Gmail FAQ
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Quick Links
- Where do I login?
- Is there a Getting Started Guide so I can learn basic skills?
- How do I move my email?
- When I leave Haverford, can I keep my email?
- How is spam filtering done in Gmail?
- I have my Haverford email forwarded to another account. What should I do?
- I have a personal Gmail account. May I keep it?
- How do I set an away message in Gmail?
- Can I use Gmail with a desktop client?
- I sent an email to an email alias that I am a member of, but I don’t see the message in my inbox. Did my message go through?
- Can I access my Gmail offline?
- How do I collect my email on my smartphone?
- How do I find out more about Gmail?
- How do I get help?
Viewing, Storing, and Organizing Email
- I am confused by the Gmail Inbox, because it combines messages together in a “thread.” Now that these messages which I have already sent appear in my Inbox, do I need to keep copies of my “sent items” too?
- Can I create folders to manage my email?
- How much email can I store in Gmail?
Composing Messages
- Can I mark my outgoing email as high priority or urgent?
- Is there a limit on attachment size?
- Are there file types that I cannot send or receive when using Gmail?
- Will Gmail allow me to “Send on Behalf of…..”?
Addressing Email
- How do I migrate my addressbook and distribution lists into Gmail?
- How do I find Haverford contacts when addressing email?
- Is there a limit on the number of recipients in my distribution list?
- How do I find out about more addressing messages in Google Contacts?
Gmail FAQ
Go to http://mail.haverford.edu.
Is there a Getting Started Guide so I can learn basic skills?
Read Gmail’s Getting Started Guide
See the Google Apps Migration page to get started.
When I leave Haverford, can I Keep my email?
Your HaverApps account, including your email, will be deleted after you leave Haverford. For full details read the Google Apps FAQ.
How is spam filtering done in Gmail?
Spam filtering in Google Apps is done through McAfee Postini, the same service that runs Message Center. During the transition period, Message Center will continue to filter your email. After fall break 2010, messages identified as spam will appear in your spam folder in Gmail.
I have my Haverford email forwarded to another account. What should I do?
If you currently have a forward set up with your Haverford account, you are still required to activate your HaverApps Gmail account. Then, you should disable your existing forward and then recreate it in Gmail. However, if you are a staff or faculty member forwarding email to another account, we recommend that you use in HaverApps so that we might better support you.
I have a personal Gmail account. May I keep it?
Yes! If you have a personal Gmail account you may certainly keep it. However, if you are a staff or faculty member storing important Haverford data like departmental calendars in a personal Google Apps account, we recommend that your transfer that data into HaverApps so that we might better support you.
How do I set an away message in Gmail?
See Google’s instructions on setting an automatic vacation response.
Can I use Gmail with a desktop client?
Gmail is best used on the web, so we do not support desktop clients for use with Gmail. If you are concerned about accessing your email offline, you can enable gmail’s offline mode.
I sent an email to an email alias that I am a member of, but I don’t see the message in my inbox. Did my message go through?
Yes, your message went through. If you sent a message to an email alias that you are a member of, Gmail will not send you a copy.
Can I access my Gmail offline?
Yes! Google allows you to access Gmail offline by clicking the “Offline” tab in your Gmail settings. This tool is useful for when you have a flaky connection, like riding the train to and from campus.
N.B. – You must have administrative access to your machine to download and install an application used to set up this lab. Also, this feature makes a local copy of your email on your system, so only install this feature on your personal machine.
How do I collect my email on my smartphone?
See the Google’s Apps for Mobile Page for details.
How do I find out more about Gmail?
Check out the Gmail Help Center.
Contact the ProDesk or feel free to check out the Google Apps Learning Center
Viewing, Storing, and Organizing Email
I am confused by the Gmail Inbox, because it combines messages together in a “thread.” Now that these messages which I have already sent appear in my Inbox, do I need to keep copies of my “sent items” too?
This inbox model is very different from a desktop client Inbox/Sent Items model. Google groups both the messages you received and your replies into a single bundle of messages called a “conversation.” Conversations that appear in a thread are NOT added to the Sent Items folder. Deleting the thread from the Inbox will mean that all references to that message (or those messages) are gone. For more information about conversations, see Google’s Conversation Help Article.
Can I create folders to manage my email?
Gmail uses labels rather than folders to organize mail. Multiple labels may be added to a single message, for cross referencing. For more information on labels, read Google’s Labels Help Article.
How much email can I store in Gmail?
You may store up to 7 Gb of mail in Gmail. To see how much mail you have stored in Gmail, look at the bottom of the mail page. If you exceed the Gmail limit, messages sent to your account will not be delivered to your inbox and your sender will get a notice that your inbox is full.
Composing Messages
Can I mark my outgoing email as high priority or urgent?
Gmail web client doesn’t allow you to mark outgoing emails by a priority scale. This may change in the future, as Google is always adding improvements to their system.
Is there a limit on attachment size?
Read Google’s Maximum Attachment Size Information
Are there file types that I cannot send or receive when using Gmail?
Read Google’s Information on Which File Types are Blocked
Will Gmail allow me to “Send on Behalf of…..”?
You can send email on behalf of another account if you have access to that account; ex. juser@haverford.edu many not send mail on behalf of duser@haverford.edu unless duser has given juser access to the duser account. For information on how to send on behalf of another user when you have access to that user’s account, see Google’s Adding a Custom ‘From’ Address information.
Addressing Email
How do I migrate my addressbook and distribution lists into Gmail?
See the Google Apps Migration Pages to get started.
How do I find Haverford contacts when addressing Email?
Haverford’s email directory is integrated into Google Apps, so as you type a user name or ID, Google generates a list of matches (autocomplete feature). This autocomplete feature appears in email contacts, compose email, and sharing/collaboration functions.
Is there a limit on the number of recipients in my distribution list?
Yes. Gmail allows for maximum of 500 recipients in one single distribution list. See Google Sending Limits Page for details.
How do I find out about more addressing messages in Google Contacts?
Google Contacts does not have a Getting Started Guide, but the Google Contacts Help Center is a useful resource.