Gmail's powerful functions in-depth mining: clever use of integrated applications to improve efficiency

Gmail is not just a tool for sending and receiving emails, it also integrates many Google apps, allowing you to quickly access calendars, to-dos, documents, and notes within the Gmail interface, significantly improving efficiency. Here are some details on how to make the most of these integrated applications.

Google Chat and Google Meet

You can open both Google Chat and Google Meet directly in the web version of Gmail interface. The method is: click the gear icon in the upper right corner, select "View all settings", and then click "Chat and Meet". Next to "Chat" select "Google Chat" to display your text conversations, and next to "Meet" select "Show Meet section in the main menu" to view shortcut links to start and join video calls in your browser.

You can drag the top or bottom edges of the Chat and Meet panels in the left sidebar to resize them and arrange them as needed. It is also useful to place the most important contacts at the top of the list by clicking on the three dots next to the name and selecting "Top".

[Related Reading: How to Use the Latest Features of Google Meet]

Click on the contact to pop up the conversation window. If you click on the three dots in the upper right corner of the chat window, you can choose whether to save the chat history. If you choose to save, Gmail will archive the logs in your account. You can call it out in the All Mail view in your inbox and search for specific words and phrases.

Lastly, on the main Gmail interface, you will see a Google Chat status button in the upper right corner. By default, it displays "Active", telling your contacts you are online and available. Click this button to change your status and edit the notification settings for Chat in your browser.

Google Drive

Google Drive is integrated by default in Gmail, no additional settings are required. Hover your cursor over any email attachment and you will see the "Add to Drive" option, select it to save the file to your Google Drive account.

The integration of Google Drive also works in reverse. When composing an email, you can click the Google Drive icon to insert files directly from the cloud. This button now also appears in the Chat window, clicking it can send files directly from your Drive account to your contacts.

Google Tasks

You may see a sidebar icon on the right side of the web version of Gmail interface. If not, look for a small arrow button in the lower right corner of the screen and click it to display the sidebar.

Click the Tasks button (blue check mark) to view your to-do list. The drop-down menu next to My Tasks at the top allows you to switch between different lists, for example, you can create a shopping list, a chore list, and a work-related task list. In this menu, you can also click "Create New List" to set up a new list.

In the actual list, click "Add Task" to add a new entry to the list, or select one of the buttons to mark the task as completed and remove it. You can also click and drag tasks to change the order in which they are in the list. Click the three dots in the upper right corner to change how the list is sorted, renamed the list, and delete completed tasks.

You can also create tasks from emails. When opening a message on the screen, click the Add to Task button on the navigation bar above the subject line (it looks like a check mark inside a circle). This will create a new task in your list and include a link to that specific email. In the Tasks tool, you can add additional details such as date and time.

Google Calendar

Google Calendar is also displayed in the sidebar of Gmail. Like Google Tasks, just click the Google Calendar button to view it. By default, you will see upcoming events for the current date, but if you want to see the schedule for next week, for example, you can click on the date at the top and change the date you are viewing.

Open any event to see more details and make changes if needed. In the top three dot menu, you can switch to a more general overview of the schedule for the coming days and select which calendars appear in this Gmail sidebar.

When you receive emails about hotel accommodation, flights, shows, restaurant reservations and other similar events, Google automatically adds details to Google Calendar. If you don't want to do this, in the web version of Google Calendar, click the gear icon in the upper right corner, then click Settings and Events from Gmail, uncheck the "Show Gmail automatically created events in my calendar" box .

Google Keep

Google Keep appears in the sidebar of Gmail along with Google Tasks and Google Calendar. Click the Keep icon (the light bulb in the yellow square) to open your note list. At the top, you will see the option to search for an entry or add a new entry.

[Related readings: Seven applications and tools to help you organize your life]

The basic features of all Keep are included here, but you cannot access all features of the platform in Gmail. For example, you will not be able to change the color of the note or add a check box.

If you create a new Keep note in the sidebar when you open a specific email in Gmail, Google will automatically add a link to the email to the note. Whenever you open a linked email, the note will also appear again in the right panel.

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