How to Do Account Creation in Gmail

published by Rachel Gold
February 5, 2023 at 4:01 p.m. PST

• Gmail is Google’s popular free email service that protects users from malware and spam.
• Launched on April 1, 2004, Gmail is now home to 1.8 billion users.
• One can access Gmail on virtually any computer or device, including an iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Windows PC, Android smartphone, or Chrome Book.
• Account creation in Gmail is easily accomplished using Google’s web-based tool.
• Google enables users to set up Gmail accounts for others.

What is Gmail?

Gmail is the most popular email platform in the world. Created and launched by Google in 2004, it now serves over 1.8 billion people globally.

Known for being fast, secure, reliable, feature-rich, and free, people use Gmail across different devices, including the iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Mac, and Windows PCs. With 15 GB of free storage, Gmail is absolutely free for most users.

Security is one of Gmail’s prominent features. I have Gmail, Hotmail (Microsoft Outlook), and Yahoo email accounts. In my experience, Gmail is vastly superior at protecting users from malware and spam than any other email provider.

Privacy experts were critical of Gmail’s practice of algorithmically scanning emails and displaying relevant ads within the application. In 2017, Google stopped this practice and no longer scans user emails to enhance targeted advertising.

Google still spies on you, but more from your search history than Gmail content. This isn’t all bad. I recently purchased eyedrops that were recalled due to contamination issues resulting in morbidity and mortality. I found out because of a story in Google News, which was likely shown to me because the platform was aware of this purchase.

I believe Google knows a lot about what I buy. That’s fine. I’m well aware that Big Tech constructs a digital dossier based on what you and I search for and buy online. It’s not all bad. In this case, and a few others, it has saved my life.

I also bought some foot spray a few years back that was contaminated with benzene. I learned about this defective product thanks to digital surveillance.

Critics only look at the dark side of digital surveillance. If you’re using DuckDuckGo and private modes on your browser, only shopping at brick & mortar stores with cash, and wearing a disguise, you may believe you’re protected from “big brother.” In reality, you’ll be unaware of most defective, contaminated, recalled, and dangerous products you purchased.

People often forget that your credit card company spies on you more than any Big Tech company. All that paper junk mail clogging your mailbox results from your credit card company selling your information to every company under the sun.

Science fiction evokes fears in the masses of artificially intelligent agents hunting you down because of something you did online. The reality is these algorithms don’t care about us. They’re not sentient. Even ChatGPT isn’t as bright as everyone believes.

Gmail isn’t Google’s method for spying on end users. It keeps people in the Google ecosystem, and the company profits from storage upgrades. It’s the best free email service, with almost two billion people opting in.

Now that you know how awesome Gmail is, let’s take a look at how to do account creation in Gmail.

How to Do Account Creation in Gmail

Creating a Gmail account is easy. Let’s first take a look at creating a Gmail account for yourself. In the next section, we’ll look at Gmail account creation for another user.

Here are step-by-step instructions for creating a new Gmail account:

1. Open a web browser and navigate to https://www.google.com/gmail. Google’s Gmail home page appears.
2. Click on “Get Gmail” on the top-right of the web page. A form appears.
3. Type in your first name, last name, desired username, password, and password confirmation in the form. Write down your username and password, then click “Next.” It may take a few attempts to pick a unique Gmail user name. Google will present a few available options similar to your preferred username. After completing the form and clicking “Next”, the next page will ask you to enter a phone number for verification.
4. Enter a mobile phone number, another email address (optional, if you forget your password), your birth date and gender, then click “Next.” A web page appears indicating that Google would like to verify the phone number by sending a text message.
5. Click “Next” to send a text message to your phone. Gmail will send a text to your phone, and a new web page will load with a form to enter the code.
6. Open your phone’s Messages or SMS app and find the text message sent by Google. Enter the six digits (without the G-) that Google sent to your phone into the form, then click on “Verify.” A new web page appears, asking if you want to include your number with your Gmail account. I recommend doing so unless you’re completely dedicated to privacy. Google provides information about how your data will be used. If this is unacceptable, click “Skip.” Otherwise, click “Yes, I’m in.” A web page loads with a legal agreement.
7. Review the legal agreement and click on “I agree.” If you disagree, you can’t have a Gmail account. After clicking I agree, your new Gmail account loads, with a welcome email from the Google Community Team.

That’s it. You now have a Google account. Now let’s look at how to create a Google account for a family member, employee, or friend who isn’t computer savvy.

How to Do Account Creation For Someone Else in Gmail

Creating a new Gmail account for someone else is like the abovementioned process. It’s best to create the account on their computer or device, but if you need to do it remotely, you can complete the task independently.

If you’re creating a Gmail account on your computer, make sure to either sign out of your Google account or use a private or “incognito” window. Otherwise, you’ll just sign into your Gmail account when you try to access its home page.

Make sure to use the recipient’s phone number when you create the account. You can have them call or text you with the verification code. If this isn’t possible, you can use your phone number, but make sure to opt out of phone number inclusion for this Gmail account (step 7).

In step 4 (above) you can enter an additional email address for account recovery if the user forgets the username or password. If your recipient already has an email address, add it here. This is especially important if you have to use your cell phone for the verification code.

Once you’ve created the account, you can send the recipient their login credentials. It’s best to do this over secure text messaging (iMessage, for example) or the phone. Email isn’t the best way to exchange authentication information, as it’s typically not encrypted. Also, your recipient might not have an email account, which is why you had to create one. If they have a non-Gmail account, you definitely don’t want to send their username and password to their old email address.

Why Use Gmail?

There are so many email services. If you have a website and a domain, you can create email accounts without the help of any Big Tech corporation. But you’re also missing out on the intelligence and security of Gmail.

Gmail isn’t an ordinary email service. Anyone who uses it for a few minutes, just to compose an email, will quickly admire its advanced nature. For example, Gmail can offer you grammatical corrections far beyond mere spell-checking. You can undo sending an email, but you have to act fast.

The most crucial feature of Gmail is its security. It actively protects you from malware, spam, and phishing attempts. My mom uses Microsoft Outlook and is constantly bombarded with phishing attempts. I have to review these emails and tell her which ones to delete.

Since she’s had this account for decades, she wants to continue using it. I created a Gmail account for her, but it’s rarely used.

If you’re new to email or just getting a fresh start, I highly recommend Gmail. I’ve been using the service since its inception, and it has exceeded my expectations. Gmail is email perfected.