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Compose and Send Email
Compose a New Email: Click the Compose
button at the top of the left pane. Enter the email
addresses for your recipients in the To field.
Enter a subject in the Subject field. Write a
message in the main text field, and then click
Send.
Add Cc and Bcc Recipients: While composing
an email, click the Cc or Bcc link in the To field.
Add recipients’ email addresses to the Cc or
Bcc fields.
• Use Cc (carbon copy) to send a copy of the
email to someone who may be interested in
it but is not a primary recipient.
• Use Bcc (blind carbon copy) to send a copy
to someone without other recipients
knowing, or to send a copy out to many
people while keeping everyone’s email
address private.
Reply to an Email: While viewing the email you
want to reply to, click the Reply button
below the message. Enter a message, then click
Send.
Reply All to an Email: While viewing the email
you want to reply to, click the Reply All
button below the message. Enter a message,
then click Send.
Forward an Email: While viewing the email you
want to forward, click the Forward button
below the message. Enter a message to
accompany the forward if you would like, then
click Send.
Expand the New Message Window: While
composing an email, click the Full-screen
button. Click the Exit Full-screen button to
go back to the small New Message window.
Format Message Text: Expand the New
Message window to full-screen, or click the
Formatting Options button. Select the text
you want to format, then use the options on the
Formatting Options toolbar to format the text.
Attach a File: While composing an email, click
the Attach files button, then select a file from
your computer and click Open.
Attach a File from Google Drive: While
composing an email, click the Insert Files
using Drive button, then select a file from
your Google Drive. Choose whether to send a
link to the file, or to attach the file itself, then
click Insert.
Insert a Link: While composing an email, click
the Insert Link button. Set the text to display
as the link, if necessary, then choose whether to
insert a link to a web address or email address.
Enter the link’s address, then click OK.
Schedule an Email: After composing an email,
click the Send button list arrow and select
Schedule send . Select a suggested date
and time; or click Pick date & time, select a
custom date and time, then click Schedule
Send.
Organize Your Inbox
Create a Label: Click More at the bottom of the
Navigation panel to expand its options, then
click Create new label . Give the label a
name, then click Create.
Apply a Label to an Email: Select an email, click
the Labels button on the toolbar, check the
check boxes for the labels you want to apply,
then click Apply.
View a Label’s Email: Click a label in the
Navigation panel to view all the email with that
label applied.
Hide a Label: Hover your mouse over a label in
the left pane, click the More Options ⋮ button,
and, under the In label list heading, select
Hide.
Show a Hidden Label: Click More at the bottom
of the left pane to expand its options, then click
Manage labels . Click Show next to a label
you want to show.
Search for an Email: Click in the Search field at
the top of the screen, type a word or phrase,
then press Enter.
Refine a Search: After beginning a search, click
the Show search options ▼ button in the
search field. Enter additional search criteria in
the available fields, then click Search.
Create a Filter: Click the Show search options
▼ button in the search field, set up the search
criteria you want to base the filter on, and then
click Create Filter. Set up what actions you
want to apply to filtered emails, then click
Create Filter.
Manage Filters: Click the Settings button in
the inbox, then select Settings. Click the
Filters and Blocked Addresses tab, then click
a filter’s Edit button to edit it or a filter’s Delete
button to remove it.
Star an Email: Click the empty Star icon on
an email in the inbox; or, select multiple emails
by checking their check boxes, then click the
More Actions ⋮ button on the toolbar and select
Add star.
View Starred Emails: Click the Starred
category link in the Navigation panel, or enter
the search term “is:starred” in the Search field.
Toggle Email Importance: Click an email’s
Importance marker to toggle its
importance. Or, select multiple emails by
checking their check boxes, then click the More
Actions ⋮ button on the toolbar and select either
Mark As Important or Mark As Not
Important.
View Important Emails: Click the Important
category link in the Navigation panel, or enter
the search term “is:important” in the Search
field.
Organize Your Inbox
Archive an Email: Hover your mouse over an
email in the inbox and click the Archive
button; or select emails by checking their
checkboxes, then click the Archive button
on the toolbar.
Delete an Email: Hover your mouse over an
email in the inbox and click the Delete
button; or, select emails by checking their
checkboxes, then click the Delete button on
the toolbar.
View the Trash: Click More at the bottom of the
Navigation panel to expand its options, then
click Trash .
Restore a Deleted Email: While viewing the
trash, select an email, click the Move To
button on the toolbar, and select Inbox.
Empty the Trash: While viewing the trash, click
the Empty Trash now link at the top of the
thread list.
Mute an Email Conversation: Open an email or
select it by checking its checkbox, then click the
More Actions ⋮ button on the toolbar and
select Mute.
View a Muted Conversation: Click the All Mail
category in the left pane, then look for
conversations marked with a Muted label; or,
enter the search term “is:muted” in the Search
field.
Snooze an Email: Hover your mouse over an
email in the inbox and click the Snooze
button, or select emails by checking their check
boxes, then click the Snooze button on the
toolbar. From the menu, select how long you
want to snooze the email for.
Customize Email Settings
View and Modify Settings: From the inbox, click
the Settings button, then select Settings.
Enable Desktop Notifications: From the
General tab of the Settings screen, scroll down
to the Desktop Notifications category. Click
the Click here to enable desktop
notifications for Gmail link. Click Allow in the
browser popup. Select a notification setting,
then click the Save Changes button.
Add a Signature: From the General tab of the
Settings screen, scroll down to the Signature
category. Click the Signature option button to
enable a signature, then enter a signature in the
text field. Click the Save Changes button.
Add a Vacation Response: From the General
tab of the Settings screen, scroll down to the
Vacation Responder category. Click the
Vacation Responder on option, then ender a
start date. If you have an end date, check the
Last day check box and enter an end date.
Enter a subject line and message body for the
response email, then click the Save Changes
button.