More than a billion people use Gmail. This is one in seven people on earth who are actively using this free email platform in 74 different languages.
Recently, the Wall Street Journal reported that some third-party developers were collecting data on Gmail users. If you’re worried about this exercise, I’ve got your back. Tap or click here to stop it and disconnect third party apps from your Gmail account.
This is not bad news for Gmail users.
Google recently added a new feature to its Gmail redesign. The function is called “Confidential Mode,” and the Department of Homeland says it could present a significant security threat to users. Tap or click here to learn how this feature can be used against you.
You might not like many of the default Gmail settings; You can toggle specific options on or off if you only know they exist. Gmail is full of shortcuts, but they can’t speed up your work when you don’t know what they are.
Here are 10 settings that will improve your Gmail experience. Like anything, the best way to learn Gmail is by practicing and experimenting, but these options will help you hit the ground running.
1. Let Gmail type your emails for you
A new feature, Smart Compose, will try to save you time by guessing what you’re going to write before you even start writing. It’s similar to autocomplete in text messages, but for your inbox.
2. Try Canned Responses to Save Time
Another advantage of Smart Compose is the ability to create “canned responses.” These are especially beneficial if you receive a lot of messages from many different people covering the same question or topic. Instead of retyping, or forwarding, or copying and pasting, you can draft a pre-defined response and send it over and over again.
3. Center the Composition Box
Every time you start a new email, Gmail populates that window in the lower-right corner. This is an improvement over the traditional format, which aims to devote an entire page to the new message. However, what if you don’t want it there? Also, what if you want the box to be bigger?
that’s no problem. Simply click on the small diagonal arrow in the top right corner of the window. A large window will appear immediately in the middle of your screen.
4. Give Yourself Some Keyboard Shortcuts
Most of us know your standard keyboard shortcuts for things like copy, paste, and delete. Gmail has its own keyboard shortcuts for email users. If you’re feeling ambitious, you can even create your own keyboard shortcuts.
In classic Gmail, you’ll want to find the “Labs” tab, while in the newer Gmail you’ll look for the “Advanced” tab. Regardless, choose whichever one you need and look down on the page until you find “Custom keyboard shortcuts”. Enable them and then save the changes. The page will refresh, and when it’s done go back to your settings and find the new “Keyboard Shortcuts” tab on the right side of the top banner.
Click on it, and a window with several options will open. Choose a shortcut (or create a new one), then save the changes when you’re done. From that moment on, you will be able to apply the shortcut whenever you need it.
5. Get back sent email
There are a hundred reasons why you might be sending an email before you’re ready. You may have entered the wrong address. Maybe you wrote an angry email in a hurry. Maybe you forgot that Amber’s birthday party was a surprise. Fortunately, you can prevent it from delivering—provided you act quickly.
When you first start your Gmail account, you have five seconds to pause the message from the moment you hit “Send.” However, you can increase that number by going into your settings and finding the line for “undo send.”
There you will see a drop-down box that gives you the option of 5, 10, 20 and 30 seconds for the duration of your cancellation. Just choose the one you want, scroll down and hit Save. If you’re indecisive by nature, you can spend half a minute debating whether the message you sent was a good idea.
By the way, have you ever wanted to retrieve a text message? You can do this! Tap or click here for the secret to stop a text message from being sent.
6. Keep Your Inbox Just the Way You Want It
Not everyone wants to read emails in chronological order. There are several ways to organize your inbox: you might want to read starred messages first, or unread messages, or “priority” messages. This is a standard feature across a variety of email services, but Gmail makes ordering exceptionally easy.
Simply hover your mouse over the Inbox tab on the left side of the screen. When a downward triangle appears, click on it. You’ll notice that there are five different types of inboxes, with a brief description of each.
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