How Do You Put A Background On Your Email In Gmail?

If you're similar me, you spend a adept chunk of your twenty-four hour period inside your Gmail inbox, or at least subtly noticing it in the groundwork of your peripheral vision every bit information technology remains open on your 2nd monitor.

And if you're like many Gmail users, you're stuck dealing with the default background of the Gmail email customer—a plain, white and gray canvass.

Fortunately, Gmail offers a convenient style for you to alter your background, so you can alter your mood, better your focus, or just brand your day more interesting.

Here's a stride-by-step guide on how to change your Gmail groundwork.

Gmail Themes

The way to modify your Gmail background is via Gmail Themes.

Here's how to do it.

1. Head to the Settings menu. In the upper-right corner of the desktop app, click on the gear icon and click Settings.

gmail settings

2. Click on Themes. Then, click "Set theme." Hither, y'all'll have the ability to choose from ane of several dissimilar background images, pulled from Google's stock photos. Many photos here are of natural scenery (like plants, animals, rivers, etc.). However, you'll also have the ability to choose basic themes, similar a dark theme (which could exist easier on your eyes) or a high contrast theme (to help y'all see things clearer).

Gmail themes: Set theme - how to change your Gmail background

three. Choose and conform a theme. Choose a photo or a theme. If you choose a photograph, you'll also be able to adjust a few options related to how your epitome is displayed. At the lesser of this screen, you'll see options for Text, Vignette, and Blur. The Text option will allow you to choose the Text background as Light or Dark. The Vignette will provide y'all with a sliding scale that allows you lot to darken the corners of your background prototype. The Mistiness will provide you with a sliding scale that allows you to blur the background image (which is great for a photo with excessive detail).

choose Gmail theme

4. Click Salve. One time yous've chosen a photo or a theme for your background, and adapted the options associated with information technology, click Save. Your changes will exist applied. Annotation that you tin can ever return to the default theme if you want to go back.

Gmail themes: how to change your Gmail background

How to Change Your Gmail Background to Your Ain Photo

You may also notice that yous take the choice to choose a groundwork from "My photos." If you lot want to upload a custom photograph to use as your Gmail background, yous can—just you'll have to do information technology through Google Photos.

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Here's how to do information technology:

i. Open Google Photos. Caput to Google Photos. If y'all aren't already signed into your Google Account, you'll need to.

2. Upload a photograph. Adjacent, y'all'll need to upload a photo (or several).

upload photo gmail

3. (optional) Create an album. Yous tin as well create albums in Google Photos to keep your photos better organized. For example, you could create an album titled "Groundwork photos for Gmail."

create album

Once yous've uploaded photos to your Google Account, they'll be available the next time yous attempt to change your Gmail background. When you click "My photos," you'll exist able to navigate to the various albums and photos in your account, select the photo you want, and click Save to apply the alter.

That's it!

Why Change Your Gmail Groundwork?

Now that you know how to change the groundwork of your Gmail, let's explore some of the reasons why this is often a good thought.

Almost people have one of the following motivations:

Middle strain and clarity. Staring at a computer screen all day can be exhausting, and result in figurer vision syndrome if you aren't careful. And for some people, the default Gmail theme is hard to read. Irresolute the background could solve one or both issues, making your screen easier to read and easier in terms of eye strain.
Mood. Some people want a different color or a different image because it has the ability to ameliorate or change their mood. For example, would you rather look at a blank white background, or the calming image of a beautiful wood? What almost a family unit photograph that reminds yous why you're putting in these extra hours?
Something different. Subsequently using Gmail for many years, many users are simply ready for something different. Looking at the same background for hours a day, every twenty-four hour period, gets onetime, to the bespeak where almost whatever image or new colour looks better.

Experiment with different backgrounds to see how you lot respond—y'all might be surprised to learn how much more productive, attentive, or happy you are with ane specific background image over another. And if y'all're looking for how to change the background of an bodily email you send (such as for marketing purposes, be sure to encounter these email header templates.

Desire to further modify your Gmail? See our guide on how to change your name and electronic mail address in Gmail. And now that you know how to change your groundwork in Gmail, if y'all're interested in getting an even better experience with Gmail, it's helpful to measure out and analyze your e-mail activity with a tool like EmailAnalytics.

EmailAnalytics integrates with Gmail and provides y'all with interactive data visuals that assist you measure your inbound and outbound email rates, your response rates, and more. Sign upward for a free trial today, and acquire how you can ameliorate your email habits!

Jayson is a long-fourth dimension columnist for Forbes, Entrepreneur, BusinessInsider, Inc.com, and various other major media publications, where he has authored over 1,000 articles since 2012, covering technology, marketing, and entrepreneurship. He keynoted the 2013 MarketingProfs University, and won the "Entrepreneur Blogger of the Year" award in 2015 from the Oxford Center for Entrepreneurs. In 2010, he founded a marketing agency that appeared on the Inc. 5000 before selling information technology in January of 2019, and he is now the CEO of EmailAnalytics.