How to send an SMS from Gmail

Sending someone a text message from your Gmail account is one of those features that not everyone will use very often, but it’s pretty handy to know how to do, especially in a pinch.

Maybe you need to connect with someone who is known for never checking their phone (guilty, your honor) but who monitors their inbox like a hawk (also guilty). Or maybe you just want to send yourself a quick text reminder while you’re busy typing a bunch of emails. Whatever the reason, sending a text message from your Gmail account only takes a few quick steps.

This is one of the many useful features built into Google’s Gmail client that the average user may not even realize. For a more comprehensive look at all the handy tricks and shortcuts available, check out our guide on how to get the most out of your Gmail account.

A few important points to note before diving in. First, the fees: Whether the recipient is charged after receiving your message depends on their mobile plan or provider. Sending or receiving a text message from Gmail incurs the same charges as sending SMS (plain text messages) or MMS (text messages with attached media) to a phone number.

Second: Not all carriers and plans support this feature. You will be able to tell if this is the case if your email comes back with an error message and the text shows as undelivered.

That pretty much sums it up. Read on for a step-by-step guide on how to send an email as SMS from your Gmail account.

How to send a text message from Gmail

To send an email as an SMS, you will naturally need to go to your inbox. Gmail is one of the best email services available, combining an easy-to-use interface with plenty of features. You probably already have an account for one reason or another, but if you don’t, check out our guide on creating a Gmail account.

1. Open Gmail and tap Compose

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To begin, you will Go to your Gmail inbox And press the Dial button in the upper left corner. Write your message in the body of the New Message pop-up as if you were sending an email. Note that your message can be sent as multiple texts if it has more than 140 characters.

2. Select the To field

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Once you’ve finished writing and are ready to send it, click in the To field immediately above the body of your message. If your cursor is currently clicked in the body of your message, the field will be titled Recipients.

3. Type (phone number)@(gateway domain)

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Here’s the tricky part. Rather than an email address, enter the 10 digit phone number of the person you are trying to text followed by the @ sign And the gateway domain of the recipient’s mobile providerFor example, if the person you are trying to reach has the phone number 123-456-7899 and they work at Verizon, you would enter [email protected] in the To field.

If you don’t know their gateway domain by heart (because why would you), see the next step for how to find this information.

4. Find the right gateway domain

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You can find gateway domain from a person’s mobile phone provider through services such as freecarrierlookup.com. Just enter the recipient’s phone numberand you will get the SMS and MMS gateway addresses from their provider. Enter SMS address in the In the field after the recipient’s phone number to send your email as a plain text message, or use the MMS address to include images and other forms of media with your message.

4. Send your message

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You have finished! Press the Send button in the lower left corner, and the person you are messaging should receive your email as an SMS.

If you’re looking for more Google-themed guides while you anxiously wait for Android 14, look no further. We can tell you how to update Android if your phone isn’t running the latest version. We can also show you how to check Android battery health to see how your phone’s power cell is holding up.

Want to learn more about AI chatbots? Check out how to use Google Bard, Google’s answer to the wildly popular ChatGPT.

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