To open Gmail, you can login from a computer, or add your account to the Gmail app on your phone or tablet. Once you're signed in, check your mail by opening your inbox.

Sign in

1. Go to gmail.com.
2. Enter your Google Account username and password.
   • If a username is already filled in and you need to sign in to a different account, click Sign in with a different account.
   • If you see a page describing Gmail instead of the sign-in page, click Sign in in the top right corner of the page.

SIGN IN TO GMAIL

Tip: If you're signing in to a public computer, make sure to sign out before leaving the computer. Learn more about securely signing in.

Troubleshoot problems

• I forgot my username or password
• I can't access my account
• I need help with 2-step verification

Messages in your inbox are sorted into categories, like Primary, Social, Promotions, Updates, and Forums. Categories help you sort your emails so you don't see all of them at one time. When you open your inbox, you'll see your Primary tab first. 

Step 1: Choose your inbox style

1. Open Gmail.
2. In the top right, click Settings .
3. Click Settings.
4. Click the Inbox tab.
5. In the "Inbox type" section, select Default, Important first, Unread first, Starred first, or Priority Inbox.
6. Choose other settings, like whether to show importance markers or how to filter mail.

Step 2: Add or remove categories

If you don't see tabs in your inbox, follow these directions to turn on inbox categories:

1. Open Gmail.
2. In the top right, click Settings .
3. Click Configure inbox.
4. Check the boxes of the categories you want to use. If you hide a tab, those messages will show in your Primary tab.
5. Optional: Choose whether you want starred messages to show in your Primary tab.
6. Click Save.

Move messages

1. Open Gmail.
2. Drag and drop your message from one category to another.

Use category labels to search and filter messages

All messages are automatically labeled for the first 5 categories even if you don't show the categories in your inbox.

Change notifications for each category

You can choose different notifications for each category. Learn more about notifications.

I can't turn on inbox categories

If you have more than 250,000 messages in your inbox, you won't be able to turn on inbox categories.

To get below this limit, you can archive or delete messages.