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A beginner-friendly guide to using Gmail in Google Workspace — composing emails, replying, searching, stars, and staying organized.

Gmail is the email app included with Google Workspace. If you've used personal Gmail before, the business version will feel very familiar. This guide covers the everyday tasks you'll do most often.

Quick summary

Access Gmail at mail.google.com or in the Gmail app on your phone. Compose a new email with the Compose button at the top left. Use the search bar at the top to find any message instantly. Stars and labels help you stay organized. On a computer, once you've switched keyboard shortcuts on, "c" starts a new message.

Getting around Gmail

When you open Gmail, you'll see:

Inbox — your main list of received messages
Starred — messages you've marked with a star for quick access
Sent — messages you've sent
Drafts — messages you started but haven't sent
Labels — tags you create and apply to messages. Google is clear that they aren't folders: a message can carry several labels at once (see Labels & filters)
Compose button — the button at the top left that opens a new email

The search bar at the top is one of Gmail's most powerful features. You can search by sender, subject, date, or any word in an email.

Composing and sending an email

At the top left, click Compose. A compose window opens.

Type the recipient's address in the "To" field. Gmail will suggest contacts as you type. To add more than one, separate the addresses with commas.

Add a subject in the Subject line. Keep it clear and specific — "Invoice for May" is better than "Hi."

Write your message in the main area. Use the toolbar at the bottom to format text, add links, or attach files.

At the bottom of the message, click Send.

CC and BCC

CC (Carbon Copy): adds recipients who should see the email but aren't the main person you're writing to. Everyone in the CC field is visible to the other recipients, so it's the field for people who don't need to act.
BCC (Blind Carbon Copy): hides a recipient's address from everyone else. People in BCC can see who's in the To and CC fields but not who else was BCC'd, and if someone replies to all, they don't get the reply. Gmail users can normally tell they were BCC'd; Google notes that people on other email services may not.

Click the CC or BCC link inside the compose window to show those fields.

Replying to an email

Open the email you want to reply to.

Below the message, click Reply to answer the sender only, or Reply all to answer the sender and everyone in the To and Cc lines.

Type your reply and click Send.

If you keep hitting the wrong one, you can swap their order: Settings → See all settings → General tab → "Default reply behavior".

Forwarding an email

Open the email you want to forward.

At the bottom of the email, click Forward. If the email is part of a back-and-forth thread, use More → Forward at the top right of the message instead, or More → Forward all in the toolbar to send the whole thread.

Enter the recipient's address and add any note. Click Send.

Searching your inbox

Gmail's search is extremely powerful. Type any word, name, or phrase in the search bar at the top.

For more precise searches:

What you want	What to type
Email from a specific person	`from:sarah@example.com`
Email with a specific subject	`subject:invoice`
Email with an attachment	`has:attachment`
Email in a date range	`after:2024/01/01 before:2024/06/01`
Unread emails only	`is:unread`

Starring messages

Click the star icon (☆) next to any email to flag it for yourself. Starred emails appear in the Starred section in your sidebar, and you can search for them with is:starred. Gmail's yellow "Important" marker is a different thing: Gmail sets that one itself, from signals like which emails you open, reply to and star. Search for those with is:important.

Archiving vs. deleting

Archive removes an email from your inbox without deleting it. Tick the box next to the message and click Archive at the top. You'll still find it under the "All mail" label, or by searching in:archive. If someone replies to a message you archived, it comes back to your inbox.
Delete moves the email to Trash. It stays there for 30 days, then is permanently deleted.

For most emails, archiving is better than deleting.

Keyboard shortcuts (saves a lot of time)

They're off until you switch them on: Gmail Settings → See all settings → the Settings tab → scroll to "Keyboard shortcuts" → select Keyboard shortcuts on → Save Changes. Press ? in Gmail for the full list, which also shows which shortcuts need turning on.

Action	Shortcut
Compose new email	`c`
Reply	`r`
Reply all	`a`
Forward	`f`
Archive	`e`
Delete	`#`
Search	`/`

Common questions

How do I attach a file?

In the compose window, click Attach (the paperclip) at the bottom, choose your files and click Open. You can also drag an image straight into the compose window. If the attachments add up to more than the size limit, Gmail removes them and adds a Google Drive link in the email instead. On a personal Gmail account that limit is 25 MB; on a Workspace account your admin sets the sending and receiving limits, so ask them if you need to know the number.

How do I set up an out-of-office reply?

See Setting a vacation responder for step-by-step instructions.

Can I undo sending an email?

Yes, but only for a few seconds. Right after you send, "Message sent" appears at the bottom left with an Undo option — click it and the message comes back. To change how long that window lasts, go to Gmail Settings → See all settings, and next to "Undo Send" pick a send cancellation period of 5, 10, 20 or 30 seconds, then click Save changes.

How do I sign my emails with my name and contact details?

See Setting up your Gmail signature for a full walkthrough.

Need a hand?

If you're stuck, email support@chykalophia.com and we'll help. Include your website address and a screenshot if you can.

Gmail basics for business