Gmail: How to Compose an Email

In this video, you will use Gmail to write and send an email.

To start, create a new message.

Type the email address of your recipient.

Make sure the address is correct or it won’t be delivered to the right person.

If the person is already in your contacts list, their email will automatically appear as an option to select.

If they are a new contact, type in their full email address.

Add a descriptive subject line so the recipient understands what you’re emailing them about.

Then, type your text in the body of the message.

For practice here, compose an email about sending logo files for a fundraiser.

Or write about something else, if you’d like.

Adding images to your email is a great way to reinforce the meaning of the message.

At work, you may need to send a design to a colleague for their approval.

Or you may want to send a picture to a family member for them to enjoy.

Begin by inserting the photo.

Now decide whether to display your image as an inline image or an attachment.

An inline image shows the image within the body of the message, next to the text.

Resize the image by clicking and dragging the handle.

Or, attach the image files instead.

An attachment is an additional piece of information that you add to your message.

The recipient will need to click on the file to open the image, instead of viewing it within their email.

An attachment might work better for very large images.

To delete an attachment, click on the X.

If you want to share a file with the recipient, instead of an image, use the paperclip icon to attach a file that you’ve saved to your computer.

Or, link the text in your email to a website or digital file.

First, highlight the text you want to link.

Then, select the file that should open when the recipient clicks on the hyperlink.

For this example, link to an online spreadsheet from Google Sheets.

Copy the URL, or web address, of the spreadsheet.

Then, paste it into the address field.

Or, you might link to a website that you want to share.

Change or remove the file by clicking on the hyperlink in the message.

Finally, insert the file as a link using Google Drive.

Insert a new link to the file in your message.

With this method, the name of the file and file type appear within your email.

If you share a file from Google Drive make sure you give your recipient the permissions they need to view or edit it.

Check over your message and make sure it looks the way you want it to and that there are no spelling errors.

Then, send it.