In what year was Gmail launched to the public?

Gmail was launched to the public in 2004, when Google announced it as a limited beta service on April 1.

The release was deliberately unusual: Google offered 1 gigabyte of storage, far more than many competing services at the time. Gmail also emphasized fast searching and keeping messages rather than constantly deleting them to conserve space. Its April Fool’s Day launch initially made some people suspect that the service itself was a joke.

Gmail had been developed internally before the public announcement. Engineer Paul Buchheit created much of the early service, which was known inside Google by the code name “Caribou.” The public beta began with invitations, and Gmail remained officially in beta for several years.

A common mix-up is confusing Gmail’s launch year with later milestones, such as its 2005 storage increase, 2007 addition of IMAP support, or its eventual transition from invitation-only access. The public launch date remains April 1, 2004.