How to Use More Gmail Features

If you don’t already have a Gmail account, you are missing out on one of the most comprehensive free email services on the net. Google hosts Gmail and you can sign up for a Google Account on their main page. Businesses are rushing to establish Gmail accounts as well as individuals because Gmail offers features not found anywhere else on the web in one smart package.

Step1

Establish a new account or open an existing one. On the main account page, you’ll see the Gmail option and in parenthesis just behind it, you’ll find the link to “Settings.” Open this link and you can configure your account.

Step2

Examine the General tab. Here you can choose a language option and the number of emails per page. You can upload an avatar or photo that will accompany your emails. Type a motto that represents you in the Signature box and all your email recipients will see it.

Step3

Select a special Vacation Responder to send an automatic reply to anyone who emails you when you are away. You can modify this feature so that only people in your Contacts list will get a response.

Step4

Open the Accounts tab at the top of the page and you can add additional Gmail addresses and manage all of them from one handy area. Here you can also link Gmail to an existing domain.

Step5

Choose the Filters tab when you want to screen out certain words or block spam from appearing in your email inbox.

Step6

Set your Gmail account to forward messages to a separate account under the Forwarding tab. This is a super feature for re-routing emails. You can easily enable or disable it.

Step7

Open the Chat tab and choose the settings you want to accompany your chatting habits. If you would like to save all the conversations, this is the spot where you will configure that option. You can also enable sounds and emoticons here.

Step8

Check out the Labs tab to see the experimental features Google is messing around with. Here you can find some nifty add-ons to make your Gmail experience exciting and rewarding.