If you've ever struggled to find specific emails in your Gmail inbox then Gmail's new search feature, which should make finding specific emails in a crowded inbox much less aggravating, is here to spark joy.
The Gmail tool, which Google calls "search chips," will let you taper down your inbox search and further refine your results. For example, when you search a certain contact's name, Google will provide a number of chips you can select to help locate the exact message you're trying to find.
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Previously, Gmail users could type in search filters by hand, like label:birthday party, has:attachment or from:partyplanners@gmail.com. But it's rather tedious to search this way and even I, a long-time Gmail user, find myself sifting through dozens of emails before typing those robotic controls.
At launch a number of search chip filters will be available to try out in your inbox. They'll let you narrow down your search by sender, time frame and whether or not the message includes an attachment. You can further specify the kind of attachment, too.
Search chips can also filter out specific kinds of messages, like those unwieldy calendar invitation updates or redundant Google Alerts.
Anyone who uses Gmail knows that the search system has needed improvement. In its announcement blog post (opens in new tab) Google said it listened to users and "heard that searching in Gmail could be faster and more intuitive."
The Gmail update with search chips is already starting to land in G Suite user inboxes, but could take up to 15 days to become visible.
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