What Are Gmail Email Templates and Why To Use Them?
Whether you are a daily Gmail user or just learning how to use Gmail, you may or may not know that you can create email templates in Gmail. However, this helpful tool can save you time and make your email efforts much more efficient whether you use email templates for personal or professional purposes.
Gmail email templates are pre-formatted email drafts that you create within the Gmail web app. You can fill the body with information, images, or links, then save the template to use for future messages or replies. In fact, you can create up to 50 saved templates that you can access from any computer where you log in to your mail account.
Creating templates in Gmail is a good idea for a few different reasons. For starters, it allows you to easily send out canned responses to common questions you receive in your mail account. Furthermore, it lets you create a branded look and tone, which can be especially helpful if you use your mailbox for professional purposes.
And, most importantly, adding templates to Gmail allows you to set up automations to save you time in your email correspondence.
How To Create Templates In Gmail
Gmail allows you to create email templates in just a few steps. However, you may see them greyed out at first. So, before you can create them, you will need to first enable Gmail templates within the settings menu.
If you aren’t sure how to enable templates in Gmail, simply:
- Open your mail inbox on web.
- Click on Settings → See All Settings.
- From the choices at the top, select Advanced.
- Scroll down to Templates, and select Enable.
- Look for the button that says Save Changes at the bottom and click to save.
Once templates are enabled, setting them up is fairly easy. In fact, you basically create a message as usual, only you save it as a template at the end instead of just pressing send.
To create templates in Gmail through the web application, simply:
- Open your mailbox.
- Press Compose in the top left. This will open a window with a new message.
- Now, type what you’d like your template to say into the body of the email.
- At the bottom right, press More Options (the three dots next to Delete).
- From this menu, navigate to Templates → Save Draft As Template → Save As New Template.
- Now, you will be prompted to name your template. Enter the name in the text box and push Save.
💡 Note: Email templates are available only in Gmail on the web. Templates aren't available in Gmail mobile apps.
You can continue this process to create as many templates as you’d like. Similarly, you can save certain messages as templates as you compose them throughout the day. Once these drafts are created, they will save you time as you send out the same type of message again and again. Additionally, with a solution like Gmelius, Gmail templates can be easily shared with your team, ensuring consistent communication across your organization.
How To Use Templates In Gmail
Although it’s helpful to know how to save email templates in Gmail, they are only really handy if you continue to use them after you create them. Luckily, accessing your Gmail templates is almost as easy as creating them, to begin with.
To use the Gmail email templates you’ve previously created, simply:
- Open your mailbox and click Compose to start a new message.
- Go to the bottom and click More Options.
- Move to Templates and leave your cursor over it to access the templates menu.
- When the menu opens, look under Insert Template and choose the template you’d like to use for this message.
- The template you previously created will now appear in the body of your message.
- You can edit this template if needed, then press Send when it is ready to go.
💡 Note: Unfortunately, you cannot access templates you’ve created through the mobile app at this time. However, there are some third-party applications that will help you customize Gmail to send templates created in those platforms via your Gmail mobile app.
Furthermore, you can also utilize your Gmail templates to send automated email responses for certain messages you receive on a frequent basis. To do this, you simply need to set up a new Gmail filter and set it to Send Template based on the parameters you set.
This is just one of many Gmail tricks you can use to more efficiently manage your time and optimize your inbox.
How To Edit Templates In Gmail
Over time, you may have specific email templates for Gmail that need to be updated or revamped. You may also find that responses you used for a while are no longer necessary as certain circumstances change. Luckily, it’s not hard to edit or delete them anytime.
To edit or overwrite an existing Gmail email template, just:
- Open your mail account in the web browser.
- Select Compose, then do one of the following:
- Type a completely new message, or
- Navigate to More Options → Templates → Insert Template.
- Once you’ve either typed your new message or made edits to the already existing template, go to More Options → Templates → Save Draft As Template.
- Then, choose the template you want to overwrite from the menu.
Alternatively, if you want to delete a template completely, simply:
- Open Gmail and click Compose.
- Navigate to More Options → Templates → Delete Template.
- Find the template you want to delete and click on it.
- A menu will pop up asking you if you really want to delete the template. Press Delete.
💡 Note: Again, you can only access templates from the web application, not the mobile version.
Let Clean Email Optimize Your Gmail Inbox Even More
Utilizing templates is just one tool to help you in your journey of learning how to optimize Gmail. However, you won’t save time or energy with your email templates for Gmail if you aren’t also taking steps to clear out the clutter and keep your inbox organized.
Luckily for you, that’s where Clean Email comes in — it’s an email management tool that will help you make the most of your inbox.
For example, the Auto Clean feature will help you apply any action to any email in your mailbox without adding any additional work to your plate. All you have to do is check “Selected and future similar emails” anytime you perform a task within the app.
The more rules you create, the more Clean Email does for you automatically.
Similarly, the Unsubscriber tool helps you remove yourself from any newsletter or junk email lists so you can unclutter your Inbox. All you have to do is access Unsubscriber from the main left-side menu in the Clean Email app, then click Unsubscribe next to any identified addresses that may be spam or marketing messages.
These features, along with other options like Smart Folders, filtering, Privacy Guard, and more help you follow expert-recommended email management best practices so you don’t waste hours of your day sorting through your inbox.
Gmail templates - FAQs
What is an email template?
An email template is a pre-formatted email that you create. You can include text and images and use these to save time or ensure that all of your email correspondence matches a theme.
Can you create email templates in Gmail?
Yes, you can create Gmail email templates and save them for future use. You can do this through composing a new message, then saving it as a template.
Where do I find Gmail templates?
They are accessible in the More Options section of the email composition window.
Why are Gmail templates not showing?
Before you can create or use any Gmail email templates, you must first enable them in Gmail. You can do this from the Settings menu.
