5 Cool Gmail Labs Features You Should Try

Gmail Labs is Gmail's playground of new features that you can use as long as you have an account. However, be aware that these experimental features may "change, break, or disappear at any time." So far, there were no reported incidents of any off these features causing major disasters on its users. But just in case you may encounter some problems while making use of the Labs features, simply visit this link so that you can turn them all off.

So first things first, you need to enable the Gmail Lab Features setting before you can get to experience some, if not most, of the great features it can give -- which we will be discussing a little further down below.

To start off, sign in to your Google or Gmail account, then go to the gear icon found at the upper-right hand corner of the page, and then select Settings. Click on the Labs tab among the menus on top. Now scroll down or search for the feature you would like to enable, then click the Save changes button button either at the very top or the very bottom of the list. So now you know where to find the Gmail Labs features and how to enable them, below are five top features that we recommend you should try:

1. Take Back a Message That You Have Accidentally Sent

By default, you have a 10-second window of opportunity to take back the action before the message will be actually sent. Now, you have an option to increase the window time to 30 seconds. In order for you to do this, you need to enable the Undo Send feature in Gmail Labs. From there, you can customize the message sending cancellation period to 30 seconds by going to the General tab in the settings, and then scrolling down to the Undo Send entry.

So how do you actually take back the message you sent? Right after you press the Send button, you will see an Undo link within a yellow box that will appear at the top of your inbox. Click it in time, and your message will not be sent. Gmail will reopen it as draft so you can get to fix your email. Gmail cannot (or at least does not) retrieve messages from a recipient's inbox once they're delivered but still unread, the way some email systems can do.

2. Find Out Your Unread Messages Count

With the official name of "Unread message icon," this feature appears overlaid on the Gmail logo on your browser's tab when enabled. Gmail makes it a habit to show you the number of unread messages in your inbox, as long as your Gmail page is loaded to the inbox view, and there is enough space on your tabs for the numbers to appear inside the parenthesis.

3. Preview Your Google Calendar Even While You're in the Mail View

Another awesome Gmail Labs feature removes the hassle of having to navigate to another tab to check your Google Calendar before replying to your email about your availability (for example, a meeting) -- this is the Google Calendar gadget.

The feature adds a mini calendar and scrollable list of appointments starting with the current day. Once you enable this feature, you will find your mini calendar on the left panel of your Gmail screen, where you have your folders, Gmail chat contacts, etc. If in case you're having problems seeing it, your left panel list may probably be too long. Simply click on the three dots found at the very bottom, and your Google Calendar gadget should appear.

4. Preview Messages

Now, Gmail Labs has also implemented the Preview Pane feature, just how it works in Microsoft Outlook, Mozilla Thunderbird, or your other email client. It's cleverly designed because you can easily toggle the preview mode on and off. Another good design on this feature is that it doesn't automatically preview a message if you haven't selected one yet, which could have caused that message to be marked as read.

5. Find Out Who's Using Google Chat on Android

If you enable this particular Gmail Labs feature, your chat friends who are signed in to Google via their Android mobile devices will be indicated with an Android robot icon, instead of the colored dot of Gmail or Google +. This way, you'll have a clearer idea why your friend, relative, or colleague is somehow ignoring your chat messages.

Which of these Gmail Labs features would you like to choose. Don't worry, there are more features you can choose from if you go visit the Labs tab of your Gmail or Google + account. You'll definitely want to enable a feature or two, which will certainly make your Gmail or Google + experience more enjoyable.