https all the way

Gmail lets you have a secure HTTPS session via https://gmail.google.com as well as its default SSL-enabled login page. Many other free webmails have non-SSL login as default and offer SSL login as an option and few offer HTTPS session. For more details see this page.

Selecting a sub-conversation out of a long, multi-person conversation.

Do you ever have a long, multi-person conversation, and you want to concentrate on a particular sub-conversation with one person? For example, let's say you emailed three of your buddies Ada, Bob, and Cat, with the subject "Job okay?" and asked them all "How's it going at your job?". They all replied back and now you've gotten into three separate sub-conversations all within the same Gmail conversation. There is an easy way to concentrate on your sub-conversation with, say, Ada. Simply do the following search (without the square brackets):
[ subject:"job okay" (from:ada OR to:ada) ]
(Note that the "OR" must be all caps to be recognized as a special operator.) Then when you click on the conversation, it will open up with only the matching messages expanded! =)

Here's more detail than you probably want to know: The "to:" operator finds stuff in the to/cc/bcc fields. If you also cc-ed or bcc-ed Ada in other messages that you don't want to match the search (e.g. your messages to Bob and Cat), then do the search:
[ subject:"job okay" (from:ada OR (to:ada -cc:ada -bcc:ada)) ]
The "-cc:ada" and "-bcc:ada" terms eliminate the possibility of matching on messages cc-ed or bcc-ed to Ada.

Changing the Subject line in a reply.

You can reply with a different subject. Just start a reply, and then find the "edit subject" link (between the recipients textarea and the message body textarea).

u for update

Keyboard shortcut 'u' takes you back to your list of conversations from Conversation View. When you're in the list of conversations 'u' will refresh the list, in effect checking for the new mails.

Transfer Hotmail mails to Gmail

Found in Orkut's Gmail Users community:
http://s89693428.onlinehome.us/blog/archives/000576.html

http://www.gmailforums.com

http://www.gmailforums.com is a web board about all things Gmail.

" - " Searches

Typing in "robin -robyn" in the search box will find mails mentioning robin but not those that mention robyn.

Search faster with operators

Instead clicking on 'Show search options', you can type queries in the search box at the top like

to:robin@gmail.com -- for the mails sent to robin@gmail.com,

from:robin -- for the mails from robin,

subject:gems -- for mails with 'gems' in subject, etc.

You can do any "Search Options" search, and then look in the green header bar above the conversation list for the line that says "Search results for: ...". The bold text in that line is what you should type into the regular search box to get the same results.

Lots of tips from Adam Lasnik

Check them out: http://www.bladam.com/archives/0404202120.htm

How To Import Contacts Into Gmail

There is a super-easy way to add your existing address book from your old email account (Yahoo, Mail, MSN, whatever) to your spiffy new Gmail contacts list. Here's what to do:

1. Email everyone on your list including yourself at your new Gmail address. Say something like: "I'm going to be switching email addresses to my new Gmail account. Expect an email from that account soon!"

2. Reply All to that email from your Gmail account. Tell everybody "This is my spiffy new Gmail account! Please email me at this address from now on."

Then everybody you emailed should be in your Gmail contacts.

BTW, importing/exporting contacts is one of the future promised features of Gmail.

Use + to separate mails

Gmail filters can separate mails sent to name+someword@gmail.com and
name+anotherword@gmail.com.

Two examples:
1.Give your Gmail address to Amazon and Ebay as name+amazon@gmail.com
and name+ebay@gmail.com respectively and filter the mails from Amazon
and Ebay.
2. Make special address like name+love+special+somebody@gmail.com for
that Special Somebody to write you.

In "Search Options" fields, you can use quotes, minus sign, OR, and parentheses.

For example, in the From: field, you can put any of the following:

1. "Jane Doe"
Meaning: contains the phrase "Jane Doe".

2. Jane -John
Meaning: contains Jane, and does not contain John.

3. Jane OR John
Meaning: contains Jane or John.

4. (Jane OR John) Doe
Meaning: contains Jane or John, and contains Doe.

Selecting Many Mails at Once

Suppose you have many mails to select (for say archiving them). In many web mail applications you will have to click on checkboxes one at a time repeatedly to select many mails. Not on Gmail. Select the first mail, press shift and select the last of the mails. All mails between the first and the last will be selected (just like in ordinary desktop applications).

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You will find tips and tricks of Gmail here. Got tips and tricks of your own? Submit your tips and tricks to us for inclusion on this blog. tips.and.tricks@gmail.com