Gmail has quickly taken over the email market. Â With shared document features like Google Drive and the emerging social network Google Plus more and more businesses are turning to Gmail as their primary email platform. Â If youâ??re using the popular email service at home or at work try these 10 tips and tricks to enhance your experience:
- Keyboard Shortcuts – when youâ??re having a busy day enable Gmailâ??s keyboard shortcuts. Â Select and delete contacts with ease, open your drafts and more. Â A complete list of shortcuts is available online.
- Undo Sent Messages – never have another â??reply allâ? panic attack again. Â Unlock this option by clicking on the gear icon, select settings, go to labs, scroll down to â??Undo Sendâ? and choose â??enable.â? Â After sending a message, a yellow bar will appear at the top of your Gmail and say â??Your message has not been sentâ? giving you the option to confirm sending or undo.
- Search Attachments Only – donâ??t waste time browsing for that important document your boss sent you. Â Add the code â??has:attachmentâ? to your query in the search bar and target your search more directly.
- Canned Responses – do you ever feel like youâ??re sending the same email reply over and over again? Â Set up some automatic responses by clicking on the gear icon, select settings, go to the Labs section and scroll down for Canned Responses. Â Once you enable this option, compose a new email and you will see in the bottom right corner all of your saved responses for ultimate email ease.
- Quicker Loading – sometimes you just need to check your email right this minute. Â Switch over to â??basic modeâ? by adding â??/?ui=htmlâ? to the end of your url. Â It loads your inbox without Java Script.
- Dots and plus signs donâ??t matter – did you know Gmail has a â??blind spotâ? when it comes to dots and plus signs in email address usernames? Â For example if the username is my+account@gmail.com just type myaccount@gmail.com and it doesnâ??t affect the address.
- Add or subtract inbox tabes – last year Gmail updated its inbox by adding Primary, Social and Promotions tabs to filter your inbox. Â However these tabs are completely customizable. Â Set up the account to your preference by clicking on the gear icon and selecting â??Configure Inbox.â? Â Remove unnecessary tabs and add only the boxes you need.
- Inbox count in your browser tab – if youâ??re one of the many multi-taskers with multiple tabs open in your browser, enable the â??Unread message iconâ? lab. Â A little number will pop up on the tab containing your inbox, that way youâ??ll always know when you have an email, even when youâ??re busy with other tasks.
- Be a star – if youâ??re a visual person the star function can help you sort important messages with a wide range of star colors and symbols. Â In your settings choose from a colorful list of stars, symbols, exclamation points and checkmarks to cater your inbox to fit your needs.
- Custom themes – if youâ??re bored with your current Gmail background choose from custom themes or upload your own images. Â Click on the gear and visit themes to review your options.
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Peter "WebDoc" Martin
Founder & President at Cactus Sky Digital
A digital marketing expert nationally recognized as the â??webdoc,â? and is the technology correspondent for ABC 7 News and SNN6 where he provides technology advice, website reviews and product news.
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