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Gmail, the free email service operated by Google, has an email composer packed with features. You can send email in one of two modes: rich text and plain text. If you use rich text formatting, you can send HTML emails that use the same formatting code as Web pages. If you want to turn off HTML and send standard plain-text emails, you must use the Plain Text feature. Plain text does not support different font types, colors and sizes, and you can't insert links and objects into plain-text email.
Launch your favorite Web browser and navigate to Gmail.
Log in to Gmail using your email address and password.
Click the red "Compose" button, in the left pane, to start composing a new email.
Click the "Plain Text" link on the formatting toolbar, which is directly on top of the Compose window, to turn off HTML formatting.
Click "OK" when Gmail warns you that the Plain Text setting will remove formatting and inserted objects.
Compose your email and send it as you would normally.
Updated on March 31, 2021 Gmail offers a simple
HTML version for users with slow internet connections or old computers. The Gmail basic HTML interface is similar in appearance to earlier iterations of the Google email service, and it relies only on the most essential browser features. Information in this article applies to the use of Gmail in all
web browsers. The HTML version of Gmail loads faster than the standard version. If you want to
add text formatting to Gmail messages or embed links, then you must use the appropriate HTML code. To view your Gmail in simple
HTML, open the Gmail HTML website in any web browser and log in to your Gmail account if prompted, then select I’d like to use HTML Gmail. You may have to go to the Gmail HTML website again if Gmail automatically opens the standard interface. To switch to the standard Gmail interface from Gmail Basic HTML, scroll down to the bottom of your inbox, then select
Standard next to Gmail view. If your browser automatically loads Gmail in HTML view, you can open the standard version at any time by using this link: //mail.google.com/mail/. How to Switch to Gmail Basic's Simple HTML View
Use HTML Gmail when you have a slow connection or an old computer
Gmail HTML vs. Standard Gmail
How to Switch to Gmail Basic HTML View
How to Switch to Full Gmail Standard View
Depending on your browser, certain features may not work in Gmail standard view when you follow the above link.
Features Not Available in Gmail Basic HTML
Gmail Basic HTML does not support the following standard Gmail features:
- Gmail keyboard shortcuts
- Gmail spelling checker
- Gmail tasks
- Google chat
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A simple text editor is all you need to learn HTML.
Learn HTML Using Notepad or TextEdit
Web pages can be created and modified by using professional HTML editors.
However, for learning HTML we recommend a simple text editor like Notepad [PC] or TextEdit [Mac].
We believe that using a simple text editor is a good way to learn HTML.
Follow the steps below to create your first web page with Notepad or TextEdit.
Step 1: Open Notepad [PC]
Windows 8 or later:
Open the Start Screen [the window symbol at the bottom left on your screen]. Type Notepad.
Windows 7 or earlier:
Open Start > Programs > Accessories > Notepad
Step 1: Open TextEdit [Mac]
Open Finder > Applications > TextEdit
Also change some preferences to get the application to save files correctly. In Preferences > Format > choose "Plain Text"
Then under "Open and Save", check the box that says "Display HTML files as HTML code instead of formatted text".
Then open a new document to place the code.
Step 2: Write Some HTML
Write or copy the following HTML code into Notepad:
My First Heading
My first paragraph.
Step 3: Save the HTML Page
Save the file on your computer. Select File > Save as in the Notepad menu.
Name the file "index.htm" and set the encoding to UTF-8 [which is the preferred encoding for HTML files].
Tip: You can use either .htm or .html as file extension. There is no difference; it is up to you.
Step 4: View the HTML Page in Your Browser
Open the saved HTML file in your favorite browser [double click on the file, or right-click - and choose "Open with"].
The result will look much like this:
W3Schools Online Editor - "Try it Yourself"
With our free online editor, you can edit the HTML code and view the result in your browser.
It is the perfect tool when you want to test code fast. It also has color coding and the ability to save and share code with others:
Example
Page
Title
This is a Heading
This is a paragraph.
Try it Yourself »
Click on the "Try it Yourself" button to see how it works.
W3Schools Spaces
If you want to create your own website and save your code online, try our free website builder, called W3schools Spaces: