Africa-Press – Lesotho. Gmail is one of the most widely used email platforms worldwide, with over 1.8 billion active users globally. Despite its popularity, many users only scratch the surface of what the platform can do.
Hidden within Gmail are powerful features that can help users save time, avoid mistakes, and stay organized. Here are some essential Gmail tips that can transform the way you manage your inbox.
The majority of Gmail users have experienced the wave of panic that hits after clicking the ‘send’ button on an email that has a typo, targets the wrong recipient, or is missing an attachment. Fear less, Gmail offers an ‘Undo Send’ feature that allows a user to recall an email within 30 seconds of clicking ‘Send’.
To enable this feature, go to ‘Settings’, then ‘See all Settings’, then ‘General’, find the ‘Undo Send’ option, select 30 seconds (max), and save changes. After sending an email, you’ll see an “Undo” button at the bottom-left of the screen. Now you can undo a send, correct, then send the email without typos, to the right recipients, and with all necessary attachments.
It is worth noting, however, that this feature works best on a desktop browser, rather than on a smartphone app.
In most cases, promotional emails clutter the inbox more than actual and valuable personal emails. Gmail classifies more than 68 per cent of incoming emails as “Promotional,” while personal emails are categorised in the “Primary tab” account for 10 per cent.
A user can delete them in bulk by typing category: promotions in the Gmail search bar. Select all the emails and click ‘Delete’ to instantly clean your inbox.
This feature works well, both on the smartphone app and the desktop browser.
We all run out of data at one point or another. Gmail can be accessed offline, allowing a user to read and draft emails without an internet connection.
To enable this feature, go to ‘Settings’, then ‘See all Settings’, then ‘Offline’ tab. In the options that appear under ‘Offline’, Enable offline mail, and under security (within the ‘Offline’ tab), click the first option featuring “Keep offline data on my computer” then, click on the ‘Save Changes’ button to save one’s preference.
This feature works best on Chrome-based browsers.
Busy days come with selective amnesia. It is easy to forget a time-specific due date. If you want to send emails at a specific time, Gmail’s scheduling feature is handy.
To schedule the sending of an email, click the down-pointing arrow next to the ‘Send’ button after composing your draft, select ‘Schedule send’, and choose your preferred date and time.
Additionally, Gmail allows users to send emails that cannot be copied, forwarded, printed, or downloaded. This is useful for sensitive information.
When composing an email, click the ‘padlock icon’ at the bottom (same line as the ‘Send’ button) to activate Confidential Mode, set an expiry date, and choose whether a passcode (generated by Google) is required or not.
In conclusion, aside from being an email service, Gmail is a powerful productivity tool with features that can reduce inbox stress, boost productivity, and help every one regain control of their communication and customize the most popular email application to one’s preference.
