Go to Gmail and start a new account

Open a web browser and go to gmail.com. In the top right corner, you will see a button that says "Create account". Click it. Gmail will ask whether you want a new Gmail address or to use an existing email from another provider — choose "Create a new Gmail address" unless you already have an email somewhere else that you want to use.

You will see a form with four fields: first name, last name, desired Gmail address, and password. Your Gmail address is what people will use to reach you — it appears before the @gmail.com part. Choose something you can remember and that you do not mind sharing with banks, doctors, and other places that will ask for it. Avoid using your full birth year or other information that changes how you look online.

Your password needs to be at least eight characters long and should mix uppercase letters, lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols (like ! or #). Write it down somewhere safe — not on a sticky note on your monitor, but in a notebook you keep at home or in a password manager like Bitwarden or 1Password. You will need this password every time you log in.

Verify your phone number

After you create your account, Gmail will ask you to verify a phone number. This is a security step that makes your account much harder for someone else to break into. Enter your real phone number — the one you use every day — and Gmail will send you a text message with a code. Type that code back into Gmail and click verify.

If you do not want to use your phone number, you can skip this step, but Gmail will ask you again later. Adding a phone number now takes two minutes and saves you trouble later if you ever forget your password or someone tries to access your account without permission.

Add a recovery email address

Gmail will then ask for a recovery email address — a different email account where Gmail can reach you if something goes wrong. This should be an email you check regularly and that you have not forgotten the password to. If you have an older Yahoo or Outlook account, that works fine. If you do not have another email address, you can skip this for now, but add one later in your account settings.

The recovery email is separate from your phone number. If you lose access to your Gmail password, Google can send you a link to reset it to whichever recovery method you set up. Without at least one of these — phone or email — you could get locked out of your own account permanently.

Choose your recovery options in settings

Once your account is created, you will land on your inbox. Click the gear icon in the top right corner and select "See all settings". Go to the "Security" tab on the left side. Scroll down to "How you sign in to Google" and make sure your phone number and recovery email are both listed there.

While you are in Security settings, turn on 2-Step Verification if you plan to use this account for banking or other sensitive tasks. This means that even if someone gets your password, they cannot log in without also having your phone. It takes an extra ten seconds each time you sign in, but it stops most account theft. You can turn it on now or come back to it later — Gmail will remind you.

Set up your inbox labels and filters

Now that your account exists, you can organize it so you can find things later and spot scams. Gmail comes with a few built-in labels: Inbox, Sent Mail, Drafts, and Spam. You can create your own labels by clicking the three-line menu on the left side, scrolling to the bottom, and clicking "Create new label". Name it something clear — "Bills", "Work", "Family", "Receipts" — whatever matches how you think about your email.

Once you have labels, you can create filters that automatically sort incoming mail. Click the search box at the top of your inbox, then click the three-line menu icon inside it, and select "Create filter". You can tell Gmail to automatically label all emails from your bank, or move all emails with "receipt" in the subject line to a Receipts folder. This means you do not have to sort them by hand, and you know exactly where to look when you need something.

Turn on the spam filter and mark suspicious mail

Gmail's spam filter is on by default and catches most scams before they reach your inbox. But you can make it stronger. In Settings, go to the "Filters and Blocked Addresses" tab. Scroll down to "Safe Browsing" and turn on "Display warning for suspicious sites". This adds a red warning page if you click a link that Gmail thinks is dangerous.

When you receive an email that looks like a scam — asking you to confirm your password, claiming you won a prize, or threatening to close your account — do not click any links in it. Instead, click the three-dot menu next to the email and select "Report phishing". Gmail learns from these reports and gets better at catching similar emails for everyone. Never reply to a suspicious email or give it any information, even to tell the sender they are wrong.

Sign in from other devices

Once your account is set up, you can check your email from your phone, tablet, or any other computer. Open Gmail on the new device and enter your full Gmail address (the part before @gmail.com) and your password. If you set up 2-Step Verification, Gmail will ask for a code from your phone as well.

On a phone, you can read the Gmail app from the Google Play Store (Android) or the App Store (iPhone) instead of using a web browser. The app is faster and sends you notifications when new mail arrives. On a shared computer — like one at a library or a family member's house — do not save your password. Sign in, check your email, and then click your profile picture in the top right and select "Sign out".

Key Takeaways

  • Go to gmail.com, click "Create account", and choose a Gmail address and password you can remember and keep safe.
  • Add a phone number and a recovery email so you can get back into your account if you forget your password or someone tries to break in.
  • Create labels like "Bills" and "Work" so you can sort your email by topic and find things later.
  • Turn on Gmail's spam filter and report suspicious emails so the filter learns to catch more scams.
  • You can sign in from any device, but do not save your password on a shared computer.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I change my Gmail address after I create it?

No, your Gmail address is permanent once you create it. You can create a new account with a different address if you want, but you cannot rename the original one. Choose carefully the first time. If you make a typo or do not like what you picked, you can always create a second account and forward mail from the first one to the second.

What if someone else already has the Gmail address I want?

Gmail addresses are unique — only one person can have each one. If the address you want is taken, Gmail will suggest similar options with numbers or dots added (like john.smith.1847@gmail.com). Pick one of those suggestions or try a different name altogether. You can also use a dot anywhere in your address — john.smith@gmail.com and johnsmith@gmail.com both work, but they are treated as the same account.

Do I have to use my real name for my Gmail address?

No. Your Gmail address can be anything you want — a nickname, a made-up word, or a combination of words and numbers. Your real name goes in the "First name" and "Last name" fields during setup, but those are separate from your email address. You can change your display name later in Settings, but your actual Gmail address stays the same.

Is Gmail really free?

Yes. Gmail is free to create and use. Google makes money from ads, not from charging you. You get 15 gigabytes of storage for free, which is enough for years of email. If you need more storage later, you can pay for additional space, but most people never need to.

Can I delete my Gmail account if I change my mind?

Yes, but be careful — deleting your account also deletes all your email and any Google services tied to it (like Google Drive or YouTube). Before you delete, read your email and any files you want to keep. Go to Settings, scroll to the bottom, and click "Delete your account and data". Google will ask you to confirm and may ask you to sign in again. Once it is deleted, you cannot get it back.