How to Merge Inboxes Using Gmail

Use Gmail to get all your email in a single inbox.

In Google's free email service, Gmail, you have one inbox per account. Speaking precisely, you cannot merge inboxes using Gmail. However, you can configure Gmail to pick up your email from many different accounts -- including other Gmail accounts -- and manage them all in that one inbox. In this way, you can achieve the effect of merging inboxes using Gmail.

Instructions

1. Launch a Web browser and navigate to Gmail. Log in to your account if you are not signed in automatically.

2. Click on the icon of a cogwheel in the top right-hand corner of the screen. Choose "Mail Settings" from the drop-down list.

3. Click on the "Accounts and Import" tab.

4. Click on the "Import mail and contacts" button.

5. Type in the e-mail address you wish to receive mail from when prompted.

6. Type in the password linked to this account when prompted.

7. Choose whether you wish to leave a copy of retrieved messages on the server, instead of deleting them when Gmail fetches them, always use a secure connection (SSL) when retrieving mail, label incoming messages, and archive incoming messages.

8. Click "Add account." Mail from that email account will appear in your Gmail inbox.

Tips & Warnings

• Follow instructions under "Send mail as" to send mail with the return address of other email accounts you own.

References

• 40Tech: Gmail: One Inbox to Rule Them All