Some Handy Gmail Options You Might Be Missing

Gmail users, have you ever clicked "send" too soon and wished you could get your email message back? Do you find yourself writing the same basic email message many times throughout a day or week? If you're answer is "yes" to either of these questions then you should check out the "Labs" section in your Gmail settings.

In the "Labs" section of your Gmail (including mail managed as part of a Google Apps for Education domain) you will find more than a dozen features that you can enable. "Undo Send" is a Labs setting that will allow you to undo the sending of a message for up to 30 seconds after it has been sent. This Slate article has detailed directions for using Undo Send. "Canned Responses" is a Labs setting that allows you to save and send messages that you commonly use. You might use Canned Responses if you often send emails to students about office hours or you often respond to questions about assignment deadlines.

Some of the other Gmail Labs options worth trying are a calendar gadget, maps preview, and smart labels.

Before you fall in too deeply in love with any of the Gmail Labs features, remember that these are experimental features that could be removed by Google at any time.

The screenshots below show you how to enable Gmail Labs (click the images to enlarge them).

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Step 2: