Millions of people around the planet have entered the Google world by opening a Gmail email service but many others haven’t because they don’t know how. Jake Peterson explains how to join up….
Gmail is one of, if not the most, popular email service on the planet, and for good reason: It’s free, it’s full of features, and nearly everybody uses it.
If you don’t already have one of these ubiquitous addresses, or you’re looking to start fresh, it’s easy to create a new Gmail account right now.
To start, head to the official Gmail site, then click “Create an account.”
If you’re already signed in, click your profile in the top right, then choose “Add another account.”
From this sign-in screen, choose “Create account,” then choose the appropriate option—likely “For my personal use.”
Now, enter your first name, and last name if you want.
Click “Next.”
Enter your birthday and gender. (You can choose to not say, or choose “Custom” to enter your gender manually. Google will then let you choose how you would prefer to be referred to.)
Click “Next.”
Now, the fun part: choosing a username.
It’s 2023, so it’s unfortunately slim pickings out here, especially if you don’t want to use numbers or periods.
Once you pick a username that isn’t taken, you’ll need to create a password.
Make sure your password is strong and unique, so no person nor computer can guess it. If your password is truly terrible, Google won’t let you use it, so try again in shame until Google accepts your password.
Next, choose a recovery email to use in case you get locked out of your account. (This is optional, but highly recommended.) Next, add a phone number to connect to your account. (Again, optional, but recommended.)
Google will give you an opportunity to review your account info.
Make sure everything looks good, then hit “Next.”
Here, Google gives you an option to review the company’s privacy terms.
If you click “More options,” however, you’ll be able to customize some privacy settings now, such as how Google handles your web and app activity, ad personalization, and YouTube history.
When finished, hit “I agree.”
That’s it!
You’re now the proud owner of not just a new Gmail account, but a Google Account, and all the perks that come with it.
* Jake Peterson is the Senior Technology Editor of Lifehacker. He has been helping people with their technology professionally since 2016 and unprofessionally since forever.
