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Top Methods to Avoid Typing www.gmail.com for Faster Gmail Access

Top Methods to Avoid Typing www.gmail.com for Faster Gmail Access
Top Methods to Avoid Typing www.gmail.com for Faster Gmail Access

In 2020, every day, almost 3oo,ooo people search for www.gmail.com on Google to access their Gmail account.

According to research, the average speed for typing on a computer keyboard is around 330 characters per minute (or CPM), which means that worldwide, people spend a total of roughly 15 hours a day typing www.gmail.com or www/gmail.com into their browser to access their webmail. That's a long time! And that doesn't include the redundant and often long page-loading time.

Think about it; logging into Gmail to get to Google Drive involves navigating about 4 pages, such as the Google search prompt page, the search results, and the Gmail login. Once you're finally logged into Gmail, you need to find Google Drive for your next set of tasks. Doing this multiple times over the course of a work day is quite exhausting — and there are far better alternatives!

Regardless of whether you are new to Gmail or web mail in general, or you are a newcomer to the web — we can show you 4 ways to drastically cut down (and even completely remove) the need to type www.gmail.com or www/gmail.com in order to access your Gmail account.

All of these ways are safe and secure and give you direct access to your Gmail account in the same way as if you manually entered www gmail com email and clicked on the link.

Four Best Ways to Access Gmail

Here are the 4 best ways to access Gmail without searching for it in Google.

Method 1: Email Clients

If you need to check your email often, or you are not familiar with webmail clients, desktop email clients are a great alternative. Instead of having to open a browser, type gmail.com, click on the link, and wait for Gmail to load, just open your Gmail app for windows and your account will be there.

In addition to bringing your Gmail account offline to your computer, email clients often include a wide range of other features that can enhance your productivity and use of email. The list of available email clients is long, so we list the most popular ones for Mac, Windows and Linux here.

For instance, Mailbird allows users to manage multiple Gmail accounts from one window and even one Unified Inbox — something you cannot do with www.gmail.com or https://www.gmail.com. Again, this is highly effective for someone working with multiple accounts.

A preview Mailbird Unified Inbox with color indicators
A preview Mailbird Unified Inbox with color indicators

In addition, email clients usually do not require a constant or reliable Internet connection for checking email. They accomplish this by periodically syncing with your account similarly to how cloud storage works.

In other words, the client uses your stored credentials or access token (a stored security string of numbers used to verify your identity and granting your application access to the webmail program, allowing it to manage your email) to access your email provider's server, grab any new email, and dispatch any mail you send in the email client.

That's not all

There are a few other methods people use to check their Gmail accounts, including using a browser extension (you can read more about browser extensions here). However, the above methods represent the most popular (and are all more effective than typing in www.gmail.com or https//www.gmail.com).

Why Mailbird is a better email client

Mailbird takes your mailing experience to the next level. If your browser has an issue loading your Gmail, go for a stable email client like Mailbird. Above all, Mailbird can export email addresses and manage them all in a single inbox. This feature makes it the world's fastest and most modern and stable email client.

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Method 2: Enter Gmail.com in the address bar

That's right. Especially if you are new to the internet, you may be surprised to learn that you (usually) don't need to include that pesky "www." when entering website addresses.

The vast majority of websites include both a www, and non-www variant of their address because usually, website owners redirect from one to a preferred version. So, you might notice that sometimes, a site name you enter with "www" lands you on a page without it.

This doesn't mean that you've gone to the wrong site, or that there is anything wrong. The website simply is set to redirect users to one or the other — www, or non-www. There is no difference.

https secure connection for www.gmail.com
https secure connection for www.gmail.com

It's also worth pointing out that many websites are beginning to use a more secure protocol to protect their sites and users. This protocol is indicated by "https." This means that the network connection between you and the website is secured; it is not a cause for alarm, quite the contrary. In fact, you should be wary of entering or providing any details or logging into any account on a site without an https, or secure connection.

Method 3: Bookmark www.gmail.com

Arguably the most popular method for quick access to Gmail, bookmarking is a great way to get one-click access to any sites you visit regularly. Bookmarks live in your browser and can sync across all the devices where you use the same browser and browser account.

You can bookmark your Gmail inbox by logging into your Gmail and bookmarking the inbox page. You can also bookmark individual messages if you need to refer to them later.

A preview of adding a single email as a bookmark in Chrome.
A preview of adding a single email as a bookmark in Chrome.

Method 4: Browser Apps

Chrome, in particular, has a myriad of popular apps, including one for Gmail. Just like on a smartphone, these apps enable you to quickly and easily manage your Gmail account outside the browser.

The official Gmail app acts as little more than a bookmark. However, having it as an app does allow you to add some default settings, such as opening it in a new browser window or as a full-screen window.

A screen view of Chrome Browser Apps
A screen view of Chrome Browser Apps

For more information on apps, click on the settings or options menu in your browser. You should be able to find them. Otherwise, you can search for information using any search engine.

Why Not Just Type www.gmail.com When You Need It?

Hopefully one of the aforementioned four methods will cut your email processing time. Now let's briefly look into the reason why typing www.gmail.com into your search engine is not the best way to go about doing things.

It wastes time

Sure, you may not be wasting 15 hours a day, yourself, but this can be really annoying when you're working with multiple email accounts.

Suppose you're a remote worker for a marketing company. You've been given the logins to a main email address; you have your personal as well as your work email addresses to tend to. The time you spend logging in and out of these email addresses is time you could be using to work on more important tasks, to say the least.

If there is a way to get where you need to go without typing all those "www's" and so on, shouldn't you use it?

It needlessly exposes you to ads

This is a Google search ad related to Gmail
This is a Google search ad related to Gmail

Search results have ads. Every time you perform a search in Google, you are opening yourself up to ads targeted at exactly what you are looking for. These ads can even be integrated into your personal social media accounts. You want to check your notifications, not be distracted by useless ads getting in the way of your every move!

Lastly, it can affect your browsing experience

Google remembers what you search for. Furthermore, it will try to auto-suggest/fill possible related search terms based on your typical searches. This includes personal information like your home address, credit card information, and passwords, making it easy for somebody to gain access to your information.

Chances are Gmail is not the only website address you enter including the "www" in search results, so you may notice that you are always presented with your most commonly searched for websites every time you begin to type in the search bar, requiring you to type 4+ characters before your suggested searches are even close to relevant to what you intend.

A preview of Google suggesting relevant searches while you type
A preview of Google suggesting relevant searches while you type

Why Do So Many People Search for www.gmail.com?

There are probably many reasons. However, the most likely one is that most people misunderstand the difference between the search bar/field/box and the address bar/field/box. The search bar is always inside the frame of your search engine and it's where you input text to perform a search.

The difference between the search bar vs. address bar
The difference between the search bar vs. address bar

These include Google, Bing, yahoo!, DuckDuckGo, and a myriad of others. These search engines are applications that exist on the web and not as part of your computer or your browser, though most browsers have integrations or preferences toward one or more search engine. For example, Google Chrome (a popular browser) defaults to Google.com for it's search engine. However, you can easily use one or more other search engines within Chrome.

In addition to searching, search engines can perform various tasks including opening websites directly from searches, and more advanced commands. Here are some resources you can use to become more familiar with what you can enter into today's more popular search engines:

Google Search Operators

Bing Search Operators

Yahoo Search Operators

2. The address bar is part of your browser window and can perform various functions depending on what you type in it.

Generally, if there is no "www." or "http://" preceding your inputted text, the browser will treat your input as a search using your chosen default search engine. Your default search engine is almost always managed in the browser settings. You can perform a quick search on "*your browser* default search engine" to find out how to change it (no matter what search engine it is currently set to use by default).

If you input a website name, such as gmail.com, into the address bar, you will be redirected to that site. Sounds like a better way, right? Well sure, but we can do even better than that.

Do You Have a Better Way to Check Gmail that We Missed?

If you have other techniques instead of typing www.gmail.com every time, we'd love to hear it! Please share your preferred method with us in the comments below.

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Editor's Note: This post was originally published in April 2016 and has been revamped and updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

FAQ

How can I speed up my Gmail?

Here are few tips to improve your Gmail performance:- Shut down the chat window- Use a stable email client like Mailbird- Reduce the total number of email conversations in your inbox- Archive extra emails or emails required in the future- Keep inbox tabs to a minimum number- Use an ad blocker- Use keyboard shortcuts- Try using the HTML-only version installed on your application or browser.

Why is loading my Gmail so slow?

Sometimes Gmail takes ages to load or gets stuck while loading. Users have to wait too long for it to open. This is usually due to extensions or add-ons installed on your application or browser, which prevent Gmail from working fast and properly. So, turning them off or using a better email client can help you solve this problem.

Should I use an email client for Gmail?

Using an email client can protect your privacy as well as save time. Similarly, you can effectively back up your emails for offline access with the help of an email client. You can also see all your email accounts together in one place. This keeps you from having to invest a lot of time in logging in and out of accounts.