Just about everyone owns a Gmail (read Google) account these days. While the use of Gmail to regularly send and receive emails varies widely from one user to the next, it pays to know how best you can customize your experience nonetheless. The following features serve to illustrate just how amazing your experience on Gmail can be if you explore what lies beneath the surface…
- The Dots do Not Matter
If your Gmail address is my.name@gmail.com, that sounds great and all that but did you know the dots do not matter? I mean, it does no matter where you place the dots. In fact, someone could send you an email using m.yn.am.e@gmail.com or some other variation with the dots placed anywhere liberally in the text string and you will still receive your email as usual. On a side note, it also does not matter if you use @gmail.com or @googlemail.com.
- Undo Emails Sent by Accident
Have you ever replied to an email and then realized a few seconds later that you used the “Reply to All” option while your reply was meant for just a single recipient instead of the whole company? Gmail now allows you to undo a sent email but you have to manually enable the option. Click the “Tools” icon on the right hand side of your Gmail window (the tools icon looks like a gear wheel).
From the drop-down menu select “Settings” and look out for the “Labs”. In the Labs tab, scroll down till you get to “Undo Send”. Click the “Enable” option and then save changes. Still in the “Settings” dialog, click the “General” tab and scroll down and you will find another “Undo Send” option. Enable it there as well and then save the changes. This done, you are now set to undo the damage when you hit the “Send” button too soon. Every time you send an email from your Gmail account a notification bar will appear for a few seconds prompting you to either cancel the send command or dismiss the prompt.
- Insert an Image Directly into your Email
Again, this feature is found in the “Labs” tab under “Settings”. Scroll down until you get to “Inserting Images” and enable the option. Now inserting images into the body of your email is as easy as in Word. You can drag the image directly from your computer onto the email while in “Compose” mode. Alternatively, you can click the “Insert Image” icon and then use a URL to locate the image you want in the email.
- Create a Custom “From”
If you use Gmail as your default email account alongside using Gmail’s functionality to manage several other emails, you may extend this functionality further. Gmail does not just enable you to read emails from different accounts from one place, you can also reply or forward these emails while maintaining your separate online identities. Creating a custom “From” field to ensure you reply and forward your emails without mixing up your different online identities is easy. Just use the Labs feature and follow the prompts.
- Send Canned Responses to Repetitive Emails
If you regularly receive emails which require a standard reply, you do not need to keep typing the reply every time you have to make a response. From the “Labs” feature, you can set up a canned response to help you get rid of such replying tasks with speed. Enable the “Canned Responses” from the “Labs” tab of the “Settings” dialog box. To create a canned response, use the compose option as usual and type the message. Just below the “To” textbox, click “Canned Responses”, go to “Save” and click “New Canned Response”. Give the canned reply a title and give it a title. Next time you have to give a canned response, all you need is to click “Canned Responses”, choose the appropriate message and then send you reply.
As will be apparent from above, there are many ways to make Gmail work the way you like it to. The five tips above represent just a sample of the amazing tricks you can customize your Gmail experience. Master them and dealing with email does not have to be the dreary repertoire it has been over the years.
- TFJ
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