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Make Your Email More Efficient With Gmail Templates

Type less, send faster

By Heinz Tschabitscher Heinz Tschabitscher Writer University of Vienna A former freelance contributor who has reviewed hundreds of email programs and services since 1997. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on December 30, 2020 Reviewed by Christine Baker Reviewed by Christine Baker Christine Baker is a marketing consultant with experience working for a variety of clients. Her expertise includes social media, web development, and graphic design. lifewire's editorial guidelines Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email

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Expand Jump to a Section Step-by-Step: Enable Canned Responses Step-by-Step: Save a Message as a Template Step-by-Step: Use a Message Template Step-by-Step: Edit a Message Template Email templates let you type less and send faster. Ultimately, they can make you more efficient when composing messages. Gmail templates contain canned responses you can quickly insert into any email to fill out all the details you'd otherwise spend time writing with each new message. Here's how to use them.

How to Enable Canned Responses in Gmail

Before you can start using templates, enable them in Gmail, which you can do by using the Canned Response feature. You can jump straight to Step 4 by going directly to your Gmail Advanced (Labs) page. Click the Settings gear in the Gmail toolbar, it's located just below your image. Select Settings. Go to the Advanced tab (this used to be called Labs). Go to the Canned Responses section and select Enable. Select Save Changes.

How to Save a Message as a Gmail Template

While Gmail provides some pre-made templates, you can create and customize your own as well. Here's how to save an email for future use as a template in Gmail. Compose your template message in Gmail. Leave the signature in place if you want it to appear in the template. You can leave the Subject and To fields empty since they are not saved. Select More options (the three dots next to the Discard draft button in the lower-right corner of the email). Select Canned responses, then choose New canned response. Enter a descriptive name for your new template. It's also used as the subject of the message (though you can always change the subject once you've inserted the template). Select OK to save the Gmail template.

How to Create a New Message or Reply Using a Gmail Template

Once you create your template, here's how to use it as a canned response or reply in Gmail. Start a new message or reply, then select More options. Choose Canned responses. In the Insert section, select the desired template to immediately import that template into the message. Remember to fill out the To and Subject fields. Gmail won't overwrite any existing text unless you highlight it before inserting the template. For example, you could type something manually and then insert a template message to include it after your custom text. You can also have Gmail send the canned replies for you. See How to Auto Reply in Gmail for more information.

How to Edit a Message Template in Gmail

You might need to change your Gmail template at some point. Press Compose to start a new email message, then go to More options > Canned Responses. In the Insert section, choose the template you want to change and import it into your email message. Make the desired changes to the template. Select More options > Canned responses, choose the template you altered, then select Save. In the Confirm overwrite canned response dialog box, select OK. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire How to Save and Use Messages as Templates in Apple Mail How to Plan and Create WordPerfect Templates Create and Use Email Templates in Outlook Set Up an Out-of-Office Vacation Response in Gmail How to Auto Reply in Gmail How to Send Email to Undisclosed Recipients From Gmail Using Rich HTML in an Outlook.com Signature How to Insert a Link Into an Email With Outlook Block a Sender and Let Them Know You Did in Gmail How to Get Alerts for New Replies in a Thread with iOS Mail How to Schedule an Email in Gmail How to Set up an Email Signature in GoDaddy Webmail How to Forward an Email as an Attachment in Outlook How to Send Email From a PHP Script How to Set up Your Hotmail Signature in Outlook.com How to Send iPhone Mail From a Different Account Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies