1. What makes Gmail different?

Gmail uses Google search technology to automatically organize and find messages. And because Gmail includes more than 2,500 megabytes of storage, a typical user won't ever have to worry about deleting mail. Everything just gets archived so it can be found again if needed.

There are other differences in the way Gmail provides access to your email. For example, Gmail automatically groups an email and the replies to it as a conversation. That means you always see a message in its proper context. And there are no pop-ups or banner ads in Gmail, just relevant text ads and links to related pages. Gmail's other distinctive features include a labeling system, a spam reporter and a system for filtering your mail as it comes into your inbox. Learn more.

2. How do I sign up?

You can get a Gmail account if you're invited by someone who already has one. Or, you can sign up for an account using your mobile phone. Currently, we're only able to offer this promotion in the United States, but we are working hard to make it available in more countries.

3. What about spam?

We are committed to keeping unwanted messages out of your inbox. Gmail includes a sophisticated spam filter that we're continuing to improve. The Report Spam button in Gmail is a way for users to help with this effort. It removes spam from the inbox and sends valuable data to the Gmail team working on spam blocking.

4. What does Gmail do to prevent viruses?

We take the security of our users very seriously. Most computer viruses are contained in executable files, but while standard virus detectors scan messages for executable files that appear to be viruses, Gmail takes this one step further by not allowing executable files to be sent or received.

5. Are there ads in Gmail?

Yes, but they are small and unobtrusive. They don't fill half your screen and we don't make you read them just to get to your inbox. Ads are never inserted into the body text of either incoming or outgoing Gmail messages and you won't see any pop-ups or untargeted banner ads in Gmail.

Gmail users only see relevant text ads, similar to those on Google search results pages . The matching of ads to content is a completely automated process performed by computers. No humans read your email to target the ads, and no email content or other personally identifiable information is ever provided to advertisers.

Ads are matched using the same technology that powers the Google AdSense program, which already places targeted ads on thousands of sites across the web by quickly analyzing the content of pages and determining which ads are most relevant to them. Here's a sneak peek of how ads look in Gmail.

6. What about privacy?

Google respects our users' privacy. For details, please see the Gmail Privacy Policy. Google also take several steps to guard the confidentiality of users' information by offering a number of industry-leading protections. To learn more, please visit our section on Gmail and privacy.

7. Why is Google offering email? I thought you were a search company.

Google's mission is to organize the world's information and make it universally useful and accessible. For many people, email contains valuable information that can be difficult to retrieve. We believe we can help with that.

Gmail uses Google search technology to find messages so users don't have to create folders and file their individual emails. Many of Gmail's other features also incorporate search technology to improve their effectiveness. Used this way, search enhances the efficiency of email, so we believe it's a natural area for Google to offer a service.