Using Gmail as an app in Windows 11

Gmail is the most used email service in the world due to its speed and many integrated functions. Its use in school, work and home is so high that many users dedicate a browser window or tab only to the service, in order to always keep an eye on the arrival of new e-mail messages.

To make it easier for you to check your mail we can install the gmail app on windows 11 in various ways, so as to leave the browser only for web browsing and receive notifications automatically at any time of the day (even with the browser closed).

READ ALSO -> Gmail’s best features

1) Add the Gmail app with Microsoft Edge

The quickest and fastest method to add the Gmail app on Windows 11 involves the use of Microsoft Edge, the browser integrated into the system and equipped with an excellent creation of apps starting from simple websites.

To make the Gmail app we open Microsoft Edge from the Start menu, let’s go to the Gmail sitelog in with your Google account and, once you reach the main screen of the service, press on the three dots at the top right, click on the menu App and press on Install the site as an app.

In the new warning window that will open, choose the name of the app and press on Install; a new window will now open where we can choose whether to add the app to the taskbar, whether to add it to the Start menu, whether to create a shortcut on the desktop and (very important) whether to start it when the user logs in.

After creating the Gmail app, press the icon with the two squares at the top and press up Allow to associate the email links with the new app.

To view Gmail notifications correctly, go to the site, press the gear icon at the top right, click on View all settingslet’s go to the tab generals and activate the voice Turn on notifications for new messages.

After this operation Edge will ask us whether to show notifications on the desktop; press on Allow to enable notifications for new mail messages. If the Gmail app notifications do not appear, open the app, press on the three dots at the top right, press on App permissions and set the authorization Notifications on Allowso as to restore Gmail notifications on Windows 11.

To manage the apps installed through Microsoft Edge, just press on the three dots once the browser is open, open the menu Apps -> Manage apps and choose whether to add the icon to the system tray, whether to set the auto-start or whether to uninstall the app.

2) Add the Gmail app with Google Chrome

As a valid alternative to Edge, we can use Google Chrome to create the app to manage e-mail, without the advantages of total integration with the operating system (as seen in the previous chapter).

to proceed, open the Gmail site from the Chrome browser, log in, press on the three dots at the top right, go to the menu Other toolsclick on Create shortcutmake sure you check the box Open as window and we confirm on Create.

We will now have Gmail as an app managed via Chrome, complete with a shortcut added to the Windows 11 desktop; if we don’t see any icon on the desktop or we want to start the Gmail app when accessing, let’s go to the screen chrome://apps/ in the browser address bar, right click on the Gmail app and tick the items Create shortcuts And Launch app on login; from this same screen we can delete the apps that we no longer want to use.

For more information, you can read our article on how to install sites like apps with google chrome.

3) App to manage mail on Windows 11

Apps created with browsers are really excellent, but if we are looking for traditional clients to manage mail on the PC we can try both the app Mail (built into Windows 11 and Windows 10) and the app Blue Maildownloadable for free from Microsoft Store.

In both cases we will be able to manage all emails from multiple Gmail accounts in a single app, as well as being able to manage incoming mail from Outlook, Yahoo! Mail and any other IMAP compatible mail service.

To learn more, we can read our guides to best alternatives to Microsoft Outlook come on how to setup thunderbird with extensions.

Conclusions

The Gmail app for Windows 11 cannot be installed anywhere but we can create it ourselves using the functions of Building the built-in apps in Microsoft Edge (highly recommended) and on Google Chrome, so as to have the website-based Gmail app complete with notifications and opening mail links.

The more traditionalists can also use the Posta app or the Blue Mail app to manage email via client with multi-account support, really great for those who have multiple Gmail accounts to set up.

To simplify the management of all mail, we invite you to read the articles on how import and manage other Email accounts in Gmail come on how to switch Libero or Virgilio Mail to Gmail.