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Gmail help

Everything EmailNa has written about Gmail, grouped by what you're trying to do. Each guide gives exact steps for the computer and the phone app.

Gmail is the most used email service in the world, and also one of the most changed: menus move and features get renamed every year. These guides are checked against Google's own help pages and dated at the top, so you know when the steps were last confirmed.

Getting started and signing in

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  Create a Gmail account

  Make a new Gmail address step by step, with or without a phone number, plus a second account for work or a child.

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  Is a Gmail address taken?

  The only reliable way to see if a Gmail username is free, the username rules, and what to try when yours is taken.

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  Can't sign in to Gmail? Fixes

  What to do when Gmail will not let you in, will not load, or the app stops syncing.

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  Gmail SMTP settings

  Gmail SMTP, IMAP and POP server names and ports, app passwords, the Workspace SMTP relay, and sending limits.

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  Gmail app password

  Create a 16-character app password for printers, plugins and older apps, and fix a missing App passwords option.

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  Out of office in Gmail

  Turn on Gmail's vacation responder on a computer, iPhone or Android, with message examples.

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  Attach an email in Gmail

  Forward as attachment or drag emails into a new message, with phone options.

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  IMAP, POP3 and SMTP ports

  What ports 143, 993, 110, 995, 25, 465 and 587 are for, which to use in a mail app, and how to fix connection errors.

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  Change your Gmail address

  Whether Google lets you change your @gmail.com address, the steps and limits, and alternatives like a new account, forwarding or a new display name.

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  Recover an email account

  Official recovery steps for Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo and iCloud, recovery-scam warnings, and how to prevent lockouts.

Organizing your inbox

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  Gmail folders, labels and rules

  Gmail uses labels instead of folders. How to make a label, move emails into it and create rules (filters) that sort mail for you.

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  How to pin an email in Gmail

  Gmail has no pin button. The Starred first inbox keeps chosen emails at the top instead.

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  Select all emails in Gmail

  Select every email in a folder or search on a computer, and in the Gmail app about 50 at a time.

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  Sort Gmail by sender

  Gmail has no sort-by-sender button. Four ways to see every email from one person in seconds.

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  Delete emails in bulk in Gmail

  Delete thousands of old or unwanted emails at once with searches, select-all and a few safety checks.

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  Recover deleted emails in Gmail

  Where deleted Gmail messages go, how to get them back within 30 days, and what to try if they are missing.

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  Create a group email in Gmail

  Make a contact group (label) so you can email everyone by typing one name, or set up a Google Group as a mailing list.

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  How to find unread emails in Gmail

  The is:unread search, the Unread first inbox, unread by label or date, and mark all as read, on a computer or phone.

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  What is an email thread?

  How threads and conversation view work, and how to turn threading on or off in Gmail and Outlook.

Spam, privacy and security

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  Where is the spam folder in Gmail?

  Find Gmail's Spam folder on a computer, Android or iPhone, and rescue real emails stuck there.

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  Gmail aliases and plus addressing

  Free Gmail aliases with + and dots, how "Send mail as" works, why aliases stop working, and the 2027 change.

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  How to send encrypted email in Gmail

  What Gmail already encrypts, how to use Confidential mode, and when you need S/MIME.

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  "We can't verify this email came from the sender"

  What the Outlook unverified-sender warning means, whether the email is dangerous, and how senders make it go away.

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  Gmail not receiving emails?

  A 10-step checklist: Spam, All Mail, filters, blocked senders, forwarding, storage, outages and sender problems.

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  Mailer-daemon in Gmail

  Gmail's bounce notices explained: what the error means, what to do, and why you get them for emails you never sent.

Writing and sending

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  How to schedule an email

  Schedule emails in Gmail, Outlook, Apple Mail, Yahoo and more, which services cannot, and the best reasons to send later.

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  Write emails by voice

  Dictate emails instead of typing on Windows, Outlook, Mac, iPhone and Android, plus the words that add punctuation.

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  Email signature examples

  Copy-ready signatures for students, job seekers, CEOs and small businesses, and how to add one in Gmail and Outlook.

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  What does CC mean in email?

  CC and BCC explained: who sees what, how reply-all works, when to use each, and how to add them in Gmail and Outlook.

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  How to add a GIF to an email

  Put an animated GIF in the body of an email in Gmail, Outlook and Apple Mail, keep it small, and fix GIFs that won't play.

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  Email attachment size limits

  Gmail, Outlook, Microsoft 365, Yahoo and iCloud limits from official pages, plus how to send bigger files.

Questions people ask

Is EmailNa part of Google?

No. EmailNa is an independent help site. For account recovery, use Google's official account recovery page.

Why do Gmail steps look different on my phone?

The Gmail app and the website have different menus. Each guide gives steps for both.