Gmail Basics

Getting the Basics Gmail Environment You will notice the Gmail environment looks pretty similar a traditional email account. There are a few unique features that simplify its use. You can choose to view the environment in icons or text. Conversation view Gmail groups emails and the replies together in your inbox so you can always see the entire conversation. Related messages are stacked neatly on top of each other. Labels instead of folders Labels do the work of folders with an extra bonus: a conversation can have several labels, so youre not forced to choose just one particular folder. Archive instead of delete You should never have to delete an email. With the archive feature, you get the messages out of your inbox and into All Mail. The mail will no longer clutter your inbox, but remains searchable in the case you need to reference it in the future. Chat and Video chat No need to use another chat program when its built right in. Use your contact list to chat live with colleagues or through video if you have access to a webcam.

Search labels/folders Chat via text or video with your contacts Organize emails with labels Compose a new email Navigate to other Google Apps New email will appear in your inbox Unread emails appear in bold Change Settings Inbox tabs organize your inbox with up to five different categories Turn your inbox tabs off with the + Mail Boxes

Buttons in Your Gmail Toolbar Some buttons, like Archive, Spam, and Labels, are collapsed until you need them. This means that theyll only show up if youve selected or opened a message. Heres a guide to the button icons If youd rather have buttons with text instead of the icons, go to settings and in the Button labels section, choose Text and then Save Changes.

Understanding Gmail Icons The Star icon is a great way to label important emails that you need to come back to. Star any email and it will automatically move into your primary inbox tab. Change this setting by configuring your inbox.

Your Gmail Boxes Inbox: a display of your recent emails. The unread messages appear in bold and the most recent will be at the top. Your messages are automatically categorized into inbox tabs. Starred: if you receive a message that you want to mark as important, click and change the star to yellow. Sent Mail: messages you have sent will appear here. Chats: All chats that you have taken part in will be archived here. Drafts: if you start an email, but dont send it, Gmail will store it here. All Mail: your archive, a storage place for all the mail youve ever sent or received but have not deleted (no spam). Spam: when an email looks suspicious to Google, it will put it here. The more spam you mark, the better Google will get at weeding it out. Trash: messages you delete will be moved here. It will be stored for 30 days before being permanently deleted.

Meet Your New Inbox

Inbox Tabs If you prefer to see all your messages in one list, simply hide the tab and the messages will automatically appear in your primary inbox Configure the inbox change settings and tabs by clicking on the settings button

Pull addresses from your Contacts List Format using familiar word processing tools Add attachments Select the + to get icons to insert pictures, Drive files, links, emoticons, and Calendar invitations Composing Email When composing a new email a new message window will pop up on top of your inbox.

Viewing Attachments Messages that contain attachments will show the paper clip icon Choose to view or download the attachment

Viewing Conversations When you open a message in a conversation, all the messages will be stacked neatly on top of each other To see all the messages in a conversation, just click the Expand all button Email messages that involve any replies are collected into a conversation for easy tracking of the conversation.

Reply To and Forward Messages If there are multiple recipients of the message, make sure NOT to reply to all unless that is your intention You can change the default reply behavior to just one person or to all in the settings When forwarding a message you can select forward at the bottom of the message or from message menu To forward an entire conversation, select that option from the more menu To reply, just click in the box below the message and type away or choose reply from the message menu

Organizing Your Mail With Labels Create new labels, manage labels, label a selected message with the tag menu Move messages into one or more labels for easy locating with the move to menu Organize your labels by clicking to left of a label to add color, rename, hide, or delete

Apply Your Label From Your Inbox When viewing the inbox, select the checkbox next messages to be labeled Click the Labels button and select the label you want or choose to create a new label Click the Move To button and select the label you want to move the messages to or create a new label

Starred Messages To choose more star options go to settings and find the Star section to drag stars from not in use to in use Use the keyboard shortcut of a simple s to star messages

Finding Starred Messages To see all starred messages, click Starred mail box on the left side To search for a particular kind of starred message use the search box and search using has with the stars color and the name will appear to be chosen

If youre positive you wont need a message again, use the Delete button to send it to the trash. All deleted messages are removed permanently after 30 days. Deleting unimportant mail is a great way to free up some of your storage, but with Gmails free storage, you can probably keep those messages, too! Archiving mail moves messages out of your inbox and into your All Mail box for safekeeping. You wont be bothered with extra messages cluttering your inbox, but youll still be able find a message if you need it six years from now! Its as though its deleted, but still can be found if needed for reference in the future. Archiving Your Mail

How to Archive Your Mail and Find it Again Select the message in your inbox and then select the archive button Select the All Mail box from the left Once in the All Mail box, search for the message in the search box Search using contacts, tags, and keywords

ChatInstant Messaging Choose a contact from the chat section on the left. A chat window will pop up on top of your inbox A green dot: the contact is online An orange dot: the contact is idle A gray dot: the contact is offline Dots next to the contact mean they can text chat only. The video camera icon means they are set up to video chat All text chat conversations are archived in the Chat box and accessible from the left menu

Change the general look and feel of your environment Setup other email accounts to work with Gmail Manage your labels Change your Inbox Tabs and Categories Set filters to determine what to do with incoming email Change your chat options Turn Web Clips (sponsored links above your inbox) on or off Add fun and function with Labs gadgets Enable offline options to see messages without Internet connection Personalize your environment with themes Changing Your Settings Tip: Make 1 or 2 changes and test when playing with your settings. If you dont know what an option isDONT CHANGE IT!

Filters allow you to manage the flow of incoming messages. Using filters, you can automatically label, archive, delete, star, or forward your mail, even keep it out of Spam. Using FiltersAs Rules for Your Inbox Click the down arrow in your search box A window will appear that allows you to specify your search criteria Click Create filter with this search at the bottom of the search

A new window will appear and allow you t o choose the actions you want the filter to take. When finished choosing actions, click the Create filter button Customizing Your Filters Use a particular message to create a filter by selecting the message Click the More button and then Filter messages like these To edit or delete existing filters go to Settings and click the Filters tab

Contacts From the Mail screen select the red arrow and select Contacts from the list Click the New Contact button to add a new contact Fill out the information and save when complete Add your new contact to a group for easy group messages

Organizing Your Contacts Click My Contacts and then select the contacts you want to group together Click the Group Button and then choose a group to add the contacts to or create a new group Compose a message by selecting a contact and then the Compose button Delete contacts by clicking the More button Manage groups by selecting the group from the left and then add or delete contacts as needed

Review Gmail with overview videos or participate in an interactive tour Become an expert with self-paced training Learn some Gmail tips and tricks Quicken up your Gmail experience with keyboard shortcuts Find these tutorials and videos at: http://learn.googleapps.com/gmail Need More Practice? Want to Become an Expert?