Gmail is a free email service for sending and receiving emails. Its interface makes it easy to manage your inbox. A great way to keep in touch with your friends and family!
Gmail is a free email service offered by Google. It allows you to send and receive emails (mails) from a computer or a mobile device (smartphone or tablet), with a simple web browser, an email software (“email client”) or an application ( mobile) dedicated.
Why create a Gmail address
All people who have taken out a subscription with an Internet service provider (ISP) can create one or more email addresses with an associated domain name. For example, at Orange (formerly France Telecom), the address suffix is @orange.fr. At first glance, there is therefore no need to resort to an external service for sending and receiving emails, since your ISP is responsible for transmitting your messages. However, we strongly advise you to use another service provider for the following reasons:
- In the event of a change of ISP, you cannot keep the email addresses assigned to you by the previous provider. Consequently, if you want to remain reachable during the activation phase of your new ADSL line (which can sometimes take several weeks), you must use an email address independent of any ISP.
- When you are on a business trip or on vacation, you retain the ability to check your emails at any time via a website. Of course, most French ISPs offer consultation of messages via webmail.
- In the event of temporary unavailability of your ISP’s mail servers for various reasons, you are still able to send and receive emails using your second email address.
- Finally, the functions offered by ISPs are often less numerous and less efficient than those of independent couriers.
Gmail features
Like its competitors, Google offers an email service called Gmail (Google Mail). This is a webmail, that is to say an email account that can be consulted with a simple web browser.
Creating a Gmail address is very simple: see the How to create a Gmail address sheet.
Gmail offers several advantages (non-exhaustive list):
- 15 GB storage capacity (it has been increased several times since the creation of the service).
- Management of emails by discussion. This is more practical for following the thread of a conversation with the same correspondent.
- Labeling system to quickly classify and find your emails.
- Integrated search engine. It is possible to launch queries on the content of the messages, the sender, the recipient, etc.
- Efficient and reliable SMTP server.
- Auto-completion of addresses entered (in other words, the recipient’s address is automatically offered by Gmail when the user types the first characters that compose it).
- POP and IMAP management to access your emails from an email client like Outlook.
- Protection against Spam (unsolicited emails).
- Centralized management of your non-Gmail email accounts.
- Viewing RSS feeds.
- Antiviral protection of sent and received mail.
- Scheduling emails, to automatically send messages at a date and time later than the editorial office.
Good to know: Gmail is compatible with all existing web browsers, provided they manage cookies and JavaScript. To benefit from advanced functions (faster loading of pages, keyboard shortcuts, automatic saving of emails being written, etc.), you must have a recent browser.
Send emails on Gmail
Composing and viewing messages in Gmail hardly differs from the options offered by a traditional email client.
► To send an email, click on New messagelocated above the list of folders.
► An input form appears in the Gmail interface.
► It is however possible to open an independent window by clicking on the pictogram consisting of a blue square, containing an arrow, superimposed on another blue square. The main interest of this option is to authorize access to all the functions of the Gmail mailbox, without interrupting the entry of the email.
► In the field TO : , type the address of the person you want to write to. If there are multiple recipients, separate the addresses with commas. As you type, Gmail may suggest addresses you use frequently, then those in your contact list (including groups). In case of multiple proposals, press the key [Entrée] to select the first suggestion or move through the list to select another address. If Gmail doesn’t suggest the address you want, continue typing without considering the suggestions.
Tip: You can select the contacts you want to write to directly from the Contacts folder. All you have to do is tick the box in front of the name of the people you want, then click on the button Write.
► By default, only the “To :” is visible. To display the field “CC :” click on Add a Cc field. Cc stands for “carbon copy” ; type here the addresses of the people who are not the primary recipients of the message, but to whom you nevertheless wish to send a copy.
► To display the field “Bcc:” click on the link Add a Bcc field. Bcc means “blind carbon copy” ; type here the addresses of people to whom you want to send a copy of the email, but without the other correspondents knowing it.
► In Object : enter the subject discussed in the email.
► Then enter the actual text. By default, Gmail offers to send a message in HTML format. You have options for enriching and formatting the text: bold, italic, underline, choice of font and its size, insertion of hypertext links, bulleted lists, numbered lists, etc.
If you are not sure whether your correspondents can read rich texts, click on the link “Text only“. Note that spelling correction works in both input modes. It is also possible to add attachments (images, texts, videos, etc.) to the message. To do this, click on the link “Attach a file” then on the button “Browse” to select a file on the hard drive. When you have finished typing your mail, click the “Send“to ship it immediately or on the button”To register” to save it as a draft.
To know : Gmail backs up the email you’re typing at regular intervals. Therefore, do not panic if for one reason or another it was lost. You will find a copy in the folder Drafts.
Unfortunately, Gmail doesn’t have a “receipt receipt” feature for messages you send.
Receive emails on Gmail
You notice that sending emails turns out to be childishly simple. The same goes for their consultation. All received emails are stored in the inbox. The number of unread emails is specified in parentheses, to the right of the file Mailbox. Gmail automatically checks every two minutes for new messages. At any time, you can force verification by clicking on Refresh.
Unlike other webmail and email clients, Gmail does not display emails as single messages. All replies to an e-mail are grouped together in the form of a discussion. It is thus impossible to lose the thread of a conversation.
It is very easy to recognize a discussion in the inbox. By default, an isolated message is summarized in one line:
- Sender
- Object
- The first words contained in the body of the text
- The date (or time) of shipment
When it is a conversation, instead of the sender you see the name of the participants as well as their number (in parentheses).
► To read a message, click on its title. It is displayed in full. Click on the three small dots to display a drop-down menu.
► You can reply to your correspondent by clicking on Answer. To forward the email to another person, click To transfer. If the sender did not write to you from a Google account, the link Invite [prénom_ émetteur] on Gmail is visible. Click it if you want to invite the person to test Gmail. You can also choose to print the email, add the sender to the address book, report the message as a phishing attempt, etc. One click on Show original indicates the date and time of dispatch, the names and addresses of the recipients, as well as possibly the name of the company from which the message was sent (for example yahoo.fr or gmail.com if the sender used webmail). To remove this information, click on Hide details.
► When you consult a conversation, the initial message and the replies are immediately displayed one after the other. By default, only the last response received is visible in its entirety. To read all the interventions, just click on Expand All. To consult only one message, you simply have to click on it (the other emails remain reduced). A second mouse click will shrink it again. To close all messages while maintaining an overview of the speakers, click on Collapse all. Note that the name of each participant is colored, which makes it relatively easy to follow the thread of the discussion.
To know : It is not possible to hide the content of the most recent email in a conversation.