feature of Gmail is message threading. On other providers, all emails are separate even when sent and received as replies. Contrarily, in Gmail, a user can view all emails in a conversation or chat-like style. Should you want to toggle this feature, these actions would be helpful:
1. Select the settings icon and then toggle on or off the “Conversation view” under the “EMAIL THREADING” section.
2. Toggling “Conversation view” off, the emails look like this:
3. Toggling “Conversation view“, the emails and replies look like this:
Create a G Suite Account (Google Workplace)
Following Gmail account creation, it is not that hard to create a business Gmail account / G Suite. In 2020, the company re-branded the office apps and services into Google Workspace. Currently, the method of creating a Workspace account looks like this:
1. Go to workspace.google.com. Select the “Get started” button.
2. Fill in all details and press the “NEXT” button.
3. Input your name and current email address. Hit “NEXT” to continue.
4. Choose whether to buy a domain, use an existing one, or a free .page domain. Click “NEXT” to move on.
5. Enter a domain or select a free one. Press the “NEXT” button again.
6. Fill out all required business information.
7. Accept all, verify, and sign in to your new Google Workspace account.
Pros and Cons of Using Gmail
Due to the popularity of Gmail, many individuals often overlook the things that make the email provider beneficial and disadvantageous. Below, some are Gmail’s main advantages and disadvantages:
Advantages:
- Huge free storage. Since Google is a multinational company, it can offer larger free storage allocation to users than most companies. In Gmail, a user will get a no-compromise 15GB Drive storage.
- Integration. Gmail can integrate with Google’s services and other external sites or applications.
- Excellent organization. One can set and use labels, inboxes display, themes, density, and many more.
- Secure. A user can employ two-factor authentication through apps, mobile phones, or recovery email.
Disadvantages:
- Targeted ads. Google’s primary business is online adverts. Consequently, it also appears as the same case in Gmail. While there’s no way to turn off ads, a user can choose to opt out of personalized ads on the Google account dashboard.
- False spam detection. Many users are frustrated when they miss an important email due to Gmail’s false spam detection. Yes, the company is known for its high-end algorithms; however, it doesn’t seem to apply much in their Gmail spam technology.
- No Google-made desktop apps. Considering how great Gmail’s mobile apps are, it’s upsetting to learn that the company hasn’t developed the lines of desktop apps. Fortunately, there are third-party programs that fill this gap. Boxysuite, mainly, is the only native macOS Gmail app. If you want to learn more about it, please continue reading.
Gmail functions like other standard email providers. However, unlike the competition, it has various edges and unique features. First, since Google has a suite of services and applications, a user can use a single Gmail account across logins.
Next, using integration, one can easily fetch files or data from other Google services into Gmail, and vice versa. As a result, it’s very enticing and beneficial to own a Gmail account. Should you proceed, please read a few answers to some of the related questions in the following sections.
Is Gmail free to use?
Yes, anyone can use and create a new Gmail account for free. After registration, Google provides a 15 GB storage allocation. Aside from emails and attachments, most Google services, such as Photos, Docs, and Sheets, store and deduct their data file size in the Drive storage mark. Gmail also offers various keyboard shortcuts that can save you time.
While Gmail is free, Google offers various subscription plans to upgrade the storage. If a Gmail account has more storage, it can hold more emails and attachments. Though, it’s challenging to fill up the 15GB space, especially for casual use. Lastly, the company also offers advanced features for Gmail accounts as part of the Google Workspace plan.
Can you create a Gmail account without phone verification?
Yes, one can create a Gmail account without a phone number using different workarounds. To elaborate, please read the following:
- Register on a mobile device. In mobile devices, especially on Android, Google allows skipping phone verification.
- Use burner phones. There are countless online burner phones free for everyone to use. Register using a foreign dummy number and remove it later on.
- Use someone else’s number. Using another person’s number, with permission, is another way to get around this requirement. Again, numbers are removable after account creation.
Can you create a second Gmail account?
Can I create a second Gmail account? Yes, it’s possible. Since the platform’s release, the company hasn’t imposed a limit on how many Gmail accounts a user can create and use.
Even if a user uses the same name across accounts, Google won’t check and block them. Regarding phone verification, Gmail limits only six accounts to using a phone number. However, if you’re under age 15, the company doesn’t require this at all.
