If you’re looking to get the most out of Gmail, you’ve come to the right place.
We take great pride in our list of the best Chrome extensions, and try to update it regularly. There are more than a few Gmail-related extensions to be found there, but they’re not all there – and there is no way to filter to only Gmail-specific plugins. This list is an attempt to remedy that.
Some of these extensions I use; some I hear about constantly from friends and colleagues. Everyone’s workflow is different, so not every extension will work for everyone. If you love Gmail, however, at least one of these tools is bound to make you happy.
Rapportive: Connect With Your Contacts
Email is, of course, only one way of connecting with people online. It makes sense, then, to integrate social networking sites with your email – if it’s done properly. Google knows this, so they integrated a single social network with Gmail – Google Plus.
If you need to connect with people who don’t work with Google, however, Rapportive is here. This browser extension shows you the social profiles – and recent activity – of anyone you’re communicating with online. It even gives you a quick way to connect with the people you’re contacting, if that’s something you’re interested in.
There’s a distinct chance this plugin could become terrible someday – it was recently acquired by LinkedIn. For now, however, it’s a pretty great Gmail extension for Chrome. Read more about Rapportive for Chrome (and know it works for several other browsers).
Boomerang: Schedule Emails For Future Reading
Email is overwhelming, and most of it involves people wanting you to do something. If you like to keep your inbox clean – and have a message you need to deal with at some point in the future – the aptly named Boomerang for Gmail is probably right for you. Thrown an email away only for it to come back to you later.
It’s particularly useful if you’re an Inbox Zero practitioner, but I think anyone can come up with a use for this one. Read more about Boomerang for Gmail
Use Gmail While Offline
Sometimes you’re simply not online. Many occasionally use third party email clients alongside Gmail for just this reason, but it’s not really necessary. If you’re a Chrome user you can use Gmail offline from within the browser – you simply need the appropriate Chrome app.
This simple, official Chrome app downloads as much of your email as you like. You won’t get the full Gmail experience – the interface is quite different. But you can read and respond to emails, knowing everything will be synced the next time you connect to the web. Read more about Offline Gmail.
WiseStamp: Create Fancier Signatures
Gmail, like most email clients, allows you to set a signature – but it’s boring. At least, that’s how many Gmail users feel, which is why WiseStamp exists. This Chrome extension allows you to easily add images, social networking icons and much more to your Gmail signature.
If you really want to spice up your email signatures this is not an extension to miss. Read more about WiseStamp.
Attachments.me: Explore Your Attachments Like A Pro
Gmail’s built-in search is great…if you’re searching for something within an actual email. If you’re trying to find text within a particular attachment you’d better remember the file name.
Unless, of course, you’ve installed Attachments.me. This extension adds all kind of extension-specific features to Gmail, including a better way to search:
If you struggle to keep track of attachments, this is not an extension to miss. Read more about Attachments.me.
Any.Do: A Better To-Do List
Find the default tasks service in Gmail too limited? You’re not alone. Luckily for you, popular alternative Any.Do is now available for Chrome.
Okay, so this isn’t strictly-speaking a Gmail extension. It is, however, a replacement for a part of Gmail many find lacking – and as such worth mentioning here.
Gmelius: Make Gmail Minimalist
Love Gmail, but wish you could remove certain features from it? Gemlius lets you do just that.
The extension is basically a series of checkboxes you can turn off to remove particular Gmail features. It also allows you to remove formatting from incoming emails, and adds attachment icons to your inbox. This one is worth exploring if you’re the kind of person who loves to tweak – and because you’re reading this article, I’m fairly certain you are. Read more about Gmelius.
Anything Else?
Try as I might, I could never compile a complete list of the great Gmail plugins for Chrome. With our powers combined, however, this should be perfectly possible. So I ask you: which awesome Gmail extensions for Chrome did I miss? Point them out in the comments below, and together we can make this a real collection of the best Gmail plugins for Chrome.
Don’t like installing extensions? Check out Gmail’s Labs instead. It’s a collection of advanced features you can add to Gmail without any extensions.
The post What Are The Best Gmail Plugins For Chrome? appeared first on MakeUseOf.
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