gmail is the most used email service in the world, and not because it is Google, but because it is one of the best email services that we can find in the market. The number of options that Gmail makes available to us is increasing year after year.
In addition, as the years go by, Google has been integrating most of its services, so that we can access Meet video calls, files stored in Google Drive, Calendar, Calendar ... quickly without having to visit the respective websites. If you want to get the most out of Gmail, we show below the best tricks for Gmail.
All changes regarding how Gmail works will be reflected in our entire email account, not only in the browser that we use but also in the mobile or desktop applications that we use to consult it, so it must be taken into account when modifying some of the different settings that we can make in our account.
Delete a sent email
Sending an email or reply to an email out of tune, to the wrong recipient or not fully satisfying the information that has been requested from us is a problem that can sometimes have serious consequences.
Fortunately, from Gmail we can delete a sent email before it is read As long as we are quick and realize the mistake we have made. This feature is also available in Outlook, however, while in Gmail it is activated natively, in Outlook we have to activate it previously.
Customize the Gmail background
Spending many hours in front of the computer is a tedious task, especially when we spend most of the time in front of the same application / web. Gmail allows us replace background image, image that will be displayed both in the right part of the browser (where the folders are) and in the upper part (from where we can search for emails) and in the area of emails as transparency.
To change the background of Gmail, we have to click on the gear wheel located in the upper right corner and on the Themes section, click on those shown or click on View all, so that all the funds that we can use in Gmail are shown. If we don't like any of the images shown to us, we can use any that we have stored in our Google Drive account.
Change the density of the messages
If you want to make the most of the size of your screen, you may be interested in making use of the option that Gmail offers us that allows us adjust the separation between messages and folders.
In a native way, the Comfortable option is established, which offers us more than enough separation to access and find emails at a glance.
If we set the compact option, the separation between the mails will be reduced to the maximum, as well as the size of the different folders where the emails we receive are classified, a function that comes in handy on small screens.
This option is entered by clicking on the gear wheel located in the upper right corner of the screen, within the Density section, the first one shown.
Add a signature to emails
If you would like to add a signature to all your emailsBoth the ones you send and the ones you reply to, where to add your full name, your occupation, job title along with other ways of contacting you, you must follow the steps detailed below.
- Press the gear wheel and See all settings.
- Within Settings, In the tab General, we scroll down to the Signature section.
- Next, click on + Create, we establish the name of the signature that we want to create (we can create different signatures) and in the box on the right, we write the data that we want to share with each new email that we send or respond to.
If we only want to add the signature to new emails, at the bottom of that section, we must modify the value For replies / forwards by Unsigned.
Automatic responses
If we are going to go on vacation for a few days, we must inform our contacts so that during that rest period, don't wait for an answer from us.
- Within Settings, In the tab General, we scroll down to the Automatic Reply section.
- Next, we mark the box Auto answer on and we configure the first and last day on which the automatic response will be activated.
- Next, we configure the Subject. It is important to establish in this field that we are on vacation.
- In the message to be sent we can add vacation period that we are going to enjoy, so that they know at all times that during those days we will not be able to respond.
If we only want our contacts to receive this message, we must check the box Send reply only to my contacts, option located just at the end of this option.
Label and classify your emails automatically
Tags, also known as folders, allow us to automatically classify all emails we receive depending on who is the sender, the subject, the size of the file ... These labels are displayed next to each email that matches the parameters that we have established and are classified under the inbox, featured, sent ....
All emails that are automatically tagged, will still be available in the inbox (unless we archive them) but in addition, they will be available in the labels / folders that we create. If we delete a label, the emails associated with the emails will not be deleted.
Each new tag that we create is enabled by default so that third-party mail clients (Show in IMAP), can access them and show all tags / folders in the app. If we do not want the application to read emails on the mobile to show these labels, we must uncheck the box for each label.
For create labels in Gmail To classify the emails we must access the Settings, In the tab Tags and click on New label. Now we have to create filters so that the labels are applied to the emails automatically.
To create the filters we access the Gmail Settings and click on the tab Filters and blocked addresses. Right at the end, we click on Create a filter.
Next, we set the values that emails must meet to which we want to associate a label. Once established, click on Continue to continue configuring the filter.
Next we must establish in which label we want the emails to be stored that meet the requirements that we have established in the previous section. In addition we can also configure the filter so that they are marked as read automatically, delete them, mark them as important ... Finally, click on Create.
Send emails from other email addresses
This option allows us to configure other email accounts to send emails from Gmail without having to access other web pages. This function it is ideal if we use different email accounts On a day-to-day basis and changing mail ends up complicating our existence and work. This option is found within the Gmail Settings, in the Folders and import tab, within the section Send how.
Forward all emails
This option is ideal if we want to have a copy of all the emails that we receive in our account, although its most common use is to allow other people to answer the emails we receive when we are on vacation (If we have previously activated the function that I have shown you above).
To forward emails in Gmail, we must access the Settings Gmail and go to the tab Forwarding and POP / IMAP mail. In the first section, Forwarding, We add email account to which all emails we receive will be automatically sent.
If we do not want all the corridors to be forwarded, we can create a filter so that only emails that meet different conditions are forwarded. As we can see, Gmail offers us any option that comes to mind.
Create email templates
If usually many of the emails we send they have the same structure that we copy from a Word document (for example), we can turn that document into a template to respond more quickly.
This function is natively deactivated, so we must first configure it through the Settings from Gmail within the section Advanced.
Next, we have to create a new email, write the text that we want to use as a template and click on the three vertical dots at the bottom of the selected new email window Templates> Save Deletions as Template.
For use that template, we create a new email, we go to the three points vertically located in the lower right corner and polish in Templates> Template Name that we have created
Use full screen width
Gmail allows us to take advantage of the entire size of the screen, showing not only the folders and the list of emails, but also the text of each email that we click without having to access it. This option allows us display the text of the emails on the right side of the screen or at the bottom and it is located just below the avatar of our account.
Delete emails that take up a lot of space
Gmail offers us 15 GB of free space to store all the emails we receive and store some other documents in Google Drive. If we regularly receive files that take up a lot of space, our email account can fill up quickly and without realizing it, need to hire extra storage.
To find which emails take up more space in your Gmail account, you must write in the search bar "size: 10mb" (without the quotes) if we want it to show us the emails that occupy that space or similar. In addition, it allows us to select from which date we want to carry out the search.
Add to tasks and create events.
If an email has a specific term in which we have to answer, we can add it directly to our task list to always have it at hand and that it does not pass us at any time. In addition, in this way, we can quickly consult all the emails that we have pending to answer at a glance.
If it is an event, we can add it to our calendar, manually setting when it will be held so that the Google calendar reminds us on our smartphone or Gmail directly through an email.
Highlight messages
If one of the messages requires special attention and we do not want it to get lost in the inbox, we can highlight it by clicking on the star that we find right in front of the sender's name. We will find all the featured messages within the Featured tag / folder.
Schedule mail delivery
If you want to send the reply to an email at a specific time, you don't have to be in front of your computer, since Gmail allows you the possibility to schedule when we want it to be sent. This option allows us select both the day and the time we want it to be sent.
To access this function, we must click on the up arrow that is right to the right of the Submit button.
Keyboard shortcuts
These shortcuts are valid for Mac. Other key combinations are shown on Windows
Most of the most used applications offer us a series of keyboard shortcuts that allow us to increase our productivity when we regularly use the same functions. Browsers have all the same keyboard shortcuts, but in addition, Gmail also has a series of keyboard shortcuts of its own.
This function is natively deactivated, so we must first activate it through the Settings from Gmail within the section Advanced. Next, we enable the Custom key combination box.
To access the list of available keyboard shortcuts, press the key combination Shift +?
Work with Gmail without an internet connection
This function is ideal if we are going to move to an area where we know that we will not have access to the internet, not even through mobile phones, an option that It is only available if we use Google Chrome (does not work with any other browser).
Before disconnecting for a while from the internet, we must download emails from our inbox to be able to work with them offline.
This function is natively deactivated, so we must first activate it through the Settings from Gmail within the section Without connection. When activating the option Enable offline mail, we must establish:
- Mail synchronization: From what date do we want the emails to be downloaded to our computer to be able to work offline (including the possibility of downloading attachments). We can download the emails from ago 7, 30 or 90 days.
- Security: If we want the downloaded emails to disappear from our computer once we have connected to the internet so that the changes are synchronized, we must turn off the Offline Mail option.
Who has accessed my Gmail account
Gmail allows us to easily know if someone has accessed our Gmail account Through the Details option located in the lower right part of the screen. This option will open a new window with the latest connections to our Gmail account, indicating the corresponding IP, browser, operating system and application as well as when it has been made.
How many unread messages do I have?
If you are one of the users who always leaves the Gmail tab open, you will be interested in knowing another of the functions that Gmail makes available to us, a function that will show the number of emails we have to read.
This function is available in Settings, within the Advanced tab and enabling the option Unread message icon. When activated, the tab where we have Gmail open will show the number of messages that we have received but have not yet opened.
Mark all messages as read / unread / star them ...
If you have a large number of emails that you are not interested in reading (since they are advertising, newsletters, messages from social networks ...) you can select them and mark them as read. You can also use this function to highlight the most important messages, mark as unread… Other emails.
To do this, we just have to select the messages in which we want to modify their status and click on the arrow to the right of a square located in the upper left of the inbox.
Hide / Show Gmail Label Names
If you don't want me to always folder / tag names are displayed that we have created in our account, you can quickly hide it by clicking on the three horizontal lines in the upper left corner of Gmail. Each time we click on this button, the name of the labels will be shown or hidden, but they will continue to show the label icon.
Delay notification of new email
Another interesting function that Gmail makes available to us allows us to delay the reception (by calling it in some way) of the emails we receive. In this way, if we are working on emptying our input folder, we can delete new emails temporarily.
For postpone or delay the notification of a new email, we must place the mouse over the mail line where it is located and click on the icon represented by a clock to later establish when we want to receive us again.