Your inbox frequently has hundreds of unread emails when you get back to work after a holiday. Email isn’t going away, despite the fact that video and chat platforms like Zoom and Slack are essential components of the workday.
You most likely understand the fundamentals if you have a Gmail account. Nevertheless, there are a ton of Gmail features and tips that you may have overlooked that can make your digital life more efficient. Did you know, for instance, that third-party apps, like Kiwi for Gmail, which combines several accounts into a single app, also function with Google’s email service?
Here are some tools and strategies to help you work smarter, not harder, even if you’re an experienced Gmail user.
See also: Verified Check Marks Are Appearing in Your Gmail. What They Mean Is This
Organize your inbox.
I can use the select-all-plus-delete method a lot, but it doesn’t take long for my mailbox to go out of control. Thankfully, there is an alternative method for sorting through the outdated digital clutter in your email. You can type “before:” into the search bar and specify the date of your choice if you are positive that you won’t require any emails before that date. Your inbox will be filtered as a result, making it easier for you to delete old emails using the select-all button.
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You may better navigate through the clutter in your email by setting up filters in Gmail.
Martin James/CNET
Access several accounts
You can quickly switch between Gmail accounts if you have many active ones. Just select Add after clicking your profile icon in the upper right corner (on a desktop or mobile device). Simply sign in from there, and you’ll be able to access it later on when you click on your profile icon. It will, however, sign you out if you don’t use one of the accounts often enough.
Filters for emails
Your mailbox may start to resemble an overflowing garbage can because so many websites these days ask for your email address. Additionally, you may just like to prioritize emails from specific individuals and better arrange communications. Filters are useful in this situation. To configure a filter, launch Gmail, select See All Settings by clicking the settings gear. Next, select Create a New Filter under Filters and Blocked Addresses.
To arrange emails according to sender, recipient, subject, keywords, and other criteria, you can modify your filter. Click Create Filter once you’ve adjusted it to your liking.
Additional Tips for Gmail
Seven Unknown Gmail Features That Could Even Help You Reach Inbox Zero
Six Ingenious Gmail Tricks to Reduce Spam, Frustration, and Regret
Four Actions You Should Take Immediately to Protect Your Gmail Account
Establish a signature
You can save time while writing emails and give them a more polished appearance by adding a signature to your Gmail account. Go to Gmail > Settings gear > See All Settings to add a signature to every message that is sent. Click Create New after you’ve scrolled down to Signature. You can change or remove any signatures you’ve made at any moment by going to Settings.
Reverse a message that has been sent
Like me, you have probably questioned your decision at least once after pressing the Send button. The good news is that Gmail offers a tool called Undo Send. A notification stating that the message was sent will appear at the bottom of the screen as soon as you press Send, but you also have the choice to View Message or Undo. Gmail will stop sending the message when you click Undo. Additionally, you can change the time limit for canceling a communication. Go to Settings > See All Settings, then scroll down to Undo Send to configure it. A send cancellation window of 5, 10, 20, or 30 seconds can then be selected.
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Wasn’t that message intended? Gmail allows you to reverse the action.
Martin James/
Plan out when to send emails.
If you have friends or coworkers in different time zones and don’t want to risk annoying them with an email notification at strange hours, scheduling a message can be helpful. To schedule a message, just input your message and choose Schedule send by clicking the small down arrow instead of Send. You can manually enter a precise send time, or Gmail will recommend a few potential times.
Ask for assistance with Smart Compose.
Gmail’s Smart Compose is designed to make writing easier and functions similarly to predictive text. When you type “I’ll call you,” for instance, Google Smart Compose will recommend “tomorrow.” To accept the idea, simply press Tab; if not, continue typing. You can turn off Smart Compose in Settings if you don’t like it.
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Additionally, Gmail offers features like Smart Compose and spell check to facilitate the actual composing of emails.
CNET/Angela Lang
Spell check Sending crucial emails might be less stressful using Gmail’s spell-checking feature. Spell checkers can help with both basic errors caused by typing too quickly and things you’re truly unsure of. If Gmail makes a change, it will leave the word underlined so you can choose to reverse it if you don’t like it. Additionally, Gmail contains autocorrect and grammar tools. Settings > Spell Check is where you may switch anything on or off.
Silent dialogue
Everybody has been in an email group that just won’t go away. Simply open the annoying email, click the three-dot settings symbol located just above the subject line, then choose Mute from the drop-down box the next time this occurs. If you accidentally clicked, you’ll have the chance to Unmute, just like with the Undo Send.
Put a label on your mails.
Your email can be much easier to handle with labels. They function similarly to filters, and you may configure a filter to send emails to specific labels. The sidebar, which houses the Inbox, Sent, Junk, and other folders, is where labels are located. Click Create New Label after scrolling down. You may then create group labels and give your label a name. For instance, if you’re organizing for school, you may include labels regarding class projects and turned-in assignments under the main label, Biology Class.