How to create a Gmail account

Follow these step-by-step instructions to create a Gmail account 

Step 1: Open up your internet browser and go to the Google home page.

Step 2: At the top left corner of the page of the main Google page is a Google drop down list. (If the list isn’t showing, left click on the small arrow next to it).

Step 3: You’ll now be in the ‘Sign in’ section. As you don’t have a Google account yet, you need to create one. Click Create an account.

Step 4: To set up your new account, Google needs some information about you – first, your first and last names. The ‘choose your username’ is the unique email address that you wish to use, which will be placed before ‘@gmail.com’. Because it needs to be unique, Google may have to check the availability of any name that you decide on to make sure that no one already has it. Type an email name into the ‘choose your username’ box and then fill out the rest of your information. You will need to ensure that the ‘I agree to the Google terms of service and Privacy Policy’ is ticked. However, you may wish to untick the box next to Google being able to use my account information etc. for privacy and security.

 Step 5: If the email name that you requested in is not available, you’ll get a message saying that somebody already has that username and offering you some alternatives. You can decide to accept one of the alternatives or type in another name and check its availability once more. You will have to complete some of the other boxes again. You may have to do this a few times. Once you finalize your email address, it’s a good idea to make a note of it so that you can refer to it until you remember it.

Step 6: You’ll need to come up with a password so that you can log in securely to your account. Google may explain that you should try one with at least 8 characters long to be secure. Use letters and numbers to make the password more secure and difficult to guess. You’ll need to re-enter your password to ensure that it’s you choosing it and not a hacker’s (ro)bot. This is why it also asks you to insert two random words at the bottom of the page.

Step 7: Once you have completed this page fully, clicking Next Step will take you to the Create Profile Page. If you don’t wish to have a picture on the web, click Next Step to complete setting up your email. If you do, Click on Add Profile Photo and find a photo to add. Then click Next Step.

Step 8: You will now have set up your account. Clicking on Continue to Gmail will take you to your inbox, ready to start emailing.