If you’re anything like me, you probably feel like you could get more done, work more efficiently, or enjoy managing daily emails more. With the right gmail tools, all of these things are true.
There are hundreds of gmail tools, both within gmail and offered by third-party companies, designed to enhance your gmail experience, whether it’s letting you write emails faster or helping you stay organized.
That’s why I’ve compiled this list of my favorite gmail tools, all of which have the potential to make your life better.
gmail tools already inside gmail
let’s start by taking a look at the gmail tools that are available in gmail. These are some of the most prominent:
1. calendar.
google calendar gets a first mention because it’s the first plugin (by default) on the right side of your gmail desktop app. If you currently use Google Calendar to keep track of your meetings and events, you can click this blue button and get a quick view of all your current events.
You can also use it to open the calendar in its own application, if you prefer that method of viewing your agenda. if you’re viewing an email, you can click the stacked ellipses to create a new event based on the content of that email; Think of it as an automated way to turn your emails into a calendar event.
of course, if you don’t use google calendar or don’t like its design, this may not be a good app for you.
2. save.
google keep is found in the same handy right-side toolbar as google calendar, just below it as a yellow icon. Google likes all of its apps to work well together, so if you’re used to relying on Google Keep to take notes and review information, you’ll get tremendous value here.
with google keep, you can create lists and sublists about anything you want: take meeting notes, turn emails into notes, or cross-reference notes from different meetings or events. It’s great for when you want to get your many work responsibilities in order.
3. tasks.
While it doesn’t exist as a stand-alone app like Google Calendar and Google Keep do, Gmail does offer a convenient “tasks” icon in the same location as the two aforementioned apps. with it, you can create and manage tasks related to your work (or your personal life, if you wish).
Creating tasks is easy and you don’t have to open another app to keep track of them. If you’re the kind of person who likes to manage your life with tasks and subtasks, this is ideal; plus, you can turn your emails into to-dos with a single click.
4. drive.
google drive is another google app that finds favor in the context of gmail. Whether you use it to store files for your team, or keep track of your most important work, you can conveniently use Google Drive’s built-in tool to attach your files to email drafts.
With a compose window open, you can click the drive icon (located at the bottom of the window) and open a list of all your stored files. from there, it’s very easy to find the exact file you’re looking for.
5. canned responses.
Canned replies are not enabled by default in gmail, but you can easily access them in advanced settings. when enabled, you’ll have the ability to create and access “canned responses” (as the name suggests), or pre-constructed sentences and paragraphs that you can immediately fall back on.
For example, if you find yourself writing the same opening paragraph for almost all of your new leads, you can create it as a canned response and add it with just one click. Even if you only use it a few times, you’ll save yourself minutes to hours of productivity and the tedium of typing the same answers over and over again.
See our full guide on setting up gmail email templates for more information on how to use this handy tool!
6. custom keyboard shortcuts.
custom keyboard shortcuts is another built-in tool hidden in advanced settings (formerly known as gmail labs).
with this feature enabled, you can create your own keyboard shortcuts, so you can access your most important functions and favorite features with a single keypress, rather than manually navigating to the right area and clicking with your mouse .
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7. postpone.
snooze is a relatively new tool introduced in gmail that not many people know about. When you have an email open, you can click the clock icon at the top to “repeat” the email, telling gmail to resend that email to you at your chosen date and time.
That way, if you have an important email that you can’t send until Friday, you can send it to yourself on Friday, taking it off your immediate focus while also making sure you don’t forget to respond when appropriate.
You can also access your currently “scheduled” emails at any time by clicking the clock icon on the left hand side.
gmail is packed with features, some of which are relatively unknown and (occasionally) hard to find, but I can’t really count them as “tools”. for example, there are over 100 built-in keyboard shortcuts designed to save you time on manual actions, if you enable them.
apps designed to be gmail tools
Now, let’s turn our attention to apps designed specifically to work with gmail (or at least email platforms in general).
These third-party apps and gmail tools are intended to enhance your email experience, often based on data generated in your account or by integrating directly with their platforms.
8. email scanning.
Whether your goal is to work more effectively or simply better understand your email habits, there’s no better gmail tool than our own email analytics.
When you sign up, you’ll gain access to dozens of metrics about your (and possibly your team members’) email habits, including which days and times are busiest for you, how much time you spend writing and reading emails, their top senders and recipients, and how many emails you send per day.
It is extremely useful for improving your productivity and understanding your work habits, which makes it ideal to use in combination with any of the other gmail tools on this list. With email analytics, you can take a snapshot of your performance and then measure the productivity gains you see when you use other applications.
9. boomerang.
If you’re looking for a plugin to make it easy to schedule email reminders and drafts to be sent in the future, boomerang for gmail is a great option. With it, you can create emails and choose when they’re sent (so you can avoid late-night or weekend emails, or pretend you’re burning the midnight oil).
You can also set reminders for yourself and delay emails so you can read them when it’s most convenient for you.
10. virtue.
If you’ve ever been concerned about the privacy or security of your gmail account, consider using virtru. it’s part of g suite and you can use it to protect all (or some) of your emails with end-to-end encryption. You can also customize display settings so the wrong people don’t see your most important messages.
With a comprehensive dashboard, you can manage permissions, set rules for certain types of content, and add watermarks to certain documents and attachments for even greater protection.
11. email.
if you open gmail and feel frustrated, stressed or just plain sad at the disorganized mess of your inbox, try using mailstrom. It’s designed as a cleanup tool for gmail (or pretty much any other email platform), with the intention of minimizing the time you spend organizing things.
With it, you can filter your messages based on various parameters, such as subject, sender, subscriptions, sending time, etc. once you have the right collection of emails, you can delete them all at once, or sort them where they belong.
12. bomb bomb.
bombbomb may or may not be useful to you, as it has somewhat specific functionality. This app makes it easy to record your screen and send the finished video via gmail; it’s super intuitive and makes attaching videos super easy.
Plus, it’s equipped with tools that notify you when your videos are viewed, so if you send how-to or demo videos, you can get better metrics on how well those videos are performing with your sales leads. If you’re interested in making video calls through gmail, be sure to check out our guide on how to make video calls in gmail.
13. order.
that’s not a misspelling: sortd is another gmail tool that helps you organize your inbox. With it, you’ll be able to categorize your individual emails into topic lists and take advantage of a scrum board to track your progress on each email.
This can be used for just about any function or department, but is perhaps best for sales professionals, who can classify their emails into lists such as “lead,” “contacted,” and “sale closed.”
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You can create your own categories if you’re interested in experimenting.
14. unwind.
If your gmail is frequently cluttered, it’s probably due, at least in part, to a series of subscriptions to newsletters that you no longer use or weren’t initially interested in.
For some reason, it’s much easier to delete or ignore those cluttered emails than it is to click the link at the bottom of them that allows you to unsubscribe.
but unroll.me makes it easy to unsubscribe from all your spam email lists at once, or individually with a single click. all it takes is 10 to 15 minutes of your time.
15. healthy box.
sanebox is another gmail tool designed to clean up your inbox, with a few extra features that might just make it your favorite. works not only with gmail, but with any email platform, and allows you to send any non-urgent or unnecessary email to a “sanelater” folder.
You can also group all your email newsletters or messy email types into a single folder that you can browse at any time and create custom folders to help you keep track of your most important messages and threads. Be sure to also check out our guide on how to clean up your gmail inbox!
16. gmelius.
Ever wonder if and when that sales prospect read the email you sent them? gmelius is a gmail tool that can simplify your life.
offers seamless integration with the gmail app, and once integrated, you can use it to track when your messages are viewed and read, as well as when your links have been clicked. you can also use it to schedule emails for the future and assign incoming customer messages to different members of your team.
This makes it a good tool for collaborative environments and for teams trying to work better together.
17. find large mail.
have you guessed what find big mail allows you to do? Google offers Gmail users ample storage space for their emails, but if you find yourself frequently sending videos, high-res images, or other monstrous files, you’ll eventually hit that limit.
find big mail is a gmail tool that allows you to quickly and easily find your largest and most space consuming messages so you can delete them and get on with your life.
18. wise seal.
People don’t like running around and using multiple apps to get basic information. It’s also helpful to display your branding somewhere in your email so people instantly know who they’re communicating with.
You can address both with wisestamp, a gmail tool that allows you to customize a professional email signature. you can add information like your name, phone number, social media links, and even a headshot, depending on your preferences.
And if you’re an independent contractor or business owner, you can also use it to create your own website or business cards.
19. right inbox.
right inbox is a gmail tool that comes with four features designed to improve your email productivity. with it, you can schedule your emails in advance and set up email reminders, as well as create private email notes that only reach certain recipients.
You can also create recurring emails, which are perfect for regular, time-consuming tasks when you have to create them manually.
20. batch inbox.
One of the most stressful things about email is the constant barrage of new messages. If you’re like most of us, you’ll receive a constant stream of notifications throughout the day, distracting you from your most important tasks and taking up a disproportionate amount of your time.
batchedinbox attempts to alleviate this stress by giving you the power to “batch” your emails, so that you receive them only at designated times.
for example, you can choose to only receive emails at the top of every hour, so you can stop the parade of notifications and get more work done without interruption.
21. streak.
The next section introduces tons of crm and project management platforms that also offer gmail integrations, but Streak is a bit different: it’s a crm platform designed exclusively to work within gmail.
With it, you can keep track of who has seen your emails, categorize the emails you’ve received, and share emails with the team, just like you need to assign an incoming client email to someone in your department of service.
Like most crms, it’s ideal for sales, marketing, and advertising teams, but can also be used by anyone interested in better task management.
22. the email game.
The email game tries to gamify the process of cleaning your inbox, and it does it quite well. When you link your gmail account with this app, you will have a set amount of time to randomly view and analyze the individual emails in your account and then sort them into the proper folder or delete them altogether.
If you do one of these, a progress emoji becomes a bit happier, but if you skip an email, it becomes a bit sadder. it’s a hack, but it can be useful if you want to feel like you’re accomplishing something measurable by organizing gmail.
23. active inbox.
activeinbox is a gmail tool and chrome extension designed to help you visualize your inbox as a mega to-do list. When you use the extension, you can set due dates and tasks for each individual email and cross them off as you complete them.
You can also set reminders for your overdue tasks, sort your emails into various categories, and flag emails that require more attention (or more detail).
Not everyone will benefit from the to-do list approach, but many people will find it helpful.
apps that support gmail integration
There are also standalone productivity and project management apps that offer the ability to integrate with gmail.
Historically, Google has made it easy for third-party developers to build apps that work well with Gmail, and developers have answered the call by making sure their apps come with a Gmail plugin or can use data from their email platform. to improve your overall experience.
These are some of my top picks here:
24. all-rounder.
In the last section, I mentioned activeinbox as a gmail tool that can help turn your email inbox into a to-do list. todoist does something similar, but has more flexibility and some functionality that exists outside of gmail.
with todoist, you can easily manage your tasks within gmail and keep track of different categories of to-dos with color coding. this makes it easy to rely on todoist for personal and professional tasks, or use it for multiple professional responsibilities and priorities simultaneously.
25. giphy.
One of the less important (but more entertaining) options on this list is giphy, a gmail tool you can use to add animated gifs as a bit of flair to your emails. If you work for a company that is strict about its professional image, this may not be a good fit, but if you’re working with a down-to-earth team, or if you rely on gmail for a lot of personal conversations, there are some sentiments to be had. best expressed in gif format.
try not to get too carried away. and check out this guide on how to add a gif to an email.
26. asana.
If you already use asana as your project management app of choice, it’s a no brainer to start using it as a gmail tool.
With the main asana app, you can create multiple projects, tasks, and subtasks for your team members to complete, assign the right people to those tasks, and manage the conversations needed to get those tasks done.
In gmail, you can view those tasks and projects at any time and automatically convert your emails into new tasks and projects, which will save you a lot of time.
27. trello.
trello is another project management option if asana isn’t your thing. offers a different design for project management, focusing on an organizational style that relies on vertical boards to indicate tasks in various stages of development (such as “under consideration,” “in progress,” or “done”).
When used with gmail, you’ll get a mini popup that gives you a status update on your current projects, and you can turn your emails into tasks with one click (by making your subject line the task title and the body in the task description).
28. copper.
copper is one of the few crm platforms that works well as a gmail tool. Like many CRM platforms, it’s customer-focused, allowing you to create and track leads through various stages of the sales process so you can get a better picture of your conversion metrics.
in gmail, it helps you keep track of your conversations and turn gmail contacts into new entries within the platform. It even has a chat bot that keeps track of new topics and changes to your team chats.
29. smart sheet.
In the same family of project management apps as trello and asana, smartsheet relies on calendars, forms, task creation, and chat features to help your team stay in constant touch.
You can also use certain types of automation to help you get the job done faster. when you integrate smartsheet in gmail with g suite, you can take any open email and turn it into a task, or add it as a note (including all its attachments) to a project open in the platform.
30. wrike.
wrike originates as a project management application, but differentiates itself by focusing on collaboration. When you add it to your gmail account, you’ll be able to get detailed information about your tasks and projects within gmail, so you can refer to those bits of information when you’re composing an email to a teammate.
You can also take existing emails and turn them into tasks, and change some task details without leaving the gmail app.
31. keyboard.
As a company, dialpad is a business communications provider, so it makes sense that the addition of their g-suite would try to make communication faster and smoother within their team.
within gmail, you can send messages and make calls within gmail using the dial pad services, making it an all-in-one communication suite.
If you’re not already using dialpad services, it may not be worth it just for the benefits of gmail, but it’s a useful integration if you’re already a customer.
32. otter.
For most people, dictating notes is much easier than writing or typing them, which is why otter is such a time saver. When you use it in gmail, you can verbally communicate your thoughts and ideas, or dictate drafts of your emails so you can write them faster.
otter’s error rate is very low, so you shouldn’t have much trouble with misunderstandings, and if you use it consistently, you could save tens of hours in the long run.
33. 1 password.
1password is a bit different than the other gmail tools on this list. It’s not meant to make your gmail experience more efficient or add new features to your overall gmail experience, but it will make your life easier if you log into gmail regularly or forget your new passwords every time you reset them.
is a comprehensive password management tool designed to keep all of your account logins in one place, so they can stay secure without requiring you to manually manage dozens of credentials.
34. detective by charlie.
detective by charlie bills itself as the “intelligence platform for sellers”. within gmail, you can use it to automatically research your incoming prospects.
for example, as a sales rep, every time you receive a new email from a record on the website, you can quickly look up information about the person who sent the message, analyze where they work, how they use social media, and other information .
chrome extensions like gmail tools
then there are chrome extensions that work like gmail tools. Assuming you use chrome as your main browser, you should be familiar with extensions: they are (usually) small applications or pieces of code designed to serve a specific purpose.
Some of these extensions are designed specifically for gmail (or, as usual, email platforms in general), while others provide functionality that coincidentally enhances the average user’s email experience. we have a full list of chrome productivity extensions that you can check out.
In any case, I recommend that you try these extensions to improve your productivity and your overall experience with gmail:
35. bit bounce.
Like many of the gmail tools on this list, bitbounce is free and ridiculously easy to use. With it, you’ll connect your existing gmail account, and every time someone you don’t know tries to email you, you’ll have to pay them a small fee.
Your existing contacts will never see the autoresponder message, and people who refuse to pay will never reach your inbox.
You will receive less spam and unknown emails or get paid for the trouble of receiving them.
36. send from gmail.
send from gmail is a service that makes gmail your default email app in chrome. every time you click on an email address on a website, it will automatically open a compose window for gmail. It’s a simple addition, but one that will save you the hassle of manually opening a gmail window.
37. actions.
actions for gmail aren’t as useful as they used to be, but their icons may still be preferable to the ones available by default in gmail. this extension will present you with little buttons next to each email in your inbox so you can take action in the most convenient way possible. mark, delete, archive, and snooze are all options here.
38. flow crypt.
you may have heard of flowcrypt before, when it was called cryptup. As the name suggests, this gmail extension is all about encrypting the emails you send, so you can be sure they reach their recipients safely.
You can choose between a traditional compose window and a secure compose window when composing a new email, and rely on pgp encryption when sending a secure compose email.
39. rename email.
Do you ever get frustrated when you receive emails with subject lines that don’t make sense? now you can manually adjust them to better reflect your content. renaming email allows you to, well, rename your emails to whatever you want. is ideal for the organization-obsessed email sender who just wants things to be named appropriately.
40. clearbit connection.
from clearbit, there’s clearbit connect, an extension that uses clearbit’s data collection and management technology to give you more information about the people you’re messaging with.
Ideal for marketers and entrepreneurs looking for quick data on their top leads, without having to leave gmail to log into a separate crm platform or search window.
41. I just don’t feel it.
Small trends in your speech patterns can have a huge effect on how others perceive you in a professional setting. If you frequently use words that undermine your thoughts, like “I think,” “I’m sorry,” or “I’m not an expert,” you can weaken your credibility over time.
just not sorry is a gmail extension that automatically detects and highlights these phrases, so you can view and edit them before sending the email.
42. send us an inbox when you’re ready.
A common theme on this list is managing your incoming emails to minimize interruptions during the workday, and the When Ready Inbox is another gmail extension that gives you that functionality.
when enabled, your inbox will be hidden and you can set limits to check your inbox a specified number of times per day; that way, you can better understand how often you check your inbox and reduce your reflexive impulse to check for new messages.
43. batch response.
If you’ve ever come across multiple emails from employees or customers asking the same question, you’ll immediately understand the value of batch responding.
As the name suggests, batch reply allows you to open multiple emails and reply to all of them with a single reply. saves you the effort of retyping or copying and pasting your answer; just make sure the tone and wording of your message is appropriate for everyone on your list.
44. ginger.
ginger is one of the few gmail grammar and spell check tools on this list. it’s true that gmail has a built-in spell checker, but it’s not exactly complete.
With ginger, you’ll get automatic notifications when something you’ve typed is “wrong” in one way or another, and some predictive suggestions on how you might fix the mistake.
45. mailbox.
Like some of the other items on this list, the dropbox chrome extension is only really useful if you’re already using dropbox as your preferred platform for file storage and sharing.
if you’re jealous of google drive’s built-in features to make it easy to attach stored files, this extension is right for you: it allows you to seamlessly share and attach your dropbox files within gmail (and any other email platform). email you can use). use).
46. rocket.
Earlier in this list, I referenced the many built-in keyboard shortcuts in Gmail and the ability to create your own. they all have tremendous potential to save you time, but only if you can learn them, and no one has the time to sit down and memorize them.
keyrocket helps you by giving you a prompt every time you perform an action that could have been simplified with a keyboard shortcut, so you can learn those shortcuts faster and more conveniently.
47. mail track.
When you install mailtrack, you’ll be able to track when your emails are received or opened, which is great for sales people or business owners who want to know if their messages are received or opened by potential customers.
a simple system of green checkmarks will let you know which emails meet which criteria. just make sure you use the professional version, as the free version will notify your recipients that the email was sent with mailtrack.
48. simple gmail notes.
I was hesitant to include simple gmail notes in this list, since gmail has a built-in notes app, but everyone has different preferences on how to write and retrieve notes, and this extension might suit your needs better. give it a try if you’re looking for something different.
49. greeting.
hellosign is perfect if you find yourself sending or receiving documents that require signatures on a regular basis. with it, you can preview and fill out documents that require information from you, and sign and initial where appropriate.
simplifies the signing process and keeps your signatures secure.
50. linkedin sales browser.
The gmail tool formerly known as rapportive has evolved into the linkedin sales navigator, a tool designed to help you find more information about your sales prospects (or avoid the embarrassment of forgetting key details about your customers) .
When enabled, you’ll automatically see LinkedIn information about the person you email and get profile previews when you hover over each contact’s name. Make sure you don’t miss our detailed overview of linkedin sales navigator vs linkedin premium and our guide on how to use linkedin sales navigator.
51. dignify.
digify gives you more control over the attachments you send through gmail (see our post on gmail attachment size limit). For starters, you can get notifications when someone receives or opens your attachment, which is great if you’re sending quotes or offers.
You can also set a timer so your attachments will self-destruct after a set amount of time, which is useful for documents that expire, and you can revoke some attachments entirely.
52. tracking.cc.
Like mailtrack, followup.cc allows you to be notified when your email is received or opened, but it comes with a few extra features.
With it, you can get notified when an email you’ve sent doesn’t get a response within a specified time period, and you can even schedule automatic follow-ups if you don’t get a response within a few days.
53. checker plus.
checker plus is best used for people who have to manage multiple gmail accounts. once you’ve enabled it, you can take advantage of color-coded desktop notifications, so you get push notifications across all your accounts without getting confused about which emails are associated with which accounts.
It’s a good way to monitor all your communication throughout the day, especially if you always have a chrome window open.
54. pixel block.
If you’re tired of people tracking whether you received or read an email, it’s time to start using pixelblock. With this chrome extension, you’ll get an automatic notification whenever someone tries to track an action you take within gmail.
by default, it will automatically block these attempts so no one knows when you’ve read your email. Note that extensions like these exist if you plan to keep track of read receipts with an app like mailtrack.
55. crossed out, etc.
sorry the strikethrough etc. was made for people who weren’t happy with the amount of style in their current emails.
As a chrome extension, it allows you to use formatting and text options that are otherwise unavailable, such as using micro caps, backwards text, and, unsurprisingly, strikethroughs.
Best for use in casual settings, but can also help you flag important emails.
56. discover.
If you frequently email people you don’t know very well (or complete strangers as potential customers), you should try using discovery. When you’re composing an email to someone, you can use this chrome extension to learn their name, employer, and other information automatically pulled from social media.
doesn’t work worldwide as it’s based on public information, but it can be a useful tool in your arsenal.
57. grammatically.
grammarly has become the leading name in the field of grammar checking tools for a reason. your chrome extension will constantly monitor what you type, so it can alert you when one of your email drafts contains a misspelling or sentence structure that doesn’t make sense.
again, gmail has a built-in spell checker, but it’s not comprehensive, so if you want an extra set of digital eyes to check your work before you send it, this is the tool for you.
58. automatic text expander.
Not everyone will benefit from gmail’s auto-expand text tool, but for some gmail users, it will be a boon. with it, you can program a set of pre-made text snippets and corresponding keystrokes so that you can access those snippets quickly.
for example, you can set a frequently used paragraph to appear every time you type a single word or string of characters, so you don’t have to type it (or search for it, copy it, and paste it) every time. you need it. just be careful not to use it so much that people notice its repetitiveness.
If you try just one of these gmail tools each week, it will take you over a year to go through them all. And by then, there will probably be even more gmail tools, apps, extensions, and plugins to try.
If you experiment freely and keep the ones that work, you will have the power to multiply your productivity many times over and enjoy the process. make sure you don’t miss out on these g suite plugins!
It all starts with a better understanding of how you’re using gmail: how many emails you send, how you spend your time in gmail, and how productive you are, in general.
Once you have a solid measure of how you’re improving, you can wisely decide which tools to keep. Be sure to also check out our great post on gmail tips to boost your productivity!
To get that metric, start by enlisting the help of emailanalytics. With it, you’ll learn dozens of metrics about your (and your team’s) email habits, so you can spend your time in Gmail more efficiently, communicate more effectively, and ultimately get more done. start your free trial today!