You can e-mail faster and better

Almost everyone can send an email, but Google’s mail app has a lot more to it. You just have to know where those handy tricks are. In this article, we’ll give 10 tips to get the most out of Gmail.

10 tips for Gmail

Gmail is by far the most popular mail app for Android, and the basics are probably clear to most people. The app is also packed with handy tricks with which you can keep a cleaner inbox or adjust the design, for example. In this article you will therefore find 10 tips for Gmail. Tap the links below to go directly to the relevant section.

1. Set dark mode

Gmail is a nicely designed mail app, but it’s pretty bright. Those who are still emailing in the evening should therefore switch on dark mode. This feature makes Gmail go dark, as you’d expect from its name. White surfaces become dark and vice versa. This is how you turn on Gmail’s dark mode:

1. Open the Gmail app on your Android phone;
2. Tap the three bars in the top left corner;
3. Scroll down and press ‘Settings’;
4. Select ‘General settings’ and then ‘Theme’;
5. Then tap ‘Dark’ and voila!

2. Better search

Are you looking for that one email, for example because it contains an e-ticket or reservation confirmation? Then use Gmail’s built-in search filters.

The mail app has a very extensive search function with which you can scan messages for sender, recipient and certain words in the subject line.

Do you need inspiration? Use the filters below to find what you need faster. Google’s Gmail website has an even larger list of filters, including very specific ones.

Filter	Position
from:	Search by sender
to:	Search by recipient
subject:	Search for words in the subject line
OR (for example from: michel OR from: wouter	Search for multiple messages
has: attachment	Only searches for emails with attachments: useful for tickets, for example.
has: drive (or document, spreadsheet, presentation)	Searches for files in Google Drive, Docs, Sheets or Slides

3. Remove the measure tab

Google wants to make Gmail the central communication app and therefore added Google Meet at the bottom, a video calling app. However, not everyone was equally enamored with this sudden addition. Fortunately, removing the Google Meet tab from Gmail is quite simple:

1. Open the Gmail app on your device;
2. Tap on the three lines in the top left and go to ‘Settings’;
3. Choose the Google account from which you want to remove the Meet tab;
4. Remove the checkmark from ‘Show the Conferencing tab for video calls’.

4. Keep your inbox clean

If you say e-mail, you unfortunately also say spam. Intrusive messages are hard to avoid, but luckily you can train Gmail to recognize spam.

Did you receive a nonsensical / intrusive / useless email? Then press and hold the message and tap the three dots at the top right of the screen. Then choose ‘Report spam’. By consistently reporting nonsensical messages, Gmail is increasingly learning which emails should not be allowed through.

5. Create tasks

Do you use Google Tasks to create reminders? From Gmail you can add emails to the tasks app in one go. That way you don’t forget to respond to that one important email. You need both Gmail and Google Tasks for this feature:

1. Open an email in Gmail and tap the three dots at the top right;
2. Press ‘Add to Tasks’ at the bottom of the menu;
3. Then tap ‘View’ to supplement the task just created with, for example, a date, time and subtasks.

6. Schedule emails

Would you like to schedule an email in Gmail that will not be sent until a month later? Which can! As soon as you have finished typing an email, press the three dots at the top right of the screen. Then select ‘Schedule sending’ and indicate when the message must be sent out the digital door.

7. Change view

Did you know that Gmail has three types of designs? In addition to the standard design, you can also choose ‘Spacious’ and ‘Compact’. The former makes emails, buttons and texts larger, while Compact squeezes as much information as possible onto one screen. To change the view in Gmail:

1. Open the Gmail app and tap the three bars at the top left;
2. Choose ‘General settings’ and then ‘Call list density’;
3. Then indicate how small / large the display should be and tap ‘Ok’.

8. Send messages that delete themselves

Are you going to send an email containing sensitive content? The so-called trusted mode of Gmail can ensure that messages sent by you automatically delete themselves. You can also secure emails with an access code. Here’s how Gmail’s Trusted Mode works:

1. Open Gmail on your Android;
2. Type an email as you are used to;
3. Ready to ship? Tap the three dots in the top right corner and choose ‘Confidential Mode’;
4. Then enter an expiry date and any access code;
5. Check? Then tap on ‘Save’.

9. Fast shifting

Do you have multiple email accounts? In Gmail, you can switch profiles in one go thanks to a handy swipe. You can do this by swiping your profile icon in the top right corner. You should now switch to your other email address. Of course you can also switch the ‘old-fashioned’ way by tapping your profile icon and then pressing your other account.

10. Use swipes

On the subject of swiping, Gmail has customizable swipes. This allows you to choose what happens when you swipe an email from the inbox to the left or right. That way you can, for example, report mails as spam by default, archive a message or move it to other folders. This is how you adjust the swipes in Gmail:

1. Open Gmail on your smartphone and tap the three bars at the top left;
2. Choose ‘Settings’ at the bottom of the screen and go to ‘General settings’;
3. Tap on ‘Swipe Actions’ and then ‘Change’;
4. Indicate what should happen when you drag an email to the left or right.

More about Gmail

This overview of Gmail tips is anything but exhaustive. Google’s mail app has many more handy tricks up its sleeve. Think, for example, of Smart Compose, a function (for the time being only in English) that partially writes emails for you. Take a look at our Gmail overview page for more helpful tips or click on the articles below: