

Mastering even a few of them will help you take full advantage of what Gmail has to offer beyond the basics of sending and receiving messages. Plenty is possible via the main interface - or at your fingertips on the keyboard - without ever making a change to settings or installing something extra. Not every bit of power-user tech in Gmail requires special accessories. In addition to Labs, there are plenty of browser add-ons and extensions that can enhance Gmail specifically, far beyond its original parameters. (Also, be warned, sometimes the best of them get killed without warning). I'm tempted to suggest that you turn them all on since they're almost all useful, but we'll get into the best. You can access Labs by going to the Gear icon () button in Gmail > Settings > Labs. Not the adorable fluffy dogs, but the "laboratory" of features that are always in testing by Google. Let's start with one thing right up front: Labs. That's what we're here to delve into: all the tools below the surface of the Gmail inbox.

But let's be honest: with Gmail you get plenty for nothing.Īs a web app, Gmail is a constant work in progress, but the amount of under-the-hood power is pretty staggering. It's not perfect and occasionally prompts ripples of outrage across its user base.
