20 of the very best Features for Gmail

The thing is even though we love Gmail, we wish we could make emailing and other activities a tad faster and better. Features provide you with some great, as yet experimental features to change how you send and receive emails and how you browse web pages.

Here are 20 of the very best Features any Gmail lover should enable.

1. Background Send

The Background Send Feature allows you to continue working while it sends email in the background, similar to the way an email client works.

2. Smart Labels

This Lab feature automatically detects messages sent to groups, such as forum messages, and labels them accordingly. This feature allows you to keep those mass messages separate while still identifying them as non-spam.

3. Google Voice Player

Google Voice sends a transcript of your voicemail to your Gmail inbox, so you can read it right there even as you’re typing something. This makes sure that you get your message immediately.

4. Hide Read Labels

When a new message that is tagged to a Gmail Filter arrives, it is displayed on your inbox’s left. Once you read it, it will be shelved away along with the other messages tagged with the same label.

5. Unread Message Icon

When you enable this Lab, your Gmail favicon will display exactly how many unread messages there are in any of your Gmail tabs.

6. Auto-Advance

Gmail always takes the user back to the inbox after reading, deleting or archiving an email. The Auto-Advance Lab lets you decide where Gmail goes after you finish your task, such as going to the previous or next message.

7. Google Docs Previews

The Google Docs Preview is great Gmail Lab Feature for Google Doc users. On enabling this feature you can see previews of Google docs shared with you right in your inbox.

8. Nested Labels

The Nested Labels lab allows you to create labels in a hierarchy, which means no more confusion because of too many labels. You can create main labels based on category and nest all sub-labels underneath.

9. The Apps Search

The App Search lab extends Gmail’s search ability to search within other Google apps that you’re using, such as Google Docs or Google Sites.

10. Refresh POP Accounts

You can consolidate multiple email addresses into your Gmail inbox at present, but not all of them are refreshed immediately. Use the Refresh POP Accounts Lab to refresh your other email accounts when required.

11. Sender Time Zone

This lab lets you know what your email sender’s time is at present, which helps you decide when to respond depending on the hour. There’s also a small phone icon that goes red when it’s too late to call someone.

12. Video Chat Enhancements

If you use Google Chat, you need to enable the Video Chat Enhancements Lab to enjoy better resolution, bigger windows and much more.

13. Undo Send

If you tend to hit the Send button in a hurry, you need the Undo Send lab. The Undo option appears just above the inbox for a few seconds after you hit the Send button; these few seconds are enough for you to rectify potential damage.

14. Inbox Preview

If you have a slow internet connection, use this lab to get a quick preview of your Inbox even as your Gmail loads. You will be able to preview your inbox each time you open Gmail.

15. Message Sneak Peek Gmail

If you have a long list of messages, use the Message Sneak Peek lab to instantly preview a message and decide whether to open it or not. This lab also allows you to archive or delete the message without opening it.

16. The Canned Responses

This lab allows you to create and save custom message templates and select something suitable while responding to someone.

17. Google Calendar Widget

This cool calendar widget app will help you check your schedule and stay on top of your appointments. It comes with great reminders as well.

18. Inserting Images

Tired of hitting the Attachments key to attach something in your Gmail? This lab feature allows you to just drop an attachment into the text body, just as you would do in a desktop client.

19. Send & Archive

This Feature allows you to archive a message in a single action, through a Send & Archive button in the Compose window.

20. Pictures In Chat

This lab feature displays your contacts’ pictures when you chat with them using the Gmail Chat feature.