Productivity
7 Hidden Gmail Tricks Everyone Should Know, Including How to Unsend an Email
Gmail has a clean, simple interface, but there is considerably more under the hood than most users realize. Over 300 billion emails are sent per day globally, and a large share of them pass through Gmail, which accounts for 1.
Gmail has a clean, simple interface, but there is considerably more under the hood than most users realize. Over 300 billion emails are sent per day globally, and a large share of them pass through Gmail, which accounts for 1.8 billion of the world's 5.6 billion active email accounts. Here are seven features worth knowing.
1. Unsend an Email. Surely everyone has sent a message they immediately wished they could take back. In Gmail, there is a brief window to do exactly that. After sending an email, a small box appears in the lower-right corner of the screen with an Undo option. Click the word "Undo" quickly, because clicking anywhere else will dismiss the option. By default, the window is five seconds, but this can be extended in Gmail settings under the "Undo Send" option, up to 30 seconds.
2. Advanced Search. Advanced search is a powerful tool for tracking down information buried deep in your inbox. Access it by clicking the icon with three slider bars inside the search box at the top of your inbox. You can search by sender, recipient, date range, keywords, subject line, and even filter by words an email does not contain. This makes finding a specific message much faster than scrolling.
3. Color-Coded Stars for Important Messages. Starring messages is useful, but Gmail allows you to go further with color-coded stars. To activate additional color options, go to Settings, scroll down on the General tab, and drag the additional star types from "Not in Use" to the "In Use" section. Dragging a star color to a message then becomes a quick visual way to categorize priority.
4. Smart Compose. Google's Smart Compose feature suggests completions as you type, making it faster to write common phrases and standard professional language. Begin typing a phrase and Gmail will suggest the remainder in light gray text. Press Tab to accept the suggestion or keep typing to ignore it. Smart Compose can be toggled on or off in Settings under the General tab.
5. Customized Inbox Layout. Gmail's default layout is basic, but users can tailor it to their preferences. Click the Quick Settings gear icon and select "Customize" to choose an inbox type based on what you want to see first, whether that is unread messages, starred items, or important emails. The multiple inboxes feature can also be used to route certain types of mail into separate sections, keeping your primary view cleaner.
6. Confidential Mode. Gmail's Confidential Mode lets you send emails that expire after a set date. Click the lock icon near the send button before sending to set an expiration date and optionally require the recipient to enter a passcode to open the message. This is useful for sensitive communications that you do not want accessible indefinitely. Note that organization administrators can disable Confidential Mode on managed accounts.
7. Mute a Conversation. Group email threads with excessive replies can be exhausting. Gmail lets you mute any conversation so that new replies no longer appear in your inbox. Check the box to the left of the email in question, then click the three-dot menu that appears and select Mute. The thread will be archived automatically as new replies come in, giving you the quiet you need without permanently deleting anything.
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