Your email account

Almost every account you make in this guide starts with your email address. Claude, Apple, Google and others send sign-in codes and receipts there. Pick one address now and use it for everything in this project.

Which address

Use an address that is yours alone, that you can open on this PC, and that you will still have in years. A work or school address can be taken away. If you do not have one, make one for free:

• A Microsoft address ending in @outlook.com. If you created a new Microsoft account when you set up the PC, you may already have one: it is the address you sign in with. If not, go to outlook.com in Edge and click Create free account.
• A Google address ending in @gmail.com: go to gmail.com in Edge and click Create account.

Write the address and its password on your paper list. The next step explains the list.

Two ways to read email

• The website: outlook.com or gmail.com in Edge. Nothing to set up. Sign in once and Edge keeps you signed in.
• The Outlook app: a blue envelope with an "O" on it, in the Start menu. The first time, it asks for your address and signs you in. It works with Microsoft and Google addresses. Older PCs have an app named Mail instead; Microsoft has retired it, so if it misbehaves, use the website.

Either is fine. The website is the simpler choice if you are unsure.

Find a code

When a service sends a sign-in code, it arrives within a minute or two. The message has a subject like "Your verification code". Open it, read the six or so digits, and type them into the screen that asked. Codes stop working after a few minutes, so do this without a long pause.

If it is not there, look in the Junk Email or Spam folder in the left column. Then use the search box at the top and type the sender's name, like Apple or Claude.

Practice

1. Open your email.
2. Click New mail (Outlook) or Compose (Gmail).
3. In the To box, type your own address.
4. In the Subject box, type Binder test.
5. In the big box, type Hello from my PC. and click Send.
6. Wait a minute. The message appears in your inbox.