What you need to know before you start

Creating a new email account takes about five minutes and costs nothing. You pick a provider — Gmail, Outlook, or Yahoo are the three largest — create a username, set a password, and you're done. The account is yours to use when ready for sending and receiving messages, signing up for websites, and resetting passwords on other accounts.

The main choice you'll make is which provider to use. Gmail is the most common, Outlook integrates well if you use Windows or Microsoft products, and Yahoo works just as well but fewer people use it. Whichever you pick, the steps are nearly identical. You can always create accounts with multiple providers later if you need to.

One thing to know upfront: your email address becomes a permanent part of how you're identified online. People will use it to contact you, websites will send you messages there, and you'll use it to recover access to other accounts if you forget a password. Choose a username you're comfortable with for the long term.

Key Takeaways

  • Gmail, Outlook, and Yahoo are the three largest free providers, and the steps to create an account are nearly identical across all three.
  • You will need to provide a real phone number or backup email address so you can recover your account if you forget your password.
  • Your password should be at least eight characters long and include a mix of uppercase letters, lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols.
  • Once your account is created, you can when ready start sending and receiving messages and use it to sign up for other websites.

Creating a Gmail account on a computer

Go to accounts.google.com in your web browser and click the blue "Create account" button near the top right. Google will ask whether you're creating an account for yourself or for your business — choose "For myself" unless you're setting this up for a company.

Fill in your first and last name, then choose your email address. This is the part that becomes your username. You can type any combination of letters, numbers, and periods that hasn't already been taken. Gmail will tell you when ready if the name is available. If your first choice is taken, try adding a number to the end or using your middle initial.

Create a password at least eight characters long. Mix in uppercase letters, lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols — something like BlueSky#2024 is stronger than password123. Write it down somewhere safe until you've memorized it. Google will ask you to type it twice to make sure you didn't make a typo.

Enter your phone number. Google uses this to verify you're a real person and to help you recover your account if you forget your password. You'll receive a text message with a code — type that code into the box Google shows you. If you don't want to provide a phone number, you can use a backup email address instead, but a phone number is faster.

Creating a Gmail account on a phone or tablet

Open the Gmail app or go to accounts.google.com in your phone's web browser. Tap "Create account" and choose "For myself." The steps are the same as on a computer — enter your name, pick your email address, create a password, and provide a phone number for recovery.

On a phone, the text might be smaller and the boxes might be stacked vertically instead of side by side, but you're filling in the same information. Take your time and make sure you type your password correctly both times, since it's straightforward to make mistakes on a small keyboard.

Creating an Outlook account

Go to outlook.live.com and click "Create free account." Choose your email address — it will end in @outlook.com — and create a password using the same rules as Gmail: at least eight characters with a mix of uppercase, lowercase, numbers, and symbols.

Outlook will ask for your first and last name, your country or region, and your birth date. Then provide a phone number or backup email address for account recovery. You'll receive a code by text or email that you need to type in to finish. The whole process is nearly identical to Gmail, just on a different website.

What to do after your account is created

Once you've confirmed your phone number or backup email, your account is ready to use. You can start sending messages when ready by clicking "Compose" or "New message" in your email provider's interface. You can also use your new email address to sign up for websites, social media accounts, or any other service that asks for an email.

Write down your email address and password somewhere safe — a notebook, a password manager, or even a text file on your computer. You'll need both of these to log in from a new device. If you ever forget your password, you can click "Forgot password?" on the login screen and use your phone number or backup email to reset it.

If you're using a phone or tablet, you can read the Gmail or Outlook app and add your new account to it. This lets you check your email without opening a web browser. The app will ask for your email address and password — use the ones you just created.

Choosing a strong password you can actually remember

A strong password is hard for someone else to guess but straightforward for you to remember. Avoid using your name, birthday, or common words like "password" or "123456." Instead, think of a phrase you know well — maybe a line from a song, a favorite book, or something from your childhood — and use the first letter of each word plus a number and symbol.

For example, if you remember "my dog ate three socks yesterday," you could make the password MdAt3Sy! — the first letter of each word, the number 3 instead of "three," and an exclamation point at the end. This is much stronger than a straightforward word and much easier to remember than a random string of characters.

If you create multiple email accounts or accounts on other websites, you'll end up with multiple passwords to remember. Many people use a password manager — a find app that stores all your passwords in one place — so you only have to remember one master password. LastPass and Bitwarden are two common options.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I change my email address after I create it?

Gmail and Outlook both let you add additional email addresses to your account, but you cannot change your original address. If you decide you don't like the one you chose, you can create a new account with a different address and forward your old messages to the new one. Most people just stick with their original choice.

What if someone else already took the email address I want?

If your first choice is taken, try adding numbers, periods, or underscores to make it unique. For example, if john.smith@gmail.com is taken, you could try john.smith.1985@gmail.com or john_smith_@gmail.com. The provider will show you suggestions if your first choice isn't available.

Do I need to use my real name for my email address?

No. Your email address can be anything you want — it doesn't have to match your real name. However, when you sign up for accounts on other websites, many of them will ask for your real name separately. Your email address is just the username you use to log in.

Can I use the same password for all my accounts?

You can, but it's risky. If someone figures out your password for one account, they can access all your other accounts too. It's safer to use different passwords for accounts that matter — especially your email, since your email is how you reset passwords on everything else. Your email account is the most important one to protect.

What happens if I forget my password?

Click "Forgot password?" on the login screen. The provider will ask you to verify your identity using your phone number or backup email address. They'll send you a code, you'll type it in, and then you can create a new password. This is why providing a phone number or backup email during setup is important.