How to Change Your Gmail Theme

Have a little fun by customizing your Gmail screen

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Updated on May 8, 2022

What to Know

In Gmail, choose the Settings icon. Scroll to the Theme section and select one of the pre-made themes.
Select Text Background > choose Light or Dark text. Use the Vignette and Blur icons to further customize.
You can also upload a personal photo and use it as your theme.

This article explains how to change your Gmail theme to one of the pre-made options or a personal photo. This information applies to Gmail with Windows 10, 8, and 7, and Mac Yosemite (10.10) and higher. You can't change your Gmail theme on a mobile device.

Change the Theme on Gmail

Change the way Gmail appears when you're logged in from a computer by adding a theme or changing the existing one. Pick from the themes that are included with Gmail or use one of your own photos as your Gmail background.

Gmail's theme gallery is just a few clicks away in the Settings menu.

Open Gmail and log in if prompted to do so.
Select the Settings icon in the upper right corner of the page. It looks like a gear.
Scroll down to the Theme section and choose one of the pre-made themes offered here, if you like, or select View All.
If you selected View All, scroll through the photos and select a theme to preview it.
Select More Images at the bottom of the gallery to see even more background options.
Select the Text Background button at the bottom of the Themes box to choose Light or Dark text.
Select the Vignette button and adjust the slider to make the corners of your Gmail theme darker.
Select the Blur button and add blur to the theme with this slider option.
Select Save to apply the new theme your Gmail inbox. You can go back and change your theme as often as you like.

You can't change your Gmail theme on a mobile device, only on a computer.

Using a Personal Photo as a Gmail Theme

If you have a photo on your computer that you want to use, upload it to your free Google Photos storage to use it as your Gmail background theme. If you haven't used Google Photos before, learn how to get started with Google Photos.

Select My Photos at the bottom of the Pick your theme window. The Select your background image window will open with My Photos selected.
Find the image you have uploaded to Google Photos that you want to use as the background for your Gmail inbox.
Select the image and then click Select to apply it to your Gmail inbox.

The Gmail theme window with a personal photo selected as a background image

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