Gmail themes

If you use Google Apps through work or school, you may not have themes if your administrator has disabled them.

Personalize your Gmail by choosing a background theme, which adds some additional flair to your inbox. 

  1. Open Gmail.
  2. At the top right, click the gear Settings.
  3. Click Themes.
  4. Click to choose a theme. You'll see custom themes by Google users at the top, and Classic Gmail themes near the bottom.
  5. If you like, add effects by using the Text Background, Vignette, or Blur buttons below.

Tip: Want to see more images? Click More images on the last image in the custom themes section.

Choose your own photo

You can also select your own images to use as a theme. After following the steps above, click My Photos then pick an image from your computer, phone, photo albums, or the web. We recommend that you select a photo larger than 2560 x 1920 pixels.

Share your theme

Share custom themes you’ve created with friends through Google+, by sending an email, or just copying and pasting the link to your theme. Once you create a custom theme, we’ll ask you if and how you’d like to share your theme with others.

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When you upload an image for a custom theme, the image will be stored in an album in either Google+ or Picasa. If you delete the image from Google+ or Picasa, others won't be able to view or use your shared theme. The image will also be removed from your Gmail background within a day.

Once your friends click the link you’ve shared with them, they’ll see a confirmation message pop up. If they click Okay, their Gmail background will automatically change to your custom theme.

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Vivian is a Gmail expert and the author of this help page. Leave her feedback about this help page.

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