Google email account

Using Google Mail to manage your email has a number of advantages. Email sent to your usual email address can be forwarded to a GMail account and then you can download it from there onto your computer. This allows you to take advantage of Google's excellent SPAM filters AND have available an online archive of your email even when you are nowhere near your computer.

Follow these instructions to set this up.

1. Create a Google account

   If you do not have a Google account you will need to create one first:

   1. Open a Google account - go to http://www.google.com/accounts/NewAccount

   2. Fill in the "Create a Google Account Form", make sure to use your usual email address as you will have to verify your account through this email account.

   3. You will then receive a verification email. Click on the link provided to verify your new Google account. You will then be directed to a page confirming your registration.

2. Creating your Gmail email account

   Once you have a Google account you have access to a number of facilities, one of which is to have a Google Mail account:

   1. Go to https://www.google.com/accounts/NewAccount?service=mail

   2. Enter the email address and password from above to log into your Google account.

   3. Fill in the Gmail Account form.

   4. You will then be directed to a confirmation page, click on "I'm ready - show me my account".

3. Adding sender information

   When sending emails directly from GMail online it is preferable that they come from your usual email address rather than your new GMail address. Set this up as follows:

   1. In your Gmail account, click on "Settings" (At the top right, next to your account name).

   2. Click the "Accounts" tab.

   3. Click on "Add another email address" (3rd row down the screen).

   4. Specify the name that will be displayed as the sender when you send email and your usual email address that email you send must come from and click "Next step".

   5. You will be asked to verify the email address, click "Send Verification".

   6. When you receive your email verification, either click on the link provided in the email sent or copy and paste the confirmation code and click "Verify".

   7. The account is now added.

   8. Repeat as necessary if you have more than one email address that you send email from.

   9. Ensure that "Reply from the same address to which the message was sent" is selected.

   10. Choose one email address as your default by clicking "make default" to the right of the relevant sender information.

4. Some important settings to change in GMail

   To retrieve your email onto your computer you must enable this feature:

   1. In your Gmail account, click on "Settings" (At the top right, next to your account name).

   2. Click the "Forwarding and POP/IMAP" tab.

   3. Select "1. Enable POP for all mail".

   4. For "2. When messages are accessed with POP" select "archive Gmail's copy".

   5. Click "Save Changes".

5. Forwarding into GMail

   Email will continue being sent to your usual email address but instead of retrieving it directly it must first be forwarded to your new GMail email address. To do this you will need to ask your email hosting provider to set up a forward on your usual email account to direct any email received to your GMail email address.

6. Configure your email program

   Visit this page, click the link for your mail program and follow the step-by-step instructions provided. Remeber to use your usual email address as the sender address even though the emails are being retrieved from the GMail account.

7. SPAM Email

   No SPAM system is perfect so periodically review your SPAM folder; should any email go into the folder that you would like to receive, select the email and click the "Not Spam" button.