10 hidden Gmail features you should be using

10 hidden Gmail features you should be using

Most people only use their email inboxes to send and receive messages. There are a lot of secret tricks you can use to speed up your workflow, though. Bookmark this page since we’re sharing the best Gmail tips and tricks you’ll use time and time again.

Tip No. 1: Stop making your email inbox a goldmine for cybercriminals. Tap or click here for one mistake you’re making with your email that hackers love. Here are a few other things you should know.

Within your Gmail inbox are many hard-to-find features. Think of them as pearls lurking inside a clam. Once you root out these 10 hidden Gmail features, they can make your digital life much easier.

1. How to undo a sent email

Right after you send an email, you can cancel it. You’ll see a little box pop up in the lower left-hand corner of Gmail that says, “Message sent.” Next to it, you’ll see two options: Undo or View message. Click Undo to make sure your recipient doesn’t see the email.

Here’s what it looks like:

If you want even more time to make up your mind, good news. You can adjust the amount of time you have before this option fades away. To choose how long you have to take back a message, do this:

  1. Go to Gmail and head to Settings.
  2. Tap or click See all settings.
  3. Next to Undo Send, choose whether you want a cancellation period of five, 10, 20 or 30 seconds.

Just like that, you’ve given yourself more time to avoid mistakes in the future. Here’s another one of the best Gmail tips and tricks.

2. Snooze emails so you don’t forget

The Snooze feature lets you save an email for later. It’s like putting a pin on a conversation so you can revisit it when you have more free time. You can pick a pre-selected or custom time when the email can pop up at the top of your inbox.

For example, maybe you’re putting out fires at 8 a.m. and you know you’ll have more time at 3 p.m. Select the email you want to revisit and click the clock icon on the far right:

Hit Snooze and pick the time you want to see the email again. You can even snooze multiple messages by selecting them all at once. Later on, you can find snoozed emails by going to Menu > Snoozed.

3. Use advanced search to find exactly what you’re looking for

If you have thousands of emails cluttering up your inbox, finding a particular email can feel like searching for a needle in a haystack. Luckily, you can use hacks to narrow down the search.

For example, you can type from: and type someone’s email to filter out all other senders. This is helpful if you want to revisit past threads. You can also type subject: to look up particular words in the subject line. Here’s the complete list of Gmail search operators to save time when searching your inbox.

4. Of all the best Gmail tips and tricks, this one is especially useful

Insert full stops into your email address to filter messages from different senders. Say your email address is avocado@gmail.com, and you subscribe to several streaming services. In those streaming accounts, add a plus sign and another word, such as avocado+streaming@gmail.com.

All email correspondence from those accounts will still go to your primary Gmail account, but now you can easily filter them into specific folders or quickly find them through the search bar.

Pro tip: If you start receiving emails you didn’t sign up for and they contain your custom plus sign, it might give you a pretty good idea of which companies or services have been sharing your information.

RELATED: 5 smart Gmail tricks to save you time and keep your emails private

5. Schedule emails

Don’t hit the Send button if you want your email to go out at a specific time. Tap the downwards arrow to the right of the Send button. A little box pops up that says Schedule send.

From there, you can decide when you want it to go. It will sit in your Scheduled folder until the time comes. You can cancel it and reschedule it as much as you want.

6. Muting threads is another one of the best Gmail tips and tricks

Sometimes, you’re part of an email conversation that is no longer relevant to you. Luckily, you can mute the conversation by selecting it and clicking More > Mute. This removes it from your inbox and sends the conversation to your archives.

7. Use Confidential mode

To protect sensitive data, send a confidential message. This means people can’t forward, copy, print or download your message or attachments. You can also set email message expiration dates or require a verification code through text before someone opens a message. To turn it on, log in to an administrator account.

From the Admin console Home page, head to Apps. Click Google Workspace > Gmail > User settings > Confidential mode. Then, check the box next to Enable confidential mode. Save your changes and you’re good to go.

RELATED: 8 ways Google constantly invades your privacy

8. Find out if someone opened your email

Now that we have gone over some of the best Gmail tips and tricks, it’s time to check out Gmail extensions. Email Tracker for Gmail has over 2 million active users, and for good reason. It’s a free way to get follow-up alerts, mail merge and link tracing features.

When using Gmail without any add-ons, you never know when someone has opened an email. With this extension, you can get peace of mind and know that the person you reached out to saw your email. You can also check out other reputable extensions to maximize your inbox.

9. How to access Gmail even when you’re offline

You can still send emails even when the internet is out. Just head to Gmail offline settings and check the box next to Enable offline mail. It looks like this:

Hit Save changes and you’re good to go.

10. Add a delegate

You should never share your password with anyone. But you can share an inbox with someone. If you grant someone access to your Gmail account, they can sort emails with filters, archive emails and use labels to organize emails. They can also send, read and delete email messages.

To add a delegate, open Gmail on your computer and head to Settings > See all settings > Accounts and Import or Account > Add another account. Enter the email address of your delegate and hit Next Step > Send email to grant access.

Here are a few more guides to check out

A major change is coming to your Gmail inbox

Gmail tips and tricks: 10 buried settings and features to try

Tags: cybercriminals, email, Gmail, guides, tips and tricks, Undo Send, workflows