How to Use Gmail Effectively: 25 Tips

1. Where to start

Change the background

Instead of seeing the usual white Gmail background, spice up your inbox with something flashy. Just select the "Themes" section in the settings in the upper right corner to set a new background from the proposed options, or upload your own image.

Alternatively, you can experiment with the interface settings. In "Spacious" mode you will have a lot of free space, and "Compact" is good when you need to fit as many messages on the screen as possible.

Add friends (and messages)

To add your contacts and old messages to the system (it doesn't matter if you are using Gmail for the first time or create an additional account), go to "Settings" → "Accounts and Import" and select the link "Import mail and contacts". This will allow you to add your data from other mailboxes.

Make Gmail Look Like Outlook

In Settings → Lab, enable the Preview Pane feature to see the full text of messages on the right, just like in Outlook. Habit is second nature, so if you've worked with corporate email all your life and are just now trying to get comfortable with Gmail, the Viewport feature will make your transition easier.

Once enabled, you will see different display options in the drop-down menu to the left of the settings.

Focus on the essentials

Gmail can decide which messages are more important to you. Clever, huh? Under Settings → Inbox, select Track my email activity … to have Gmail analyze your messages.

You can also select the function "Include markers" or "Ignore filters" (we will discuss more about filters below) and change the folder type so that important messages are displayed at the top. Then in the menu "Settings" → "General" in the section "Desktop notifications" (if you are using the browser Chrome, Firefox or Safari), you can select the option "Enable important emails notifications."

Get rid of the thread of letters

There are two types of people: those who love the Threading feature, and those who hate it with the power of a thousand suns. If you belong to the second group, go to the "Settings" → "General" section and turn off the "Chains of letters".

2. Keep order

Archive everything

Gmail makes it possible to archive messages instead of deleting them. This is done so that you do not have to worry about the availability of free space and constantly clean your drawer. If you want to archive a message, open it and click on the second icon from the left (a box with an arrow pointing down). The message will be waiting for you in the All Mail tab on the left sidebar.

Keep track of your archive

No matter how much space Gmail provides for free file storage, it's 2016 and people are sending more and more attachments. If you've reached your memory limit, it's time to get rid of some of the messages. Click on the arrow in the search box, mark the item "There are attachments", select the size 10 MB and click on the button with a magnifying glass. This will show you all messages over 10 MB. Check the box for the letters that you definitely no longer need and send them to the trash can.

Respond and archive

Why leave an email in your inbox when you've already answered it? Use the "Send and Archive" function to avoid cluttering up your incoming messages while you wait for a reply to your letter. Go to "Settings" → "General" and select "Show button" Send and archive "in response". Now you can reply in the usual way, accumulating messages in your inbox if you so desire, or immediately archive unnecessary emails when replying.

Use labels and filters

You can add a label to each message. New shortcuts will appear on the left sidebar. Just open the letter and click on the "Labels" icon - it's second from the right. Now create a new shortcut or select an existing one (by the way, you can drag the shortcut from the sidebar right into your message).

Click on the "More" button and select "Filter similar emails" and then "Create a filter based on this query." You can write a separate article about Gmail filters, so see the "" section for more details.

Buy extra storage space

If you are completely tired of messing with the problem of storing files, you can spend money on additional space. Scroll down the messages page and in the bottom left corner you will see how much space you have left, as well as the "Manage" link.

If you have almost 100% of the available space occupied, follow the link. The 100 GB plan costs 139 rubles per month, and the extra space can be used not only for Gmail, but also in Google Drive and Google Photos, if you use them.

3. Take it seriously

Change the display mode of emails on the page

Try increasing the number of messages per page to 100, so you can look at the entire array of your letters at a glance. Go to Settings → General → Maximum Page Size. There you can also choose to display 10, 15, 20, 25 and 50 messages per page.

Distribute everything by color

You can quickly mark a message as important, but different messages can have different degrees of importance. Go to Settings → General → Stars and select All Stars. Now, if you click on the star, marking the letter, it will change color with each click. This will help you sort your important messages by their content.

Turn messages into to-do lists

Chances are, you already think of your inbox as one huge to-do list. So why not turn your emails into tasks you can cross out? Click on the "More" button in the active conversation and select "Add to tasks". This thread will now appear in Google Tasks along with a link to the original post.

Keep track of the number of unread messages

In the "Settings" → "Laboratory" section, enable the "Icon of unread messages" function. If you, like any normal person, have your mail tab open all day, you will always see how many unread messages you have left. This is in case you lack stress.

Work offline

If you use the Google Chrome browser, you have the opportunity to work in mail offline. Of course, you will not be able to send and receive new messages, but you can move letters from folder to folder and create drafts. To enable this feature, go to Settings → Offline.

Give access to your account to a secretary

If you still can't cope with the letters, you can convey all this horror to your secretary. To do this, go to "Settings" → "Accounts and Import", select "Grant access to your account" and add other Google users. They will not have the right to change your settings and password, but they will be able to read, archive messages and, of course, reply to them. The letter will be signed with your name and your secretary's name in brackets to avoid confusion.

4. Control the human factor

Block addresses

Some don't get the hints at all. Fortunately, you can block any person (or website) with just a couple of clicks. After receiving a message from someone you would like to add to the blacklist, click on the arrow in the upper right corner and select the "Block user" function.

Now all messages from this address will go directly to spam.

Find old letters

Want to quickly find all messages from a friend at once? Just hover the cursor over the sender's name, either from the inbox or from a specific letter, and a contact card will appear. Then click on the "Conversations" link to view all messages from that contact.

Cancel mis-sent messages

All of us once accidentally sent letters to the wrong address. Fortunately, in Gmail, you can simply undo the send. Go to the section "Settings" → "General" and enable the "Cancel sending" function. Here you can also select the time period for canceling the sending: from 5 to 30 seconds. The next time you send a message, you will notice “Cancel” at the top.

Skip group messages

You can easily exit the group message thread by clicking the More button and choosing Ignore. Now you will skip all messages except those where you are the only recipient of the letter.

If you want to return to the group message, enter the query is: muted in the search bar, so you will see all the ignored threads. Then choose Don't Ignore from the More menu. Unless, of course, you do not feel sorry for yourself at all.

5. Save time

Create new accounts on the go

Let's say you want to filter messages very carefully or, for example, create an additional account for services that already use your main Gmail account. In this case, you can create a virtual mailing address associated with the main address by simply adding "+ any word" before the @ symbol as you type. For example, "your address is [email protected]" for online shopping.

All reply messages will go to your main Gmail address.

Send messages in your sleep

Make clients and coworkers think you're a manic workaholic by programming them to send messages at night using an extension available for Chrome, Safari, and Firefox. With the free version, you can send up to 10 messages per month.

In addition, this extension will turn your emails into reminders, not displaying them in your inbox until you are ready to reply to them. This is ideal for creating the appearance of an empty inbox on Friday night.

Automatically answer duplicate requests

If annoying customers flood you with the same type of requests, you do not need to type the same response over and over again. Just turn on the "Response templates" function in the "Settings" → "Laboratory" section. The next time you print a response, save it as a template and feel free to send it to all the same requests.

6. Click less

Give your mouse a break

Almost everything in Gmail can be done using the keyboard. Basic keyboard shortcuts work by default, but don't forget to go to Settings → General and enable the Keyboard Shortcuts feature. Save your changes and then click on the question mark to see possible keyboard shortcuts.

Stop checking other mailboxes

In the "Settings" → "Accounts and Import" section, click on the link "Add your POP3 mail account" and Gmail will download your mail from other mailboxes. Then set up sending messages: you can reply both from your Gmail address and from other email addresses.