Look into the Pink Eye!

Let's assume you're using Windows, and, like us monkeys at Pinkeye Graphics, you also use Googlemail or Gmail for email.

If so, you might well want to have a convenient shortcut to Gmail on your desktop - you know, just like the one that used to go to Outlook Express, all those years ago? In fact, for those changing over to Gmail from Outlook or a similar POP email client, having an email icon in the quick launch bar is a nice bit of comfort. Even if it just opens up a browser it still retains some of that offline look and feel which is reassuring and easy to use.

Find out below how to make this happen in a few brief clicks of the mouse.

Follow up:

First of all, if you're using the Chrome browser, it's almost all done for you. Just go to the Gmail home page, then choose 'Tools' from Chrome's 'Customise and control' menu. In the tools menu you'll see 'Create application shortcuts'. Just follow the instructions in there.

(If you don't know which browser you are using, find out at the "What browser am I using?" website.)

If you're not using Chrome, don't worry! It's still easy. There are two stages, and you don't even have to do the second one if you don't want to. Here's the first.

Making a shortcut to Gmail

You can put a shortcut to any webpage on your desktop or quick launch bar, so Gmail, being just a webpage, is a doddle. This will work with any website at all, but we're using Gmail as an example.

1. 1. Go to your Google inbox using your browser of choice
2. 2. Copy the text that is in the address bar
3. 3. Go to the desktop and right-click, then choose New>Shortcut
4. 4. Paste the webpage address you copied into the 'Create Shortcut' dialogue. Click 'next'
5. 5. Type a name for the shortcut. 'Gmail' is the obvious one. Click 'Finish'.
6. 6. Test your new shortcut and make sure it works. A window or tab should open showing Gmail. If not, delete it and have another try.
7. 7. The shortcut is now on your desktop. Leave it there, or we suggest drag it to the quick launch toolbar, and that's where it will stay (Note: in some Windows 7 versions, the Quick Launch bar isn't turned on by default. So if you can't see it, first turn it on if you want to use it).

That's the basic bit done. It will now work, and if you don't care how it looks stop now.

Customise your new shortcut
But there's more! Still want more? OK, here's the second part. You'll notice that the icon is not the nice Gmail icon that you usually see. So you'll want to change that.

Here's a file to download: Gmail icon file. If you know how to do that, go ahead. If not, follow these instructions (it's the same file, so you only need to do one). To download the file right-click on the icon file. In Internet Explorer, chose 'Save target as'; or in Chrome or Firefox 'Save link as'. Other browsers have similar options.

Once you've downloaded the file, this is how to use it.

1. 1. Save the gmail1.ico file on your computer. Anywhere is fine but a good place is C:/windows/system32 on many Windows systems, as that's where a lot of other icon files live. You probably shouldn't save it to the desktop as although it will work, you might mistake the icon file for your new shortcut, as they will look the same. The icon file's got a version of the icon for Gmail in it.
2. 2. Right-click on the new shortcut you made earlier and choose Properties>Change icon
3. 3. Choose 'Browse...' and navigate to where you saved the gmail1.ico file
4. 4. Select the file and you should see the icon. Choose it! Click OK and then OK again.

Your icon now has a real authentic Gmail look.