Compose Options for Email - English

Summary

This tutorial covers essential Gmail features for composing emails. It explains the functions of 'To', 'Cc', and 'Bcc' fields, text formatting options, attaching files, sharing via Google Drive, and inserting photos or links. The tutorial demonstrates adding recipients, subject lines, and message content, with guidance on attaching and managing files. It also shows how to work with the 'Bcc' field and email recipient visibility. Additionally, it discusses options like formatting, checking spelling, and sending the email. The tutorial ends with information on workshops and certifications offered by the Spoken Tutorial project.

Takeaways

• 📧 Understanding 'To', 'Cc', and 'Bcc' in email composition: 'To' is for primary recipients, 'Cc' for copying others, and 'Bcc' for blind copying.
• ✍️ Formatting email text is possible with various options like fonts, sizes, bold, italic, and text alignment.
• 📎 Files can be attached up to 25MB. For larger files, Gmail provides the option to share using Google Drive.
• 📷 You can insert images into an email either by uploading from your computer or using a web link.
• 🔗 Hyperlinks can be added to text in the email by specifying a display text and URL link.
• 😊 Emojis can be used in email communications for added expression.
• 💾 Gmail auto-saves drafts, allowing you to retrieve the content in case of an unexpected disconnection or power loss.
• 🗑️ Emails can be discarded by clicking the Trash icon, removing them from the Drafts folder.
• 🖨️ The 'Print' option allows sending the composed mail to a configured printer.
• 🚀 Files shared through Google Drive need to be shared with all recipients before sending the email.

Q & A

What are the three recipient options available in the Compose window of Gmail?

The three recipient options are 'To', 'Cc' (Carbon Copy), and 'Bcc' (Blind Carbon Copy).

What is the main difference between 'Cc' and 'Bcc' in email?

'Cc' allows all recipients to see who else received the email, while 'Bcc' hides the email addresses of recipients added in that field from other recipients.

How many recipients can be added to an email in Gmail per day?

Gmail allows up to 500 recipients per day across 'To', 'Cc', and 'Bcc' fields.

What is the maximum attachment size for files in Gmail, and how can larger files be sent?

The maximum attachment size in Gmail is 25 MB. For larger files, you can use the 'Insert files using Drive' option.

How can you format text in the body of an email in Gmail?

Text can be formatted using the formatting toolbar, where you can change font, size, apply bold, italic, underline, adjust text color, create lists, and align text.

What is the purpose of the 'Insert files using Drive' option in Gmail?

The 'Insert files using Drive' option is used to send files larger than 25 MB by uploading them to Google Drive and sharing them as a Drive link.

How does Gmail handle auto-saving of drafted emails?

Gmail automatically saves drafted emails in the 'Drafts' folder whenever content is added or removed, allowing retrieval in case of internet disconnection or power failure.

What does the 'Insert Link' option in the Compose window do?

The 'Insert Link' option allows you to hyperlink text in your email, enabling recipients to click on the link and be redirected to the specified URL.

How does the Bcc feature work from the recipient's perspective?

Recipients in 'Bcc' can see the 'To' and 'Cc' recipients but cannot see other 'Bcc' recipients. Those in 'To' and 'Cc' fields cannot see the 'Bcc' recipients at all.

What happens if a file shared via Google Drive is not shared with all email recipients?

If the file isn't shared with all recipients, Gmail prompts the sender to share the file by showing the message 'This Drive file isn't shared with all recipients,' and the sender can click 'Share & Send'.

Outlines

00:00

✉️ Introduction to Compose Options for Emails

This paragraph introduces the tutorial on 'Compose Options for Emails' in Gmail. It covers essential features like adding recipients (To, Cc, Bcc), formatting email text, attaching files, sharing via Google Drive, and inserting links or photos. The steps begin with logging into Gmail, navigating to the Compose window, and explaining the purpose of To, Cc, and Bcc fields, with details on how these recipients interact with each other. A limit of 500 recipients per day is mentioned, and the paragraph concludes with an example of filling in the To, Cc, and Bcc fields and formatting the email.

05:03

📎 Attaching Files and Using Google Drive

This section explains how to attach files to emails, including the 25 MB attachment limit. Larger files can be shared via Google Drive. It walks through attaching a small PDF file and then attempts to attach a 30 MB zip file, showing the process of using Google Drive for larger files. The paragraph explains navigating Google Drive's 'My Drive,' 'Shared with Me,' and 'Upload' tabs, and highlights options for inserting files either as Drive links or attachments. It ends by showing how to upload and insert files as Drive links, providing step-by-step instructions.

10:08

🔗 Inserting Links, Emoticons, and Auto-Saving Emails

This paragraph discusses how to insert hyperlinks and emoticons in emails. It explains the process of creating a hyperlink, checking it by clicking, and editing or removing it. The tutorial then mentions the auto-save function in Gmail, which saves emails to Drafts whenever changes are made. It also touches on discarding drafts by using the Trash icon, expanding the compose window to full screen, switching to plain text mode, printing emails, and spell-checking. Finally, it describes sending the email and handling Google Drive sharing permissions.

15:11

📬 Conclusion and Summary

The final paragraph summarizes the tutorial, recapping the features discussed, including email recipients (To, Cc, Bcc), text formatting, file attachments, sharing via Google Drive, and inserting links and photos. It also encourages watching a video about the Spoken Tutorial project, which offers workshops and certificates for those passing online tests. It provides contact information for more details and concludes with a message that the Spoken Tutorial project is funded by NMEICT, MHRD, Government of India.

🎤 Closing Remarks

In this brief closing statement, the presenter, Srilakshmi Ramaswamy, signs off, thanking the viewers for watching the tutorial and attributing the content to the Spoken Tutorial Team from IIT Bombay.

Keywords

💡Compose Window

The Compose Window is the interface in Gmail where users can write and format emails. In the video, the compose window is demonstrated to show how to add recipients, format text, and attach files. It’s the central tool for creating emails and sending them to the desired contacts.

💡To, Cc, Bcc

These are the fields for specifying recipients in an email. 'To' is for primary recipients, 'Cc' (Carbon Copy) sends copies to additional people, and 'Bcc' (Blind Carbon Copy) hides the addresses of additional recipients from others. The video illustrates how these options allow different levels of visibility for email recipients.

💡Attach Files

The feature that allows users to include documents, images, or other files in an email. In the video, the tutorial explains how to attach files up to 25MB or use Google Drive for larger attachments. This feature is essential for sharing content through email.

💡Google Drive

A cloud-based storage service integrated into Gmail, allowing users to send larger files by sharing links instead of attachments. In the tutorial, Google Drive is highlighted as a solution for sending files that exceed the Gmail attachment size limit.

💡Formatting Toolbar

The toolbar in Gmail’s compose window that offers text formatting options like font size, bold, italic, and lists. The video demonstrates how this toolbar is used to style email content, much like a word processor, making the message visually appealing.

💡Subject Line

The field where users provide a brief description of the email’s purpose. In the tutorial, the presenter types 'Partner with us' as an example. The subject line is key for informing recipients about the email’s content at a glance.

💡Insert Link

An option in Gmail that allows users to hyperlink text within the email. The video showcases how to create a link, for example, linking the text 'Spoken Tutorial' to the website URL 'http://spoken-tutorial.org'. This feature is useful for directing recipients to additional online resources.

💡Insert Photo

A feature that allows users to upload and embed images directly into the email body. In the tutorial, the presenter explains the option without using it, allowing viewers to explore the feature on their own. This can enhance the visual appeal of emails.

💡Send using Google Drive

A functionality that appears when trying to attach a file larger than 25MB. Instead of attaching the file, Gmail suggests sending it via Google Drive. The video walks through this process, showing how users can share large files efficiently.

💡Drafts Folder

The Gmail folder where unsent emails are automatically saved. The video explains how changes to the email, like adding text or attachments, are auto-saved in Drafts. This feature is critical for retrieving messages in case of interruptions like internet failure.

Highlights

Introduction to Compose Options for Emails tutorial

Explanation of email recipients: To, Cc, Bcc

How to format email text

Attaching files to emails

Sharing files via Google Drive

Inserting a photo or link into an email

Compose window options

Login process to Gmail

Opening the Compose window in Gmail

Adding recipients in the To field

Using Cc to send a copy to others

Using Bcc for blind carbon copy

Limit of 500 recipients per day

Entering recipient addresses with examples

Adding a subject line to an email

Basic formatting options in Gmail

Attaching files up to 25 MB

Sending files larger than 25 MB using Google Drive

Uploading a file to Google Drive from the Compose window

Inserting a photo into an email

Inserting a link into an email

Using emoticons in email communication

Auto-save feature of Gmail drafts

Options for discarding a draft email

More options in the Compose window

Sending the composed email

Viewing sent email and its recipients

Understanding the visibility of Bcc recipients

Summary of the tutorial's key points

Information about the Spoken Tutorial project and its funding

Details about workshops and certificates

Tutorial contribution by Spoken Tutorial Team, IIT Bombay

Transcripts

Welcome to the Spoken Tutorial on Compose Options for Emails.

"In this tutorial, we will learn

about the email recipients, namely, To, Cc, Bcc.

Format the email text

Attach files to emails

Share files via Google Drive

Insert a photo or link into an email

and about the Compose window options.

"For this tutorial, you will need a working Internet connection

and a Web browser

For this demonstration, I will be using Firefox web browser

Let's begin.

Open your web browser and type "http://gmail.com

The Login page opens.

Enter your username and password in the respective text boxes.

If the Login page opens with the username, this means that you have already accessed this account from your machine.

Enter the password

and click on Sign in button.

We are in our Gmail page.

Now, let us look at the options available for writing an email.

So, first let us click on Compose button.

The Compose window opens up.

The To segment is where we specify the recipients.

It has 3 options, To, Cc and Bcc.

Cc stands for Carbon Copy and Bcc stands for Blind Carbon Copy

We have to add the email address of the person to whom we are sending the email in the To field.

Here’s a screenshot.

If we want to send the same email to more than 1 person, simply add the email ids in the field To.

Here’s a screenshot.

Use Cc" option to mark a copy of the email to others.

All the recipients marked in To and Cc fields, can see all the other recipients.

Here’s a screenshot.

We can also use Bcc option to mark a blind copy of the email to others.

In this option, the recipients in To and Cc cannot see the recipients added in Bcc.

The recipient in the Bcc can see the To and Cc recipients,

but not the other Bcc recipients.

The sender of the mail can see the complete recipients list.

Here’s a screenshot.

Important Note :

We can add any number of email ids in the recipients field - To, Cc and Bcc.

But the maximum limit is 500 recipients per day.

Each mail id has to be separated by a space or comma or colon.

Let us now switch back to our Gmail Compose window".

By default, the cursor is in the To field.

Let's enter the recipient addresses as follows-

In To field, lets give the email id as [email protected]

In Cc field,[email protected]

In Bcc field, [email protected] and [email protected]

Click in the Subject line and enter a short description for your email.

I will type: Partner with us".

In the content area, let us type the message:

Spoken Tutorial Project is helping to bridge the digital divide.

Gmail allows us to do basic formatting to the text in the body of our email.

It is displayed by default at the bottom of the Compose window.

"If not, to access the formatting toolbar, click the Formatting options button.

Here we have options such as different fonts and sizes, bold, italic, underline, text color,align, numbered and bulleted lists and indentation.

These options are exactly like the ones in any word processor application.

You may explore these options by yourself.

This is how I have formatted my text.

To hide the formatting toolbar, click the Formatting options button.

In the Compose window, there are options for attaching files, photos, links and emoticons.

To share files or documents with others,

we can use Attach files or Insert files using Drive" options.

All Mail providers allow to send files as attachment.

You can attach up to 25 megabytes (MB) in size.

To send files that are larger than this, you can use Insert files using Drive option.

Let us first attach a pdf file which is less than 1Mb in size.

Click on the Attach file icon, which looks like a paper clip.

This will open the file browser.

Browse and select the file you want to send via mail.

From the Desktop, I will select myscript.pdf and click on Open.

We can see that our file is getting attached to our mail.

Multiple files can also be attached to the same mail by using Attach files option.

To remove a file you've attached to a message, click on the x mark to the right of the file name.

Now let us attach a file which is around 30Mb.

I have a zip file on my Desktop which is around 30Mb file size.

Click the Attach files icon once again.

Browse and select the 30Mb zip file and click on Open.

We will get the popup message:

The file you are trying to send exceeds the 25mb attachment limit.

And it gives us the option to Send using Google drive.

Click on Send using google drive button.

Let me close this for a moment.

Clicking on Insert files using Drive option also gets us to the same window as before.

Here, we can see 3 tabs:

My Drive, Shared with me and Upload."

By default, the files which are already uploaded, will be available under My Drive tab.

You can see a file here.

This was shared by Google Team at the time of account creation.

Let’s click on Shared with me tab.

Here we see the message, No one's shared any files with you yet!

If anyone shares a file with you, it will be available under Shared with Me tab

Now, click on Upload tab to upload a new file.

Click on Select files from your computer button.

Browse and select the file from your machine, that you want to upload and click on Open .

Click on Add more files button, if you want to add any more files.

I will skip this for now and proceed with the single file upload only.

After the file has been added, we have to mention how it has to be inserted in our mail.

Notice 2 buttons at the bottom right, which says,

Insert as Drive link and

Attachment

By default, Insert as Drive link is selected.

If we select Attachment, then the file will be inserted as an attachment.

We will leave it as it is.

Click on the Upload button at the bottom left corner of the screen.

It will start uploading but this may take some time depending on your internet speed.

Once complete, here, in the content area, we can see a link to the uploaded file.

Now let’s click Insert Photo option to insert images in the email.

The Upload Photos window opens.

We can upload photos from our computer or by giving the website address of the image.

For now, I don't want to upload any images.

So I will click on the Cancel button.

You may explore this option on your own.

The next option is Insert Link. Let’s click on it.

The Edit Link dialog box opens.

In the Text to display field, type the text that you want as the link.

I will type Spoken Tutorial

In the Link to section, by default, Web address option is selected.

In the text field, type the url as http://spoken-tutorial.org

and click on OK button.

Now, in the content area, you can see the text Spoken Tutorial and it is hyperlinked.

Let me click on the hyperlinked text.

A small pop window opens below the text.

It says- Go to link:.

Clicking on the URL displayed, will take you to the Spoken Tutorial website’s Homepage.

To change the URL or remove the link, we can click on Change or Remove options, respectively.

We can also insert various pictorial representations with the help of this emoticon icon.

Use this feature in your email communication whenever required.

Notice the text Saved, just before the Trash icon.

Whenever we add or remove content, our email will be auto-saved in our default Drafts folder.

This is very helpful to retrieve our typed message, in case of a power failure or Internet disconnection.

If we want to discard this message, click on the Trash icon.

This action will delete the email from the Drafts folder, as well.

Click on the More options button, which is next to the Trash icon.

Default to full-screen option will make the compose window bigger.

Label – We will learn about this feature in the future tutorials.

Plain text mode option will clear all the formatting we did before and convert the mail to plain text.

Print option will send the composed mail to the default configured printer.

Check Spelling will do spell-check of the typed content.

We are now ready to send our mail.

Click on Send button.

We get the following message on the screen-

This Drive file isn't shared with all recipients.

This is because we did not share the file with the people who are marked on this email."

Click on Share & Send button.

On the screen, we will see either of the two messages:

Your message is sending

or Your message has been sent.

To view the sent mail, click on View Message link.

We can see the content of the email which we sent here.

Let us cross-check one-by-one.

Here are the attachments

and here is the URL link.

Below the mail address, there is an inverted triangle that shows the header details.

Let me click on it.

We can see the email ids of all the recipients in To, Cc and Bcc fields.

Let us see how the email will appear to the recipients.

This is the mail id of the recipient marked in Cc.

You can see the message which is sent now. Let me open this to read.

Click on Show Details.

It displays To and Cc recipients, but not the Bcc recipients.

This is the mail id of one of the recipient marked in Bcc.

You can see the message which is sent now.

Let me open this to read.

Click on Show Details.

You can see To, Cc and Bcc recipient details.

Let me come back to the Sender’s gmail account.

Look over here, we mentioned 2 recipients in the Bcc.

But here, we can see only one email id. The other one is not visible.

This is how the Bcc feature works.

Hope you are able to understand the differences clearly.

This brings us to the end of this tutorial.

Let us summarise.

In this tutorial, we have learnt about

The email recipients namely, To, Cc Bcc

Formatting the text of the emails

Attach files to emails

Share files via Google Drive

Insert a photo or link into an email

and about the Compose window options.

"he video at the given link summarizes the Spoken Tutorial project.

Please download and watch it.

We conduct workshops and give certificates for those who pass our online tests.

For more details, please write to us.

Spoken Tutorial project is funded by NMEICT, MHRD, Government of India.

More information on this mission is available at this link.

"This tutorial has been contributed by the Spoken Tutorial Team, IIT Bombay.

This is Srilakshmi Ramaswamy signing off. Thanks for watching."