Gmail offers many practical functions to make it easier for users to deal with e-mails. Here are five features at a glance.
Especially those who deal frequently with e-mails professionally can optimize many work steps with Gmail. Basically, the following tips help every user. Some processes can be automated, for example, and other steps lead to a better overview. Here is a selection of five practical functions in the browser.
Recall accidentally sent emails
Everyone knows it: the e-mail has gone out and suddenly you notice an embarrassing typo in the subject line, the wrong recipient has been entered or another mishap has happened. If the “Send” button has already been pressed, Gmail allows you to call the whole thing back again. To do this, simply click on “Undo” at the bottom of the screen.
Users can manage how long this should be possible in the settings. To do this, click on the gear icon at the top right and click on “View all settings”. Under the “General” tab you will find the option “Recall e-mail”. Here you can set the callback period to 5, 10, 20 or 30 seconds after sending a message. The selection – like the following settings – must be confirmed with the “Save changes” button.
Create and use multiple signatures
In the general settings, users can also create multiple signatures. To do this, click on “Create new” in the sub-item and give the signature an unmistakable name. After clicking on “Create”, users then create the signature in the field to the right.
Under “For new e-mails” one of the different signatures can be preselected by default. This can be practical if, for example, a different signature is to be used in the run-up to Christmas or Easter than in summer. When composing a message, the selection can also be adjusted again directly using the pencil symbol.
Keyboard shortcuts make everything faster
Users can also turn on keyboard shortcuts in the general settings. To do this, the sub-item “Enable keyboard shortcuts” must be selected. If you know the abbreviations by heart, you save a lot of time when navigating and working with Gmail. If the Gmail tab is selected in the browser, a tap on the “C” key is enough to compose a new message.
With “Shift I” or “Shift U” meanwhile, all marked messages can be marked as read or unread. With “G D” a user jumps to the drafts, with “G I” back to the inbox and with “G T” to the sent messages. Text in messages can also be formatted, for example with “Ctrl U” to underline marked passages or to make them bold with “Ctrl B”. Google also lists these and many other abbreviations in its Workspace training center.
Email templates save time
If you have to send similar messages over and over again, you can create ready-made templates. In the options, however, the function must first be activated under the “Advanced” tab.
Now simply compose a new message, click on the symbol with the three dots, then on “Templates”, “Save draft as template”, “Save as new template” and give the whole thing a name. When writing a new message, users click on the three dots again and can insert the previously saved text under “Templates”.
Filters and labels create order
In contrast to some other providers or programs, Gmail does not work with folders for e-mails, but with so-called labels. With this approach, messages can be assigned to several keywords and found quickly. In the settings, users can create them under the “Labels” tab using the “Create new label” button. Alternatively, users can open an email, click Labels at the top, and then click Create New.
Users can also manually assign individual emails to an existing label. If you want to move the messages from the inbox to a label, you only have to mark the desired mails, click on the corresponding “Move” button at the top and select a label.
The use of filters, with which users automatically assign labels to e-mails, is particularly practical. To do this, click on the controller icon in the search bar and enter the desired search criteria – for example the e-mail address of a sender or certain words.
After clicking on “Create filter”, users determine what should happen automatically with all suitable messages in the future. With the filters, mails can be assigned to a label or, for example, automatically deleted. It is also possible, among other things, to mark certain messages as read, to forward them or to set up the already mentioned templates as an automatic reply.
