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Gmail redesign to modernise user interface and introduce new email features

The new UI will simplify the toolbar and add large, colourful icons

Aatif Sulleyman

Wednesday 27 September 2017 17:14 BST

Gmail for desktop is in line for a makeover and several new features.

The email service is one of the most popular and feature-packed in the world, though there are a number of significant differences between the desktop and mobile versions.

A selection of these will be addressed in an upcoming update.

11 useful Gmail features you didn't know existed

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1/1111 useful Gmail features you didn't know existed

11 useful Gmail features you didn't know existed

Labs

Labs is a testing ground for a number of experimental Gmail features that aren’t quite ready to be rolled out properly. Most of them are really useful, and it’s worth checking them out and enabling the ones you like by going to Settings and hitting the Labs tab. At the time of writing, one of them shows you how many unread messages you have in the Gmail tab on your browser, and another lets you add handy shortcut buttons. The catch is that they can disappear at any moment.

11 useful Gmail features you didn't know existed

Unsend messages

You can unsend sent messages with Gmail, and you don’t even need an add-on. Just go to Settings and check the Enable Undo Send option. You can choose between five, 10, 20 and 30 seconds as your cancellation period. After it’s over, there’s no getting that message back.

11 useful Gmail features you didn't know existed

Colourful stars

The Starred messages feature is already really handy, but you can make it even better. In Settings, scroll down to the Stars section and choose which colour you want to use - you can switch the default golden one for orange, red, purple, blue or green. In fact, you don’t need to use a star at all. Boxes with icons are also available, and you can have lots of them in use at once. It may seem like little more than visual fun, but you can actually make your life easier by using different colours or icons for different types of message, as you can search for each of them individually.

11 useful Gmail features you didn't know existed

Shortcuts

You can see the entire list of Gmail’s shortcuts by going to Settings and scrolling down to the Keyboard Shortcuts section. Learn More will take you to a page with all of the shortcuts on Android, iOS and the desktop. Or, if you’re already on a computer, just open Gmail and hit Shift and /.

11 useful Gmail features you didn't know existed

Hide categories

Gmail automatically sorts your messages into distinct categories, including Primary, Social, Promotions, Updates and Forums. However, you can hide the ones you don’t need by going to Settings, hitting the Labels tab and scrolling down to Categories.

11 useful Gmail features you didn't know existed

Search properly

Don’t be fooled by Gmail’s simple-looking search bar. Click the down arrow just left of the search button to access a load of additional options that make it much easier to sort through your messages.

11 useful Gmail features you didn't know existed

Add other accounts

If you use Gmail and other email providers, like Yahoo, Exchange and Outlook, you can make your life easier by managing all of your messages from one place. In the app, tap the menu button, add an account by hitting the down arrow and pick the type of account you want to add.

11 useful Gmail features you didn't know existed

Smart Replies

You can reply to messages quickly by selecting one of three “smart reply” options Gmail offers. It uses machine learning technology to formulate them, to ensure they’re applicable to the message you’re responding to and sound like something you’d write.

11 useful Gmail features you didn't know existed

Mute threads

Like group conversations on WhatsApp, email threads can get annoying. Fortunately, you can mute them. Open the message, click the More button above it and select Mute.

11 useful Gmail features you didn't know existed

Block annoying people

You can block users you don’t want to hear from anymore by opening an email you’ve received from them, hitting the down arrow next to the reply button (in the top right-hand corner of the message) and selecting Block.

11 useful Gmail features you didn't know existed

Inbox

If you’re feeling inquisitive, it’s worth trying out Google’s Inbox (by Gmail) app. It takes a slightly different approach to Gmail, focusing on de-cluttering your inbox.

The most obvious change that will be made to Gmail for desktop concerns the user interface.

The new UI will simplify the toolbar and introduce large, colourful icons for the labels in the column running down the left-hand edge.

It’s a clean, minimal new look that feels far more modern and visually appealing – much like the app.

The redesign was spotted by Android Police, in a video that has now been taken down.

Gmail for desktop will also be improved by the addition of Smart Reply.

The feature, which is designed to help you save time by suggesting quick responses to your messages, is already available on the Gmail app.

Also coming to Gmail for desktop are Smart Groupings and Snooze, which can help you organise your messages and ensure you don't get overwhelmed.

Smart Groupings automatically groups related emails together for you, while Snooze will let you delay incoming messages.

The options coming to Gmail are Later Today, Tomorrow, This Weekend, Next Week and Someday. You'll also be able to choose a specific date and time for messages to come through at, or even a location.

Unfortunately, there's no word yet on when Google will roll the new features out to users.

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