An email account is your own private letterbox on the internet. With it you can keep in touch with family and friends, receive appointment reminders, shop online, and sign up to services. Best of all, setting one up is free and takes about ten minutes. This guide takes you through it slowly, from start to first message.

Choosing an email provider

There are several free providers — the best known are Gmail (from Google), Outlook (from Microsoft), and Yahoo Mail. They all do the same job. We will use Gmail in this guide because it is the most widely used and works nicely on every device.

What you’ll need

• A device that is connected to the internet.
• About ten quiet minutes.
• A pen and paper to write down your new email address and password.

Creating your account

1. Open your web browser (such as Chrome, Safari, or Edge) and go to gmail.com.
2. Select Create account, then choose For my personal use.
3. Enter your first and last name. This is simply how your name appears to the people you email — it does not have to be your full legal name.
4. Now choose your email address (Google calls this a username). You might try something like firstname.lastname. If it is already taken, Google will suggest alternatives, or you can add a few numbers to make it unique.
5. Create a password. Pick something at least eight characters long that others could not guess. A good trick is to join three random words together with a number, for example RiverButtonLamp7.
6. Write your new email address and password on your piece of paper and keep it somewhere safe. Everyone forgets a password now and then.
7. Follow the remaining prompts. You may be asked for a phone number for security — this is optional but useful, as it lets you get back into your account if you are ever locked out.

That is it — your email account is ready to use.

Sending your first email

1. Select Compose (or a pencil icon, or a “+”). A blank message opens.
2. In the To box, type the email address of the person you are writing to.
3. In the Subject box, add a few words about what the message is about, such as “Hello” or “Lunch on Saturday”.
4. Click into the large box and type your message, just as you would write a letter.
5. When you are happy, press Send. Your email arrives with the other person almost instantly.

Reading and replying

New emails appear in your Inbox. Unread ones are usually shown in bold. Tap or click a message to open and read it. To write back, select Reply — the person’s address is filled in for you automatically, so you just type your response and press Send.

A word about junk

Not every email is welcome. Advertising and unwanted messages are called spam or junk, and your provider automatically sends most of it to a separate Spam or Junk folder. If something looks suspicious — especially if it asks for money or personal details — do not click any links in it. When in doubt, simply delete it.

A video call lets you see and hear the people you love, wherever they are — a grandchild across the country, a friend who has moved away, or family abroad. It is the next best thing to being in the same room, and the apps that make it possible are completely free. This guide gets you making your first call with confidence.

Choosing an app

You and the person you are calling need to use the same app. The most popular free choices are:

• WhatsApp — excellent on phones and tablets, and widely used by families.
• Zoom — great for group calls and often used by clubs and community groups.
• FaceTime — already built in if everyone has an Apple iPhone or iPad.

Ask the person you want to call which one they already use, and go with that.

Getting set up

1. Open the App Store (on Apple devices) or the Play Store (on Android devices).
2. Search for the app by name and tap Get or Install. Wait for it to download.
3. Open the app and follow the simple setup. WhatsApp, for example, asks for your phone number and sends you a code by text to confirm it is really you.
4. When the app asks for permission to use your camera and microphone, tap Allow. It needs these so the other person can see and hear you — the call will not work otherwise.

Making a call

1. Open the app and find the person you want to call in your list of contacts.
2. Tap their name, then look for the video camera icon and tap it.
3. You will hear a ringing sound while you wait for them to answer. When they do, their face appears on your screen — and yours on theirs.
4. To finish, tap the red telephone button.

Joining a call someone else has started

Sometimes a friend or group will send you a link by text or email to join a call (this is common with Zoom). You simply tap the link at the agreed time, and the app opens the call for you. If it asks whether to join with video and audio, say yes to both.

While you are on the call

A row of buttons sits along the bottom or side of the screen. The two most useful are:

• The microphone button, to mute and unmute yourself. Handy if there is noise around you.
• The camera button, to turn your picture off and on.

If something is not working

• They cannot hear you? Check the microphone button is not muted (it will have a line through it if it is).
• You cannot see them? Ask them to check their camera is turned on.
• The picture is frozen or fuzzy? This is usually your Wi-Fi signal. Move closer to your router, or hang up and call again.