The Complete Gmail Guide for Beginners and Power Users
Fed up with drowning in emails? Looking for a Gmail guide for beginners that actually makes sense? This friendly guide breaks down complex features into simple steps that anyone can follow.
🎯 What Makes This Guide Different?
- Plain English explanations (no tech gibberish!)
- Over 360 helpful screenshots showing you exactly what to click
- Real-world examples you can actually use
- A sprinkle of humor to keep things fun
- A massive guide (150,000 words!) that’s actually easy to follow
✨ What You’ll Learn:
- Turn inbox chaos into zen-like organization
- Shield your account from hackers and scammers
- Become a Gmail power user (without the headaches)
- Master Google Calendar, Keep, and Tasks
- Transform your daily email routine from “ugh” to “done!”
Getting Started (Gmail for beginners)
From setting up your account to sending and receiving emails, this book holds everything you need to get started.
Gmail Security
How to protect you and your Google account with Gmail’s security settings.
This new 6th edition has more than doubled in size, including all the latest Gmail features and time-saving tricks. Whether you’re new to Gmail or just want to up your email game, this guide meets you where you are.
Covers Google Calendar, Keep and Tasks
Learn how to get the most from other linked Google services like Tasks, Keep, and Google Calendar.
📚 Available Formats:
- Physical Book: $24.99 – Perfect for highlighting and quick reference
- Digital Edition: $9.99 – Instant access, searchable content
🎁 Inside You’ll Discover:
- Setting up Gmail the right way (and what settings to change first)
- Must-know security features to protect your account
- Time-saving keyboard shortcuts that actually make sense
- Email management strategies that work in the real world
- Google Workspace integration tips that’ll make your life easier
- Every tip includes clear screenshots so you can follow along with confidence
Stop letting your inbox control your life. This Gmail guide for beginners takes you from overwhelmed to organized. Grab your copy today and join thousands of readers who’ve transformed their Gmail experience from stressful to streamlined!
Get the ebook or paperback of A Simpler Guide to Gmail today!
Contents for this Gmail guide for beginners:
Some headings have been pared down to reduce the size of this webpage.
INTRODUCTION
- How should I use this book?
- What is Gmail?
- Why is Gmail the Best Email Service Out There?
CHAPTER 1: OPENING AN ACCOUNT WITH A SMILE: SAY GOODBYE TO BORING EMAILS
- Download and Install Google Chrome
- Creating Your Gmail Account
- Filling in the forms
- Fill in your name
- Your birthday and gender
- Choosing your username
- Choosing your password
- Add your phone number
- Verifying your number
- Recovery Email
- Settings
- Privacy and Terms
- Smart Features
- Personalizing your Google account
CHAPTER 2: GMAIL IN A JIFFY: THE QUICK GUIDE FOR THE IMPATIENT
- Navigating Gmail
- The top navigation bars
- Account navigation
- Gmail-specific top navigation
- Side navigation (Main Menu)
- Right Sidebar
- Getting Started
- Adding your profile picture
- Importing mail and contacts
- Logging in or Signing in
- Logging Out or Signing Out
- Reading emails
- Viewing attachments
- Gmail’s category inboxes (tabs)
CHAPTER 3: INBOX DETOX: CLEANING OUT YOUR DIGITAL JUNK DRAWER
- Step 1: Set up Labels as inboxes
- Creating the three inboxes in Gmail
- Step 2: Filter your current emails
- Modifying your Labels
- Step 3: Action emails
- Step 4: Create extra folders
CHAPTER 4: EMAIL SECURITY: DON’T LET HACKERS RUIN YOUR DAY
- Passwords
- Changing your password
- Two-factor authentication (2FA)
- How to set up 2FA on Google
- Google Prompt
- Sign-in Options
- Passkeys
- Security Keys (FIDO)
- Buying a Security Key
- Removing a Passkey
- Authenticator
- Adding a backup phone
- Backup codes
- Removing Access to Devices and Third Parties
- Revoking Devices
- Revoking access to websites
- What is the Advanced Protection Program?
- Enable Advanced Protection
- Manage Advanced Protection
- Turn off Advanced Protection
- Skip password when possible
- Security Maintenance
- Spam, Scams and Phishing
- Recognizing spam, scams and phishing emails
- How did they get your email address?
- What you can do
- How to stop spam from reaching your inbox
- Only receive emails from my Contacts in Gmail
- Public Wi-Fi
- Risks of Using Public Wi-Fi Networks for Gmail
- Mitigating Risks When Accessing Gmail on Public Wi-Fi
- Download your data (Google Takeout)
- Products where data is available to download from Google
- Where to store your Download
- Deleting your account
- Deleting Google Services
- Deleting your entire Google account
CHAPTER 5: SENDING & RECEIVING EMAIL: HOW TO TALK TO PEOPLE WITHOUT ACTUALLY TALKING TO THEM
- Discussions
- Replying and forwarding an email
- Replying
- Adding an email as an attachment
- Replying to a group
- Replying by emoji (reactions)
- Forwarding an email
- Canceling an email
- Crafting effective emails
- Subject Lines
- Important Information at the top
- Formatting
- Readability
- Signatures
- Accessibility
- How to Start a new email in Gmail
- Formatting your email
- Attach files to your emails
- Adding a link to your email
- Insert Emoji
- Insert files using Drive
- Insert Photo
- Confidential mode
- Adding a signature to your emails
- Adding a photo to your signature
- Even More Options
- Default to full-screen
- Label
- Plain text mode
- Check spelling
- Smart Compose
- Scheduling emails to be sent later
- Archiving Emails
- Deleting emails
- Deleting draft emails
- Deleting emails sent to you
- Bulk Delete emails
- Translating emails
- Printing emails
- Printing Tips
- Netiquette
CHAPTER 6: YOUR DIGITAL ADDRESS BOOK
- How to get to Google Contacts
- Contacts overview
- Create a contact
- How to add contacts
- Adding a contact using an email address or phone number
- Adding photos to Contacts
- Adding Multiple Contacts
- Editing Contacts
- Deleting Contacts
- Restoring contacts
- Recovering one Contact
- Recovering more than one Contact
- Starring your contacts – Giving them VIP Status
- Grouping your contacts
- Grouping your contacts using Labels
- Google Groups for grouping contacts
- Importing and exporting contacts to Google Contacts
- Importing Contacts
- Exporting Contacts
- Printing your contacts list
- Other Contacts
- Google Contacts settings
- Duplicate contacts
- Life Hack – For Emergencies
- Privacy
- My contacts are missing in Google Contacts
- My contacts are missing on my phone
- I can’t Import or Export my contacts
CHAPTER 7: LABELING LIKE A BOSS: RULE YOUR INBOX WITH AN IRON FIST
- What are Labels?
- Creating a Label
- Nested labels
- How to create that label
- Customizing your labels
- Show or Hide labels
- Edit your label
- Remove the label from the submenu
- Add a sublabel
- Applying a Label
- Applying a label to more than one email
- Removing Labels
- Removing labels from one email
- Removing labels from several emails
- Deleting labels
- Emails Not Showing Under Labels
- Labels Not Syncing
- Accidental Label Deletion
CHAPTER 8: MAKE GMAIL LOOK THE WAY YOU WANT: BECAUSE WHY SHOULDN’T EMAIL BE FASHIONABLE?
- Pick a Theme
- Dynamic Themes
- Customize Your Background
- Display Density
- Space between emails
- Attachments
- How to enable display density
- Add Some Flair with a Signature
- Label with Style
- Embrace the Power of Emojis
- Change the inbox type to change the look
- Which Inbox is right for you?
- Reading Pane
- Email Threading
- Accessibility Features: Making Gmail Work for Everyone
CHAPTER 9: GMAIL FILTERS: THE MAGIC WAND FOR YOUR INBOX WOES
- Why use filters?
- Finding Filters
- Creating a filter
- Filtering options
- Editing/changing a filter
- Deleting a filter
- Sharing filters (exporting filters)
- Adding filters given to you (importing filters)
- Blocked addresses
- Blocking an address
- Unblocking an address
- Quick Tips
CHAPTER 10: CSI GMAIL: SEARCH FOR THAT MISSING EMAIL
- Why might you use search?
- Searching for emails from a certain person
- Searching for emails you have sent to people
- Subject searching
- Searching for emails using keywords (Has the words…)
- Removing emails from the search
- Searching by size
- Searching by date
- Searching in your labels
- Finding emails with an attachment
- Searching through your Chats
- Sorting emails by newest or oldest
- Why bother with advanced search?
- Common pitfalls & quick fixes
- Using search operators for decluttering
- Nested searches
- Search Operators
- Advanced search with Boolean operators
- Combining Boolean and Gmail operators
- Search Operators explained
CHAPTER 11: SETTINGS: THE MAGIC BEHIND THE CURTAIN
- The Quick Settings
- The General settings tab
- The Labels tab
- The Inbox tab
- Accounts and import Tab
- Change account settings (including password)
- Using Gmail for work?
- Import mail and contacts
- Send Mail As
- Filters and blocked addresses Tab
- Forwarding and POP/IMAP Tab
- POP vs. IMAP
- Gmailify
- Forwarding
- POP download
- IMAP access
- Add-ons Tab
- Installing Add-ons
- Uninstalling Add-ons
- Chat and Meet
- Advanced (formerly Labs)
- Auto-advance
- Templates
- Custom Keyboard Shortcuts
- Unread Message Icon
- Offline
- Themes
CHAPTER 12: EMAIL MANAGEMENT: FOR WHEN YOU CAN’T JUST SET YOUR INBOX ON FIRE
- Time Management
- Prioritization
- Starring Emails
- Prioritize by Emoji
- Snooze
- Snoozing on your mobile device
- Replying to messages
- Replying with a Template
- Editing/Overwriting a Template
- Deleting a Template
- Using filters to send Templates
- Using the inbox tabs
- Other Folders
- Using filters with labels
- Setting up filters from email in your inbox (Filter messages like these)
- Unsubscribe from unwanted newsletters
CHAPTER 13: CHAT, SPACES & MEET: FOR THOSE TIMES WHEN EMAIL JUST ISN’T ENOUGH
Chat
- Turning on Chat
- How to get to Google Chat
- Chat Overview
- Accepting an Invite
- Starting a conversation in Chat
- Editing Messages
- Deleting Messages
- Adding more than just text
- Chatting with Multiple People
- Start a video message inside a chat
- Tips for Using Google Chat
- Searching your Chat history
- Blocking contacts
- Turn off Chat
- Reactivating Chat
Google Spaces
- Topic-Based Conversations
- Threaded Discussions
- Integration with Google Workspace
- File Sharing
- Task Management
- Why should I use Google Spaces?
- Where to find Spaces
- Creating a Space
- Rename your space
- Assign tasks in a Space
- Organizing your spaces
- Popping out your Space
- Google Workspace toolsShare your Space
- Turning history on or off
Google Meet
- Enabling Meet
- Where to Find Meet
- How to start a video call
- Creating and Sharing Google Meet Links
- Joining a meeting
- Scheduling a Meeting
- Google Meet overview
- Settings in Google Meet
- Personalize your Meeting
- Breakout Rooms
- How to end a video call
CHAPTER 14: GOOGLE CALENDAR & TASKS: MASTER YOUR SCHEDULE
Google Calendar
- Why Use Google Calendar?
- How to get to Google Calendar
- Calendar Overview
- Jump to today
- Have multiple calendars
- Managing your Calendars
- Calendar appearance
- Create events
- Editing events
- Appointment schedules (Bookable Appointment system)
- RespondiNg to an event
- Flairs
- Delete and get your events back
- Settings
- Embedding your Calendar in a website
- Time zones
- Sharing Calendars
- Keyboard shortcutsPrinting your calendar
- Tasks
- Out of Office and Working Location in the Mobile Google Calendar
Google Tasks
- How to get to Google Tasks
- Getting Started
- Setting up Google Tasks
- Navigating the Google Tasks Interface from Gmail
- Creating Task Lists
- Adding Tasks
- Adding a subtask
- Managing your Tasks
- Organizing your Tasks
- Sharing Task Lists with Others
- Viewing Tasks in Calendar
- Tips and tricks
CHAPTER 15: GOOGLE KEEP: YOUR DIGITAL NOTEBOOK
- Why use Google Keep or Tasks
- Google Keep
- How to get to Google Keep from Gmail
- How to get to the Google Keep Website
- Overview
- Where to Find Google Keep
- Write a note
- Creating and editing notes
- Checklists
- Audio notes
- Image notes
- Drawing notes
- Organizing your notes
- Deleting notes
- Collaborating with others
- Using Google Keep on different devices
- Tips and tricks for using Google Keep
- Copy to Google Docs
- Pinning notes to the top
- Offline access
- Using Keep with Google Assistant
- Doing more with Google Keep
CHAPTER 16: MOBILE GMAIL: HOW TO STAY CONNECTED OUT & ABOUT
- Overview
- The Gmail menu
- The email window
- Switching between Gmail and Meet
- Checking mail in the Gmail app
- Composing mail in the Gmail app
- Sending a basic email
- Scheduling your email
- Unscheduling your email
- Confidential mode
- Removing access
- Replying to and forwarding mail in the Gmail app
- Reply button
- Reply from the Menu
- Replying by emoji
- Snoozing emails
- Browsing your email using Labels
- Search your email
- Archiving your emails
- Deleting your emailsMark your emails as read
- Star your emails
- Print your emails
- Settings
- How to get to the settings
- General settings
- Email settings
- General category settings
- Manage your Google account
- Adding another email account
CHAPTER 17: GMAIL HACKS & FAQS
Gmail Basics
- What is Gmail?
- How do I get to Gmail?
- How do I create a Gmail account?Can I use my Gmail account for other Google services?
- How much storage space do I get with my Gmail account?
- Can I use Gmail offline?
Sending and Receiving Email
- How do I compose and send an email?
- How do I add attachments to an email?
- How do I save a draft email?
- How do I forward an email?
- How do I reply to an email?
- How do I remove email addresses when I Reply to all or use a label?
- How do I add images to my emails?
Contacts and Groups
- How do I get to Contacts?
- How do I add contacts to my Gmail account?
- How do I create a contact group/label?
- How do I edit or delete a contact or group?
- How do I import or export contacts?
Email Management & Organization
- How do I remove the ‘extra’ inboxes like updates, social and promotions?
- How do I use labels to organize my emails?
- How do I remove Labels from emails?
- How do I create filters to label emails automatically?
- How do I archive emails?
- How do I search for emails?
Settings & Customization
- How do I use keyboard shortcuts?
- How do I change my Gmail account settings?
- How do I customize my Gmail theme?
- How do I enable or disable Gmail features?
- How do I manage my Gmail storage space?
- How do I increase the size of the text in my browser and my Android phone?
- How do I see how many unread emails I have without opening the Gmail tab in the browser?
- How do I get Multiple inboxes?
- How do I get to the next email after I delete or archive?
- How do I add my Gmail account to Outlook?
Troubleshooting & Technical Issues
- Help, I’ve lost my main login method!
- Where do I go to change my password?
- Do I need a special browser to use Gmail?
- How do I print my emails?
- Why am I not receiving emails?
- Why can’t I get desktop notifications in Edge?
- Why can’t I send emails?
- How do I recover a deleted email?
- How do I report spam or phishing emails?
- How do I troubleshoot other technical issues?
- How do I login when someone is already signed in?
- How do I change my Gmail display name?
- How do I create and use a Gmail signature?
- How do I set a Default Signature?
- How do I set up a vacation responder/auto-reply in Gmail?
- How do I block or unblock email addresses in Gmail?
- How do I mark emails as important or use priority inbox in Gmail?
- How do I recall or undo a sent email in Gmail?
- How do I manage spam and filter junk emails?
- How do I integrate Gmail with third-party applications?
- How do I use Gmail’s advanced search features (e.g., search operators)?
- How do I use Google Chat and Hangouts within Gmail?
- How do I handle email quotas and ensure I don’t exceed my storage limit?
- How do I troubleshoot Gmail when it is running slow?
CHAPTER 18: GMAIL & AI: ENHANCING YOUR EMAIL EXPERIENCE
- Gemini AI in Gmail
- Who Can Benefit?
- Sign up for Workplace labs
- Step-by-Step Guides for Gmail AI
- Add-Ons and Subscriptions
- Privacy, encryption, and data usage