How do you use your Google Gmail Address Book?
I simply want to forward a joke to several people in Gmail, but can't figure out how! If I click on the drop down by reply, then it opens up the TO: In regular email, you click on the TO and it opens up the address book and you can then select whom you want it to go to.
How do I get my address book open, select the people I want this to go to
and have them appear in the to window. I have been reading on the internet and talking to people, and we are all having the same problem. This does not seem to be a user friendly email. I generally don't have problems adapting to new software.
Dave's Answer:
When I first read your question I popped over to Google's Gmail and saw exactly the problem you were talking about. I mean, there's no "open address book" link on the compose message page. However, the reason you can't do it that way is simply because that's not how you use Gmail in the first place. :-)
Instead, the entire idea behind their address book is that you can simply type in the first few letters of the name of the person to whom you want to send your message and it'll pop up and be easily selected. Like this:
You can see that I've typed in ric and it's promptly popped up with all the possible matches. Some of them are from email I've sent or received, and others are from my address book. Simple enough!
Another way you can do this if you really want to use your contact list / address book in Gmail is to open up the list by clicking on Contacts, checking off the boxes of the folk to whom you'd like to send a message, then clicking Compose:
Then just copy and paste the message you want to forward along. Note also that you can create a group of your frequently sent recipients and simply type in the name of that group to have a simple and elegant shortcut. See: Create a Group in Google Gmail.
Hope that helps clarify how to work with Gmail in this instance. If you're still curious, I have quite a bit of Gmail Help here on the site too.
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Reader Comments To Date: 72
I am a gmail user and I understand their theory in using email addresses BUT I can't always remember everyone I want to send the note to !! It would be great if gmail would add an option to display the address book and let us choose.
I did create a few Contact Groups and I like that when you select a group in the To: field, it displays all of the names and not just the group name. This way I can see who is getting the note and it is easy to delete anyone I do not want to receive the note.
Dave, In opening a new account to say Google Mail their are four questions that you usually answer. 1. My name. 2. My email address. 3. The questions on bringing in mail. 4. Question on how to send mail. I don't remember the exact wording for the last two. One would be mail.comcast.com. The other would be smtp.comcast.com.
I know these last two are not exactly right. Could you give me the proper phrase on each.
If I am paying for Comcast as my Internet Service Provider, can I use Gmail.
I like to have all of my email address's in one folder, and then put an icon for that folder on my desktop so I can have that as easy access at any time without going back into the mail program.
Instead, the entire idea behind their address book is that you can simply type in the first few letters of the name of the person to whom you want to send your message and it'll pop up and be easily selected.
Referring to the above, for the last 2 days, my sending of email does not do this. You type a alphabet but nothing happens. I am unable to send the item by email.
Would appreciate your comments. Thank you.
seems silly to me and cant think of why google just doesnt have the word addresses and your book would open. that is the way other emails are set up. im switching over from yahoo email to gmail and find gmail very complicating. i read it was the best email service but im becoming disenchanted with it alfe
Just found this thread after searching Google for "google address book" and it came up in second place. Talk about good SEO!
You answered my question, thank you very much, although it could just as easily have been answered with, "durrr, look at your screen more carefully, there is a big blue link called Contacts". The web's making me increasingly blind and impatient.
Thanks for your help.
Ben
I just tried the "check the contacts, then click compose" in Firefox 3.0 using Better Gmail 2... and it doesn't bring the contacts over. Did this break, on the Gmail side, or is it my browser?
Funny thing is that gmail doens't have the option of choosing your contact when you want to forward a message instead u have to type the email address under to like all you mentioned, but the funniest thing is that when you use gmail on an iPhone and you forward a message or compose an email it does give u the option to choose and click on which ever contacts u like like yahoo, hotmail, aol. If gmail makes a change and makes the email like the one u check on the iPhone, wow it will be the best email you can possibly have, it's simply amazing. For you iPhone users, go to the safari webbrowser and go gmail and you'll see.
THANK YOU! This was so helpful! I was getting frusterated that I couldn't find my address book. Glad to have found this.
Question. Can i import my google address book to outlook express on windows xp?
How do I transfer my address book from comcast to Gmail without having to manually enter in the information in Gmail?
I have windows XP and I have been using internet explorer.
Hi there. I typed Google Mail Address Book into the Google search on the opening page in hopes of finding a way to GET INTO MY ADDRESS BOOK. WHERE IS IT? HELP!!! I know I've done this before, but for the life of me, I sure cannot find it anywhere now, and I need to add some addresses to make sure they don't go to Spam. The question that you answered (above) using Contacts doesn't help me, because that just brings up people who are already on my list, or who I want to add for gmail chat. I simply want to "get TO" my address book .. and I do not see ANY link ANYWHERE on my gmail page, anywhere, unless I am going blind. Thank you in advance for your help. :/
Hi Dave
Is there an easy way to import my Yahoo contacts into Gmail? Thank you very much!!
Jill
What do I click to get my email address book. I have a gmail account and am very computer illiterate. Thank you, Pamela Kirkpatrick
I need help..
When I want to email something, Gmail comes up but I can not put my names and address' in it. How can I add my names and address'to the Gmail address book?
I am a new user and I have a new wireless HP after
having Dell dial up . Trying to find the email address book -forget it. I do not want to pay for the
service as I googled it and they said it was a free service.. If I have to I will go to html or
back to AOL. No one is helping me and the Gmail
adress book is aluding me totally. Gmail is confusing!
I have just opened my account with gmail. I have friends that are already using gmail, but I don't know their addresses. Can I find them somewhere on the gmail page? Both of the friends I am wanting to let know about my account are out of town, and I would just like to leave them a message about my new email. What can I do?
How do I create an address from incoming e mail ?
recently gmail had a problem i have lost all my contacts and can not receive or send. how can i get back all my contacts without retyping them all?
Yep I'm a total novice. And I've read everything and tried everything about gmail address book on this page and I still can't access it from an e-mail! Help- in simple terms, please! Thanks, Me
I WAS USING SBC INTERNET EXPLORER. I WAS TOLD THAT THEY ARE NO LONGER SUPPORTING THIS AND I SHOULD DOWNLOAD INTERNET EXPLORER. I DID THIS. NOW THE ONLY WAY I CAN FIND TO USE MY ADDRESS BOOK IS TO PUT A LETTER IN (LIKE "A"). THEN I GET SHOWN EVERYONE WITH EITHER THE FIRST NAME OR THE LAST STARTING WITH "A". IF I AM LOOKING FOR "ADAM JONES", WHEN I PUT "A" IN I GET HIM, ALSO WHEN I PUT IN "J" I GET HIM AGAIN. THERE MUST BE A BETTER WAY TO USE THE ADDRESS BOOK, BUT I CANNOT FIND IT. IS THERE ANOTHER WAY TO DO THIS?
After reading through this thread I realized you have solved only half the problem.
What irks me is that the only way you will see Ric, Rich, or Richard in your example is if his email address begins with his first name. What about when Rich had decided to advertise his love of farm animals when choosing his email address (ie: cowtipper@hotmail? If you have added Rich's first name in your contact info profile shouldn't he too appear as an option when you type RIC? Alas, he does not. I have to remember that Richie has odd ideas on what to do on Friday nights...
THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!! GREAT ADVICES!!!!
Hi, Im so sad, Gmail hasn't any Address book in gmail :( Sometimes when I need send email some friends, but I don't remember which email addresses each friends have. So I have to add each chars a-z and I have to choose each email. It isn't good choice :(
I need it :( anybody who knows, some other solution or some solution how can I add address book to Gmail?
Thanks Tom.
How do I transfer my old emails saved and those sent while waiting to set up my Gmail account TBS was former user and they said I had to re-connect to send this info, which means I have to re-subscribe, is this the only way.
I can't open the gmail address book. Please assist me cause I want to share with other gmail users.
I need to set up vacation responder that alerts only people my contacts. Can you please help?
how do i delete a contact from a folder
When I compose an email and click the " To " link to get to my contacts , I get a " Client Error " message . When I click on the contacts box on the mail home page , I get a message that says my " Groups " couldn't be loaded error 6 . My contacts are all listed when I click the " old contact manager " link , but I can't get them back to where they should be . Can this be fixed ? Thank you for your time !!
I'm a gmail user. I want to add some email addresses to my address book but I dont know how to do that because I can't see the address book. Thanks.
vince g - to delete a contact:
Just had to do this as a buddy of mine switched companies. Click on the 'Contacts' link on the left.
In the text box where you can enter something to either 'Search Contacts' or 'Search the Web', enter a portion of the name you are looking for. GMail will try to guess who you are after. In my case, my buddy is in there twice with a work and a personal email, so I don't know which is which. So I click the Search Contacts button and it brings up both email addresses.
Select the checkbox for the one you want to delete. Click the 'More actions' button and select 'delete contact'. There's no verify screen, once you click the button, the contact is gone.
I wanted to start using gmail(defalt) but after reading all the trouble people are having with not being able to open gmail's address book. Maybe I'd better skip the idea, and go to Yahoo. I can't find how to put the names I want in the book in the first place. At 87 yrs young I got to have something more simple than Gmail I think????
After i read all the answers i did a lil' research and found the SOLUTION! If u wanna forward an email to ur desire contacts from gmail address book just CLICK on the "To" text which just shown on the left of the box where u put ur destination e-mail address. That "To" text is clickable and most of us never realise it :|
A new windown will pop up after clicking which contains all ur g-mail contact list.
Enjoy g-mail service. Thanks. God bless all :>
Dave,
I have Gmail set up with a separate addressee group besides "My Contacts". For some reason, most of the addressees in My Contacts are duplicated in my custom group. I'd like to remove (delete) these from the My Contacts list and have them appear only in the custom group. Unfortunately, when I go into My Contacts and delete them there, Gmail also deletes them from the custom group!!! Uggh!!!
How can I do what I want to do?
How do I create an address from incoming e mail ?
Dave,
I have an address book in MS Outlook that I have names, e-mails, street addresses, comments etc. that sends from my old e-mail address psmiley@cox.net. I am trying to switch to all gmail, but I suspect that gmail's address book is wanting from reading this email string and your replies. Is there any way to link gmail and MS Outlook? I already have my old psmiley@cox.net forwarding emails to psmiley1945@gmail.com.
Also, Is there a gmail phone number for a help desk?
Looking forward to your reply.
Phil Smiley
sir how i know that in which location my g mail account access before month ago....
I find this complicated compared with outlook express.If i want to forward mail i click onto my contacts click on there name that goes into the recipient box press send job done
Using android, themenu to select the address does not appear. Instead, google makes up accounts, that proved to exist. This way, my e-mail is being send to random people with addressess that resemble the ones in my address book.
This is no good at all.
Hi,
I need to send an email to a friend, however, she has a strange email address. Can I display my entire address book so that I can find her?
Tricia
ive 4got my google address on my mobile n now my phone is blocked. how do i find out what my address is please
I switched from Yahoo email due to all the problems there lately (and they were legion). But Gmail has the dumbest address book for email that I've ever seen. It doesn't seem to exist! You can't add or edit it in anyway, only import addresses from Yahoo, because you can't freaking find it!! I tried every tip on this forum, only to discover no such "Contact" button exists.
I don't know what the email gods at Gmail are smoking, but you guys take the cake for DUMB. As soon as Yahoo gets its act together again, I'll be switching back. At least they have an address book that you can access and edit.
Despite all the benefits of Gmail (which means, email actually gets sent when you send it, unlike Yahoo), Gmail has the most confusing interface I've ever used.
You guys need to put down your crack pipes and start redesigning for the common folk, who are not lost in debating esoteric interface arguments. We just want to be able to work with our address books.
not happy with the changes. can't get my address bookto come up. this is suppose to be easy. what happened?
How do I change or delete an email address in my "contacts" list in Gmail? I can not find "contacts" anywhere on my screen. I need to update a group list with some email address changes. I am totally frustrated.
I AM NOT YELLING, I JUST CAN'T SEE SMALL LETTERS WITHOUT A GREAT DEAL OF PAIN TO MY EYES. I HAVEN'T SET UP A CONTACT LIST YET. THAT'S WHY I'M LOOKING FOR A WAY TO ADD ADDRESSES!
The problem here is that Google is making a lot of incorrect assumptions about how I'm using their products. This is a common problem with Google, but in this instance, I would like a contact list because I am trying to "whitelist".
My situation is this: I go to a school. Which means everyone's address ends in @myschool.edu . Now my school allows anyone to pay the IT department to send out a mass mailing to everyone at the school, that comes from the client's address. Which ends in, you guessed it, @myschool.edu . To make matters more complicated, I work with a new set of students on team projects every semester, so I have to be able to get new e-mail from @myschool.edu addresses I don't recognize.
One classic solution (and the right solution, although impossible the way Google's mail is set up) is to archive everything except from addresses I trust. I can then go through at the beginning of the semester and simply add all the e-mails I want to actually get inbox mail from to my filter. This works opposite the way google's filters seem designed to work, which seems to involve trying to guess what looks like certain categories of mail, tagging them, and sending them somewhere other than my inbox. But it is nonetheless possible and easy using existing gmail technology.
Or, rather, it would be, if I could pull up a list of my existing contacts to begin with.
I don't expect this to change anything. Google abandonded its KISS roots years and years ago. The days when they gave us a simple interface to a simple bot that "just worked" with awesome behind-the-scenes data miners are gone. This is just one of many, many symptoms. It's ironic; the better Google tries to "get to know me", the less it seems to.
How do I delete some of the email addresss that are obslete, keeping only the current ones?
Failing to provide a link to Address Book on Gmail is a great way to irritate and alienate people who are new to Gmail. It is downright stupid. It is hard to believe that the same people that came up with such a brilliant search engine could allow such an inferior software system to use their name.
How do I retrieve the Gmail emails I have saved for the past year in my former inbox and labelled and sorted files?
I'm making mistakes on my email addresses, how do I go into this address book to change or delete it? Every time I punch the first letter in then all my mistakes popup as well the question: "I know one is right, but which one?" I'm not PC educated and to old for all the fancy ways things are done.
Regards
Trying to find my address book in my brand new gmail acct. Used GOOGLE to inquire as to where it was on the gmail page and how to open it. Found a string of bewildered requests going back 4 years. Are you being snotty and stubborn, or what. Trying to teach me a lesson? I am 69 yo and just retired. I am not a typical young adult who can do all this intuitive stuff. Please tell me how to look at my ADDRESS BOOK and pick out the names!
Simplest thing, yet this multi-billion dollar company can't even include an address book? I'm trying to access what e-mails I've blocked, and can't do it (maybe it's a good thing that I can't unblock my ex) :-) But seriously google, get a clue!
google UI designers. you failed. why someone should have to ASK is proof that you blew it.
I am 74 & not a techie. I am trying to add & delete some contacts from my contact book. I was told to hit the "mail" on the left. Trouble is on my screen, there is no :mail:
Help!!!Help!!
I cannot send out mail from my gmail account. I get... ERROR Your action was unsuccessful. Please try again. When I hit send. I can recieve my maail but will not let me send mail out. HELP PLEASE
Google missed the boat on this one really difficult to find address book. You don't always want to email people sometimes you need a physical address to send gifts, etc. or you simply need a phone number. Or even simply look at the "book" and edit all of it. Good heavens how hard is it to have a button for contacts or address book, whatever?
I deed some email addresses to publish about our country please show me the way. thanks
how do i take the hackers information out of my contact list if I dont know what to type in. I was hacked and they stored their information in my contact list and I need to have it available to open it when I need it. Like my yahoo contact list.
I have my contacts on google finally in order, that is without duplicates. When I use google navigator and look up contacts they are doubled and tripled. What is my problem?
I wonted to send pictures and cant get to my address book---if I go to the pictures and send I cant get a address. If I go to email I cant get the right folder for the pictures. Can you please let us get to our address book---I can't even add a new address.
Dear Dave,
From time to time, friends notify me of a changed e-mail address, at which time it is necessary to delete earlier and unwanted addresses.
On the "selected" suggestions when composing an e-mail I therefore am given a choice of old and new e-mails but I can't find a method of deleting the redundant e mail address.
Could you advise a simple method of displaying my whole address book in a form in which I can amend/delete addresses as required. It's time I cleaned the whole list up anyway.
Many thanks
Alan
Hi Alan. I think what you seek is attained by clicking on "Gmail" on the top left, then choosing "Contacts" from the resultant pop-up menu. Click on "More" and you can sort by first or last name too...
Dear Dave,
Problem solved. The word "g-mail" at top left looked like a title not a tab so I hadn't tried clicking it. Ah- the mysteries of Google Mail - it's not, as you say, very user friendly.
Many, many thanks for your help.
Alan Wiseman
Dave,
I suggest that at the very top of this page (in your first message) you tell people who can't access their Gmail address book to click on "Gmail" at the top left of their Gmail page. I didn't realize that would reveal an embedded dropdown list with the word "Contacts" in it. Sadly, I didn't find that solution until I read to the very bottom of all the comments here. Cheers.
I can type in a letter and all the names with that letter come up , but how can I erase the one I don't want , they are not on my contact list
Thanks Sayi Taofiq . Went into create a new email or an old email to forward and clicked on the + icon in top right corner & found the list of addresses that I currently have used . Still can't find way of adding addresses though . Anyone know ?
I really need to find the addresses that I have typed into my gmail address book because
I can't remember all the emails of my friends. Could you let me know how to get the addresses of my friends. Some of the ones I have in my address
book do not always send me mail and when I want to contact them, I have to go to other
sources that are not convenient.
where the HECK did the 'old fashioned' address page 'list' go with real street address and phone # ??????????
Please, help me to get to my address book. I want to see the whole thing, as I need to delete some. Thanks
I get the drop down list of addresses, however, some addresses have changed. How can I replace the old email address with the new one? Please reply asap.
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I do have a lot to say, and questions of my own for that matter, but first I'd like to say thank you, Dave, for all your helpful information by
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I am a gmail user and I understand their theory in using email addresses BUT I can't always remember everyone I want to send the note to !! It would be great if gmail would add an option to display the address book and let us choose.
I did create a few Contact Groups and I like that when you select a group in the To: field, it displays all of the names and not just the group name. This way I can see who is getting the note and it is easy to delete anyone I do not want to receive the note.