There are a lot of powerful features available in Gmail, such as sending canned responses and customizing how your inbox looks, but most users aren’t aware of them.
With the Gmail tips and tricks in this article, you can send, read, and manage your Gmail emails faster and more efficiently, saving you a vast amount of time.
These are Gmail Productivity Hacks that you will know today.
Here are great Gmail tips and tricks to help you make the most of your Gmail experience in this article.
Table of Contents
1. Organise your Inbox – with UnRead First
In case you do not like the default inbox setup provided by Gmail, you can always change the setup of your Gmail.
How to Organise your Gmail Inbox
Step 1: Go to Settings and Browse to InBox type as shown below
Step 2: Select the View you need
- Default View – The DefaulT Gmail View where you have all the read and unread emails together.
- Important First – This Inboxview will show all your important emails first. Gmail Decides the important emails on basis of factors like attachments in the email, Email Subject, and sender of the email
- Unread First Inbox View – This is my personal Favourite view. Her, you can keep all of your unread emails at the top and the read emails are at the bottom section.
- Starred First – This will always show the emails you have Starrer on Top
- Priority Inbox – You can customize the InBox as per your needs
- Multiple Inboxes – Within your one Gmail Inbox, you can have up to 5 Custom sections that you can view alongside your inbox.
2. Undo Sent Emails or Un Send Emails
Have you ever sent an e-mail and then realized after you hit the send button that you made a mistake after you sent it?
Fortunately, the Undo Send feature in Gmail has been designed to make it easier for you to undo the sent mail when this occurs.
There is also the option to adjust the time limit for canceling and Un sending a message.
How to un send the emails that you have sent accidentally
- Go to Settings -> All Settings -> General
- In the General tab, Go to Undo Send
- On this page, you can adjust the cancelation period for Send
- Then click the Save Changes button
Now, after you send the email, you will get below pop up.
You can select ‘Undo’ up to 30 seconds and the email that you have sent will be called back
2. Schedule Emails
It is impossible to stay on your computer 24/7 to send emails, can you?
Luckily, Gmail’s email scheduling feature makes it easy to schedule your incoming emails ahead of time!
Enter a new message and click Send next to the down arrow. Gmail will handle the rest when you select a date and time.
There are also mobile apps for Gmail (for iPhones and Androids).
How to Schedule Emails in Gmail
- Click the More send options button beside Send once you’ve drafted your email
- A calendar will open up. Simply schedule the email for a specific time and you’re good to go!
3. Make use of Gmail templates
If you are tired of creating multiple emails and copying the same content repeatedly, you are not alone.
Here’s a Gmail trick that makes it possible!
Gmail’s templates (canned responses) let you add email message templates right into your email message, which makes it easier than copying and pasting from other places.
How to use Gmail templates
Step 1: Go to Settings -> All Settings -> Advanced Tab -> Enable Templates
Step 2: Select Enable under Templates and lick the Save Changes button.
In order to create or select one of the Templates that you wish to use, click the “More options” button under Compose when you wish to use your template.
4. Send Confidential Emails
As long as you use Gmail’s Confidential Mode, you don’t have to worry about the contents of your email getting into the wrong hands!
There is no better way to send sensitive information than this.
The recipient of a confidential email will not be able to print, copy, forward, or download the email.
Adding a password and an expiration date adds extra security.
How to Send Confidential Email in Gmail
Step 1: At the bottom right of the window, you can click the confidential mode icon to protect your newly composed emails.
Step 2: The next step is to set the expiration date and passcode and Click Save
5. Organize Your Tasks
It may surprise you, but Gmail has a built-in task organizer to help you organize your tasks even more efficiently and effectively
Having Gmail’s to-do list features at your disposal will ensure you never miss an important task as you can check items off once you finish them, which is a lifesaver for working professionals.
This is what you will get when you use the built-in list maker that comes with Gmail. As a result, it helps to keep your emails in sync with your tasks.
How to Organise tasks in Gmail
- On the far right panel of your Gmail mailbox, you will find a Tasks icon (a blue circle with a checkmark) that will allow you to access your tasks.
- Now, you can add tasks to your to-do list and mark them off as you complete them.
- Whenever you click on the small arrow at the bottom right corner of your Gmail window, you will only be able to see the task icon, so you will have to click on that arrow in order to display the control panel in the top right corner.
6. Mute Emails
Have you been having problems getting continuous email notifications?
Why let frustration get in the way when you can mute conversations?
By muting an email thread, you will no longer receive notifications associated with it.
How to Mute EMails in Gmail
- In order to mute the conversation or receive emails from a particular sender, choose the email, tap on the three dots, and tap click on the Mute button.
- A muted email thread can be unmuted by following the same steps – the Mute option will then become Unmuted.
7. Use Gmail Offline
With Gmail, you can read, search, and respond to your emails even when you do not have an internet connection.
Using this functionality requires Chrome.
How to use Gmail Offline
Make sure your computer has the Chrome browser so you can use Gmail offline.
Offline Gmail is easy:
Step 1: Go to Settings and click See all settings – > Offline
Step 2: Enable offline mail is checked. You’re done. Click Save
8. Use Google Meet with Gmail
With the integration of Gmail and Google Meet, users can now join video conferences with ease.
If you already use Calendar extensively, you can also use Meet for video calls.
Other options, like Zoom and Facetime, are available, each with its own benefits and disadvantages.
However, when in a hurry and already using Gmail, Calendar, and other Google features, Meet takes the lead.
How to Use Google Meet with Gmail
- Go to Gmail, click Meet in the sidebar, and then click New meeting.
- Check your Gmail settings if Meet isn’t showing up in your inbox.
- Once you have opened the Share your new meeting window, click on the Join Now button.
- The Join now button will let you use the camera and microphone from your computer to join.
- Follow the on-screen prompts for dialing in by phone by clicking Join and using a phone for audio.
Invite participants
- Go to Gmail, click Meet in the sidebar, and then click New meeting.
- The Share your new meeting window will display the following options
- When you click Copy, you can paste an email or chat message into the meeting link.
- The invite can be sent to anyone by clicking Send invite and then copying the meeting invite and sending it in an email or chat message.
9. Create Reminders in your Gmail
When you receive important emails, you can create an event to remind you about it and follow up on it at a later date.
By doing this, not only is the calendar seamlessly displayed but also in the event invitation,
Gmail will link to the relevant email and will automatically fill in the event name based on the subject line in the email.
Among the most useful applications is this one, which reminds you at a later time to reply.
How to Create Reminders in Gmail
Open Google Calendar
1. Go to My Calendar – > click on Create Bitton -> Select Event
2. A Pop Up will come – Now Select Reminder and then Select the Time and date
10. Translate Incoming Emails
The world we live in is becoming increasingly globalized as time goes by.
It is also possible for you to translate the email right into Gmail.
Open the email and click on the three dots.
Click on the More icon on the right, and select Translate message, and then let the algorithm handle the rest.
11. Forward an Email as an Attachment
Another handy feature that is available in the More menu is the ability to forward an email as an attachment to a new email
When you are sharing a message with a recipient that isn’t part of an email chain but still needs to receive what you have sent, then this is a useful feature.
How to forward an email as an Attachment in Gmail
Step 1: Select the email you wish to forward and click on the More button.
Step 2: Please click the “Forward as attachment” button
Step 3: A new message box opens up the email you added is now added as an attachment
12. Use Gmail Add Ons and Gmail Extensions
Use Gmail Add-Ons to enhance your Gmail experience.
Gmail Add-Ons are a number of third-party tools available now that continue to improve Gmail.
Listed below are some of the most popular Gmail Add Ons, but be sure not to stop at these.
With Boomerang, you can schedule emails for later and set up reminders to send those emails at a particular time.
Using Checker Plus for Gmail, you can receive notifications right on your desktop, so you don’t even have to open your Gmail account to view and delete emails.
If you are sending very large attachments and you do not have enough space on your Google Drive, then Dropbox for Gmail may be a great workaround for you.
A few of my personal favorites are :
- MS Teams Add On: I can easily add the MS teams link in the Calendar Invite I Send
- Zoom: To Start or Schedule Video Chat
- Slack – For Chat and Collaboration across teams
Check our top Productivity Tools that one should use daily
13. Add Email signatures for Branding
The appropriate conclusion to every email should be a signature, followed by your name, your position, the name of the company, as well as the company’s social media addresses.
This is where email signature comes into the picture.
Manually writing an email signature for every single email you send can be a tedious chore, but you can automate it over time.
How to Add Email Signatures in Gmail
Step 1: Go to Settings -> See All Settings -> General
Step 2: Scroll to Signature and Add your Signature in ‘Reply’ or ‘Email ‘ as required
You can format your signature by going to Signature in the list and selecting the format you want for your emails.
Whenever you send an email, this signature will automatically appear.
You can select Signature defaults as shown
14. Set up Vacation responder and Out of Office Notifications
When you are out of the office for a few days, you can set up an automated reply to keep you informed. This email will let you know you won’t be able to check your inbox at present and you can be reached by another method if it is urgent. It is called a vacation response.
How to Add Vacation Responders in Gmail
Step 1: Go to Settings -> All settings -> General and Scroll to Out of Office Reply
Step 2: Select the responder to be On, the starting and ending dates of your leave, as well as the subject and body of your mail.
This will make sure that if someone emails you while you are vacationing in the Maldives, then the person will receive an email with the details you have added in the vacation responder
15. Replace Attachments With Links to Google Drive
There is nothing that eats up more space than attachments, especially if they have to be sent several times in a row.
If you want to attach files, you should save them in Google Drive and attach them from there.
It would be better to include a link to the file instead of sending the file itself.
There are times when a recipient doesn’t actually need the file and only needs to view or read it.
The link to it is fine with them, and you will also help preserve their own Inbox space by doing so.
16. Dark Mode in Gmail
Gmail allows you to have themes that will look like dark mode. Google Chat has a dark mode option but Gmail doesn’t have a direct dark mode setting.
However, you still can have a dark mode in Gmail by choosing a dark mode theme.
How you can select the dark mode in Gmail
Step 1: Go to Settings -> Theme – > View All Themes
Step 2: Scroll Down and Select the ‘Dark’ theme as shown below
17. Changing Account Passwords in Gmail
One of the great things about Gmail is that it’s easy to change your password if you need to. This can be important for a couple of reasons.
First, if you think your account might have been compromised, changing your password is a good way to protect yourself.
Second, it’s generally a good idea to change your passwords regularly, just to be safe. Here’s how to change your Gmail password:
How to Change Gmail Account Password
1. Log into your Gmail account.
2. Click on the Settings gear icon in the upper-right corner.
3. Select “Settings” from the drop-down menu.
4. Go to the “Accounts and Import” tab.
5. Under “Change account settings,” click on “Change password.”
6. Enter your current password, then enter and confirm your new password.
7. Click “Change Password.”
That’s all there is to it!
Once you’ve changed your password, be sure to remember it and keep it somewhere safe.
18. Create Custom Filters and Use of Labels
Gmail offers a variety of ways to help you organize your inbox.
One of the most useful features is the ability to create custom filters. Filters allow you to automatically sort and label incoming emails, making it easy to find what you’re looking for.
How to Create Filters in Gmail
Step 1: Click the 3 lines on the right of the search bar and select “Create filter.”
Step 2: From there, you can choose what criteria you want to use to sort your email. For example, you can filter by the sender, recipient, subject, or even specific keywords.
Step 3: Once you’ve created a filter, you can choose what action you want Gmail to take when an email meets your criteria.
For example, you can have Gmail automatically label or delete certain emails.
Custom filters are a great way to keep your inbox organized and tidy.
Conclusion – Top Gmail Productivity Hacks
Gmail is one of the most popular email platforms in the world, with over 1.5 billion active users.
Gmail offers a variety of features that make it a powerful tool for both personal and professional use.
Perhaps most importantly, Gmail is free to use, which makes it accessible to people all over the world.
In addition to being affordable, Gmail is also easy to use, with a clean and intuitive interface.
Gmail also offers a variety of productivity-enhancing features, such as the ability to organize emails into folders and label them for easy reference. Overall, Gmail is an incredibly useful email platform that can be used for both personal and professional purposes.
With these best Gmail hacks, you can get the most out of your free email account.