In Google Chrome, you can enable desktop notifications for Gmail so Google can alert you when you have a new chat message or a new email message. Once you have enabled the desktop notifications, a pop-up will appear to let you know that you have a new message, regardless of whether or not you are looking at your Gmail.
Note: These notifications are only available when you use Google Chrome as your Internet browser.
Enable or Disable Desktop Notifications
- Within Gmail, click the gear icon in the upper right-hand corner > select "Settings."
- Under the "General" tab, in the "Desktop Notifications" section, click the appropriate radio buttons. You may turn notifications on or off, and for email, you may choose to only show notifications for email messages marked as "important."
- Click [Save Changes] at the bottom of the screen.
Note: You must make sure mail.google.com is allowed to show desktop notifications on your computer. You also must have a Google Chrome browser page open and be logged in to Gmail for desktop notifications to appear.