How do I Sign In to Gmail and Read Emails?

This article explains how to access your Gmail account, log in to your email and check emails.

To access Gmail and see your emails, you have 3 ways (click to go to the right section of the article):

• use the Gmail app on your phone (or tablet)
• check your Gmail on the web (in a browser)
• read your Gmail emails in email software

Obviously you must first have created a free Gmail account.

If needed, please read also how to sign out.

Connect to your Gmail account using the application on your phone or tablet

On a mobile or tablet running on Android, the Gmail app is already installed. On iPhone or iPad, you can install the Gmail app from the App Store, then set up your account.

If you have already set up your Google account (with your Gmail email address), then:

1. open the Gmail app
2. check that you are viewing the correct Google account, if you have more than one set up on your phone. If necessary, switch to your account by clicking on the profile icon at the top right

Otherwise, follow the instructions to add your account:

1. open the Gmail app
2. in the top right, tap your profile picture
3. tap Add another account
4. choose the type of account to add (Gmail or Google account)
5. follow the on-screen instructions to add your account

In both cases, you will then arrive on your Gmail inbox.

See also: add a signature with image in Gmail

Note: On iOS (iPhone and iPad), you may see the “Try Gmailify” option. If so, turn on Gmailify to take advantage of Gmail features like spam protection and using categories, even if your email address isn’t Gmail.

See also: tutorial to find your Gmail password

Access Gmail in a web browser (gmail.com portal)

This solution is very simple and works just as well on a computer (Windows, Mac, Linux) as on a smartphone or tablet (without the need to install an application). The downside is that you may need to log in regularly (providing your email and password).

See also: what is the max attachment size for Gmail?

To access your Gmail account in a web browser:

1. open the page www.gmail.com
2. if asked, type the email address of your Gmail account, which ends with @gmail.com then click Next
3. type your Gmail password then click Next
4. you arrive in your Gmail inbox

Remarks :

• If you were already logged in to Gmail in your browser, you do not need to identify yourself by providing your email address and password. In this case, check that it is the correct account and if not, you must first log out of Gmail .
• the exact address of Google’s mail is https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#inbox but you can access it by simply typing gmail.com or gmail.fr (with or without www it’s the same), or mail.google.com.
• you can find Gmail contacts in the menu

See also: how to empty the trash in Gmail?

Consult your Gmail box in an email software on a computer (Outlook, Thunderbird, Apple Mail, etc.)

If you prefer to check your emails in software on your computer, you must first configure your account. In this case, the first question to ask yourself is:

Should I choose POP or IMAP to read my Gmail emails?

• use POP if you only check your emails on your computer (one device, no phone or tablet). In this case, the emails are downloaded to your computer (which can take up a lot of disk space)
• use IMAP if you want to check Gmail on multiple devices (computers, phones, tablets). Emails are synchronized in real time, while remaining available on the server.

See also: how to send emails to an anonymous group of recipients?

Configure an email client for Gmail in POP format

Step 1: enable POP forwarding in your Gmail account

1. In your browser on your computer, open the page www.gmail.com
2. At the top right, click on “Settings” then “Show all settings”
3. Click on the “Transfer and POP/IMAP” tab 
4. In the “POP download” section, select “Enable POP for all messages” or “Enable POP for messages received from now on”
5. At the bottom of the page, click “Save Changes”

Step 2: configure your software called an “email client”

It can be for example Microsoft Outlook on Windows PC, or Mozilla Thunderbird, or Mail on MacOS. Follow the guide below:

• Incoming mail server (POP): pop.gmail.com
• SSL required: yes
• Port: 995
• Outgoing mail server (SMTP): smtp.gmail.com
• SSL required: yes
• TLS required: yes (if available)
• Authentication required: yes
• Port for TLS/STARTTLS: 587
• Server timeout: 5 minutes
• Full name or display name: Your name
• Account name, username or email address: Your email address ending in@gmail.com
• Password: your Gmail password

See also: how to increase Gmail storage

Configure an email client for Gmail in IMAP format

Step 1: Activate IMAP forwarding in your Gmail account

1. In your browser on your computer, open the page www.gmail.com
2. At the top right, click on “Settings” then “Show all settings”
3. Click on the “Transfer and POP/IMAP” tab 
4. In the “IMAP access” section, select “Enable the IMAP protocol“ 
5. At the bottom of the page, click “Save Changes”

Step 2: configure your software called an “email client”

It can be for example Microsoft Outlook on Windows PC, or Mozilla Thunderbird, or Mail on MacOS. Follow the guide below:

• Incoming mail server (IMAP): imap.gmail.com
• SSL required: yes
• Port: 993
• Outgoing mail server (SMTP): smtp.gmail.com
• SSL required: yes
• TLS required: yes (if available)
• Authentication required: yes
• Port for SSL: 465
• Port for TLS/STARTTLS: 587
• Full name or display name: Your name
• Account name, username or email address: Your email address ending in@gmail.com
• Password: your Gmail password

If needed, see Google Help for details on setting up Gmail with IMAP.

See also: How to change the Google password

Other questions…

See also: remove Gmail from a Google account

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