Author: Miranda Lucas

Gmail offers a ton of features for its users, and Google is continually improving them or adding new ones. Plenty of Gmail features are simply functions you’d expect — like having the option to customize your tabs or create multiple inboxes. However, there are some other things you can do in Gmail that aren’t so widely known.

4 Gmail hacks you probably don’t know about

1. Boomerang for Gmail

If you haven’t used Gmail with Boomerang, you haven’t really used Gmail. Seriously, this is a really cool add-on that can save you a ton of time and hassle — especially if you have any kind of business or side hustle going on.

Boomerang is Chrome extension for Gmail. Install it and you’ll be able to schedule your emails to be sent out at any time. You can also have an email re-sent to you. This second feature is great for those important emails you just don’t have time to deal with right now. Simply tell Gmail to send it again later, and you can go about your business without the risk of forgetting to come back to it.

2. Quick unsubscribe

You know how you normally have to go through this whole process when you want to unsubscribe from someone’s email list? Often you need to click through to some external site, where you have to explain why you’re leaving (and often endure some passive-aggressive chiding for your decision to unsubscribe). No more! Gmail lets you cut and run without all the drama. As soon as you get said unwanted email, click on the sender’s name and then select “unsubscribe.” Done and done.

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3. Going back in time via Gmail

Ever send an email and immediately wish you could take it back? You can actually do that with Gmail. Set this up by going into your “Settings” and selecting “Enable Undo.” Now, whenever you send an email, you’ll have an “Undo” button that lets you cancel the whole thing out. You’ll have a very short window to retrieve the offending email (generally no more than 30 seconds), but still — it’s practically time travel.

4. Using Gmail offline

What? Checking your emails without an internet connection? Yes, that’s a thing. You can even respond to them (your responses won’t actually be sent until you’re back online, though). However, this doesn’t happen automatically. Access the offline section of your Gmail settings and select “enable offline mail.” You’ll need the latest version of both Chrome and Gmail to do this. Before recent updates, this feature was only available through a Chrome extension.

Have you noticed that your Gmail updated? With the new update comes some pretty cool new features that will make your Gmail experience better than it’s ever been.

4 great features in the new Gmail

1. Snooze your emails

With the new Gmail update, you can now snooze your emails so that you can get back to them later. Before the Gmail update, the only options for your emails was to keep them unread or mark them as read and hope you remembered to get back to them later. This new snooze feature simply removes emails from your inbox and brings them back later. This feature will work very well for any email that you know you need to respond to but you don’t have time for at the moment.

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To activate the snooze feature, first select the email you want to snooze. You can do this by pressing down on the email in the Gmail app to select it, or by checking the box to the left of the email you want to select when on Gmail in your web browser.

Once you’ve selected the email, click the clock icon that appears in the toolbar (below the search bar in your web browser). You’ll then be able to snooze the email for a specific length of time. Once snoozed, the email will then be moved to the “Snoozed” label in your account.

2. Smart compose

Have you noticed that Gmail will prompt you with some possible responses at the bottom of an email? This new predictive text feature will give you some possible responses to emails. In addition, this new Gmail feature can save you time when sending short responses. Now you can simply click the “Thank you” prompt at the end of an email and it will send it in response. For anyone who stresses out over how to reply to an email, the smart compose feature of Gmail is a godsend!

To use smart compose, simply click on the appropriate text bubble that appears at the end of an email, right above “Reply.” You can either send this message as is or you can add more text to the email before you send it.

3. Confidential mode

Now, emails can self-destruct after a certain amount of time, just like Snapchats. With the new confidential mode, you can select when your email will expire and delete itself. Of course, this doesn’t keep your emails completely safe as they can always be captured via a screenshot, but if you’re trying to keep a secret, this confidential mode is perfect. For example, if you’re trying to plan a surprise birthday party for your wife, you can send confidential emails so the birthday girl won’t be able to see them if she happens to look at your inbox.

You can use confidential mode whenever you compose or reply to an email. To turn the feature on, you’ll need to click the clock/padlock icon in the bottom toolbar of your email (to the right of “Send”).

You can then set an expiration date for the email or require a passcode. Hit “Save” and you’re good to go!

4. Notifications

Before the update, Gmail would send you notifications for everything. However, with the new update, you can select to only be notified for important things. On your computer, click the gear icon in the upper-right corner and select “Settings.” Under Settings > General, scroll down to Desktop Notifications. Then select “Important mail notifications on.”

To change your notification settings on the Gmail app, go to Menu > Settings and tap your account. Then scroll down to Notifications and click “High priority only.”

With so many great changes added, be sure to explore the new Gmail and customize it to your liking!