By adding someone as a contact to your Gmail account, you can quickly find that person’s contact details to send them an email. You can save someone as a contact whether you have or have not received any emails from them.
In case you don’t already know, Google uses a universal contact system. This means that the contacts you add to Gmail become available on all of your devices that sync with your Google account. This can include your desktop computers and even mobile devices like iPhone, iPad, and Android.
Also, know that Gmail automatically adds people to your contacts list when you send them an email. You don’t have to add these people to your contacts list again, as they’re already there.
Add a Contact from a Received Email
If you’ve ever received an email from the person you want to save as a contact, you can add that person to your contacts list without manually entering their details. This is because Gmail already has their name and email address.
To add a contact to Gmail in this scenario, first, launch the Gmail site in your web browser on your Windows, Mac, Chromebook, or Linux computer. Log in to your Gmail account if you haven’t already done so.
When Gmail loads, find and open the email from the person you want to add to your contacts. On the email window, hover your cursor over the name of the email sender to let Gmail open a menu.
From the menu that opens, select “More Info.”
Gmail will open a new contacts pane to the right of the email interface. In the top-right corner of this pane, click “Add to Contacts” (a person’s icon with a plus sign) to add the contact to your Gmail.
Gmail will add your selected contact to your account and display an “Added” message at the bottom of the pane.
If you’d like to quickly edit the newly added contact, click “Edit Contact” (a pencil icon) in the top-right corner of the contacts pane. This will open the Google Contacts site in a new tab of your web browser where you can edit your contact.
And that’s how you quickly add someone as a contact to your Gmail account!
Manually Add a Contact to Gmail
Another way to add a contact to Gmail is to manually enter the contact’s details in your Gmail account. You should use this method if you’ve never received an email from the person.
To proceed with this method, launch the Gmail site in a web browser on your Windows, Mac, or Linux computer. On the Gmail site, from the top-right corner, select “Google Apps” (a rectangle made of nine dots).
From the “Google Apps” menu, click “Contacts” to open the Google Contacts site in a new tab of your browser and view your current Gmail contacts list.
On the Google Contacts site that opens, from the menu to the left, select Create Contact > Create a Contact.
Google Contacts will open a “Create New Contact” window. Here, fill in the details for the contact you want to add. For example, click the “First Name” field and enter the person’s first name, select “Email” and enter the person’s email address, and so on.
When you’ve entered all the details that you want to save, click “Save” in the bottom-right corner of the “Create New Contact” window.
A message saying “New Contact Created” will appear at the bottom of the Google Contacts site. This confirms that your contact was successfully added to your Gmail account.
Add Contacts to Gmail from iPhone, iPad, or Android
Since Gmail uses a universal contact system, you can add your Gmail (Google) account to your iPhone, iPad, or Android phone and use your phone’s default Contacts app to add contacts to Gmail.
As mentioned earlier, you only have to add a contact on one device, and it will automatically sync across all other devices that use the same Gmail account.
For the steps on how to do this, check out our comprehensive guide on adding contacts to Gmail from an iPhone, iPad, or Android phone.
Delete a Contact from Gmail
If you no longer wish to keep a contact in your account, you can do this from any device linked to your Google account, including your desktop computer and mobile device.
Here, we’ll show you how to delete a contact using Gmail’s web interface. Start by launching the Google Contacts site in a web browser on your Windows, Mac, Chromebook, or Linux computer.
On the Google Contacts site, select “Contacts” in the sidebar on the left.
On the “Contacts” screen, click the “Search” box at the top and type the name of the contact you want to remove. Alternatively, select a contact from the list on your screen.
A window will open with your selected contact’s details in it. In the top-right corner of this window, click the three dots and select “Delete” from the menu.
You’ll get a “Delete This Contact” prompt. Click “Delete.”
Google will remove your selected contact, and a message saying “Contact Deleted” will appear at the bottom of the site.
And you’re all set.
While you’re at it, why not learn how to add a contact to WhatsApp if you use this instant messaging app?
RELATED: How to Add a Contact in WhatsApp
