Gmail: The Complete Guide (Settings, Tips and Fixes)

Gmail is Google's free email service. You can use it in a web browser, in the Gmail app for Android and iPhone, or in another email app such as Apple Mail or Outlook. Below are short answers to the questions people ask most, each linking to a full step-by-step article. Steps use the labels Google shows in October 2026; when a step differs between a computer and the phone apps, we say which one.

• Your Gmail account
• Send and write
• Organize your inbox
• Fix Gmail problems
• Privacy and security
• Gmail on your devices
• When Gmail isn't enough
• FAQ

Where Gmail's settings are: on a computer, click the gear icon at the top right, then See all settings. Most of the settings in this guide (signature, Undo Send, vacation responder, filters, forwarding) live on the tabs there. The phone apps have a shorter list under Menu > Settings, and some settings, such as filters, exist only on a computer.

Your Gmail account

Create an account, or a second one

Go to accounts.google.com, choose Create account and pick a username; you'll need a phone number in most cases. A second account works the same way, and you can stay signed in to both. See how to create a new Gmail account.

Use several Gmail accounts

Click or tap your profile picture and choose Add another account, then switch accounts from the same menu. The account you sign in with first usually becomes the default. Gmail on the web is ending "Check mail from other accounts" (POP) and Gmailify: no new users since the first quarter of 2026, and existing users lose them in January 2027. Our guide to managing multiple Gmail accounts covers switching, the default account, signing out of one account and reading every account in one inbox.

Aliases and extra addresses

Gmail ignores dots in the username and lets you add a plus sign and any word (yourname+shopping@gmail.com). Mail to either still reaches you, which helps with sign-ups and filters. For what an alias is and how it differs by provider, see what an email alias is; for temporary and alternate Gmail addresses, see our Gmail generator guide.

Delete a Gmail account

At myaccount.google.com, open Data & privacy. You can delete only Gmail and keep the Google Account (YouTube, Drive, Photos), or delete the whole Google Account. Download your mail with Google Takeout first. If you only want the account off one device, sign out or remove it instead. Full steps: how to delete a Gmail account.

Send and write

Unsend an email

Right after you send, click Undo in the "Message sent" bar at the bottom left (or tap Undo in the app). You get 5, 10, 20 or 30 seconds, set under Undo Send in the General settings tab. After that the email is delivered, and deleting your copy doesn't remove the recipient's. See can you unsend an email.

Schedule an email

Write the email, click the arrow next to Send and choose Schedule send, then pick a suggested time or your own. Scheduled emails wait in the Scheduled folder, where you can cancel them.

Add a signature

On a computer, open See all settings, type your signature in the Signature section and click Save Changes. A signature can be up to 10,000 characters, images included. The phone apps have a separate mobile signature. See how to add a signature in Gmail.

Set an out-of-office reply

In See all settings > General, turn on Vacation responder, set the dates, subject and message, and click Save Changes. You can limit replies to your contacts. See how to set up a Gmail out-of-office reply.

Read receipts

Gmail offers read receipts only on work and school (Google Workspace) accounts: in the compose window, open More options and choose Request read receipt. Personal @gmail.com accounts don't have them. See how to tell if someone read your email on Gmail, and our general guide to email read receipts.

CC and BCC

Click Cc or Bcc at the right of the To field. BCC recipients are hidden from everyone else. See what BCC means in email.

Organize your inbox

Archive, and find archived emails

Archive moves an email out of the inbox without deleting it: select it and click Archive, or press E. To find it again, open More > All Mail on the left, or search in:archive. See how to find archived emails in Gmail.

Rules and filters

Click the search options icon in the search box, enter who or what to match, click Create filter, pick the actions (label, archive, delete, star, forward) and click Create filter again. Filters are made on a computer and then apply everywhere. See how to create rules in Gmail.

Delete emails in bulk

Search for what you want gone (for example older_than:1y, category:promotions or from: a sender), tick the Select box, click Select all conversations that match this search, then Delete. The phone apps select 50 at a time. Deleted mail stays in Trash for 30 days and counts toward your storage until then. See how to mass delete emails on Gmail.

Unsubscribe from newsletters

Open an email from the sender and click Unsubscribe next to the sender's name when Gmail shows it, or use the unsubscribe link in the email. See how to unsubscribe from emails on Gmail.

Unread emails

Search is:unread to see only unread mail, then select all and mark them read if you want a clean slate. More ways to deal with a pile of unread mail: how to manage unread messages.

Fix Gmail problems

Gmail isn't receiving emails

First check the Google Workspace Status Dashboard for an outage. Then search Mail & Spam & Trash, check your filters and blocked addresses, your forwarding and POP/IMAP settings, and your storage: when Google storage is full, mail sent to you goes back to the sender. Full fix list: Gmail not receiving emails.

"Queued" in the Gmail app

Queued means the app hasn't been able to send the email yet, usually because of a weak connection, the app's sync or storage on the phone. The same article explains how to get queued messages out.

"Too many simultaneous connections"

Gmail limits how many apps can connect to one account over IMAP at once. If an email app shows this error, close other apps using the account; see how to fix too many simultaneous connections on Gmail.

Privacy and security

Send an encrypted email

Gmail encrypts mail in transit with TLS, which isn't end-to-end encryption. Work and school accounts can use S/MIME or client-side encryption if the admin turns it on. Personal Gmail accounts need PGP through an email app or extension, or a password-protected file. Confidential mode doesn't encrypt anything. See how to send encrypted email in Gmail and our explainer on PGP encryption.

Is Gmail secure?

Against outsiders, yes: TLS in transit, spam and phishing filtering, and 2-Step Verification if you turn it on. It isn't private from Google, which can read messages on its servers. The encryption article above covers this in more detail.

Gmail on your devices

Windows

Google doesn't make a Gmail app for Windows. You can install Gmail as an app from Chrome or Edge, or add your Gmail account to a desktop email app. See Gmail app for Windows, with steps and the 8 best desktop apps for Gmail.

Mac and iPhone

There's no Gmail app for Mac either; on iPhone, Google's Gmail app sits alongside Apple Mail. See the best Gmail apps for Mac and iPhone, the safest ways to use Gmail on a Mac, and how to add Gmail to iPhone Mail. For Apple's own app, see our complete guide to Apple Mail.

When Gmail isn't enough

The usual reasons are accounts at several providers, wanting privacy from the provider itself, or features Gmail keeps for Workspace (read receipts) or doesn't have (PGP on a personal account). A privacy worry may mean switching provider; the rest often only needs a different app. These comparisons go through the trade-offs: Apple Mail vs Gmail, Yahoo Mail vs Gmail, Canary Mail vs Gmail (disclosure: we make Canary Mail) and Gmail alternatives with AI and privacy.

Frequently asked questions

Where are the settings in Gmail?

On a computer, click the gear icon at the top right, then See all settings. In the Gmail app, open the menu and tap Settings. Some settings, such as filters, exist only on a computer.

Can I unsend an email in Gmail after a few minutes?

No. Undo Send works only for the 5 to 30 seconds you set in Settings. After that the email is delivered, and deleting your copy doesn't remove the recipient's.

Does Gmail have read receipts?

Only on work and school (Google Workspace) accounts. Personal @gmail.com accounts can't request them in Gmail.

How many Gmail accounts can I have?

Google doesn't publish a limit, and you can be signed in to several at once and switch between them from your profile picture.

Is there a Gmail app for Windows or Mac?

No. Google makes Gmail apps for Android, iPhone and iPad only. On a computer you can install Gmail as a web app from Chrome or Edge, or use a desktop email app with your Gmail account.

Why am I not getting emails in Gmail?

The most common causes are filters, the Spam folder, forwarding settings and full Google storage. Check them in that order, after ruling out an outage on the Google Workspace Status Dashboard.

Is Gmail end-to-end encrypted?

No, not for personal accounts. Gmail encrypts mail in transit, and work and school accounts can add S/MIME or client-side encryption. For a personal account, use PGP through an email app or extension.

Sources

• Google Gmail Help: Create a Gmail signature (answer 8395)
• Google Gmail Help: Archive or mute Gmail messages (answer 6576)
• Google Gmail Help: Create rules to filter your emails (answer 6579)
• Google Gmail Help: Send automatic replies (answer 25922)
• Google Gmail Help: Unsend an email (answer 2819488)
• Google Gmail Help: Request or return a read receipt (answer 9413651)
• Google Gmail Help: changes to Gmailify and POP (answer 16604719)