How to Create and Use Email Templates in Gmail

If you regularly send similar emails — appointment confirmations, project status updates, standard enquiry responses, or meeting follow-ups — typing the same text repeatedly wastes a significant amount of time. Gmail’s Templates feature (formerly called Canned Responses) lets you save complete email drafts as reusable templates that you can insert into any new message with a few clicks. Once set up, a response that normally takes five minutes to write can be sent in under ten seconds.

Enabling Templates in Gmail Settings

Gmail’s Templates feature is disabled by default. You need to enable it once before you can create or use any templates:

1. Open Gmail in your web browser.
2. Click the gear icon in the top-right corner and select See all settings.
3. Navigate to the Advanced tab.
4. Find Templates and select Enable.
5. Scroll down and click Save Changes.

Gmail will reload. The Templates option is now available in the compose window.

Creating Your First Template

To save an email as a template:

1. Click Compose to open a new email window.
2. Type the full email content that you want to reuse. Include the subject line if you want it saved as part of the template.
3. Click the three-dot menu (More options) at the bottom-right of the compose window.
4. Hover over Templates.
5. Hover over Save draft as template.
6. Click Save as new template.
7. Enter a descriptive name for the template (e.g., “Meeting Confirmation” or “Project Status Update”).
8. Click Save.

Your template is now stored in your Gmail account and available for use in any future email.

Inserting a Template Into a New Email

To use a saved template:

1. Click Compose to start a new email (or click Reply on an existing email).
2. Click the three-dot menu at the bottom-right of the compose window.
3. Hover over Templates.
4. Under Insert template, click the name of the template you want to use.

The template content is immediately inserted into the email body. If the template included a subject line, it replaces the current subject. You can then customise the text — add the recipient’s name, adjust dates, or modify details — before sending.

Updating an Existing Template

If your standard response needs to change (for example, updated pricing, a new team contact, or revised instructions), you can overwrite an existing template:

1. Click Compose and insert the existing template.
2. Edit the content as needed.
3. Click the three-dot menu > Templates > Save draft as template.
4. Select the existing template name from the list (instead of clicking “Save as new template”).
5. Confirm that you want to overwrite the template.

The template is updated with the new content. All future insertions will use the revised version.

Deleting a Template You No Longer Need

To remove a saved template:

1. Click Compose to open a new email window.
2. Click the three-dot menu > Templates > Delete template.
3. Click the name of the template you want to delete.
4. Confirm the deletion.

Deleted templates cannot be recovered, so ensure you no longer need the template before removing it.

Practical Template Ideas for Everyday Use

The most effective templates are ones you would otherwise type at least several times per week. Here are practical examples:

• Meeting confirmation: “Hi [Name], this is to confirm our meeting on [Date] at [Time]. Please let me know if you need to reschedule.”
• Out-of-office acknowledgement: “Thank you for your email. I am currently out of the office and will respond by [Date].”
• Quotation follow-up: “Hi [Name], I wanted to follow up on the quotation I sent on [Date]. Please let me know if you have any questions.”
• Application acknowledgement: “Thank you for your application. We have received your submission and will be in touch within [Timeframe].”
• Standard information request response: “Thank you for reaching out. Here is the information you requested: [Details].”
• Project status update: A structured email with sections for completed tasks, in-progress items, and next steps.

Leave placeholder text like [Name] or [Date] in your templates as reminders to personalise the email before sending.

Limitations to Be Aware Of

• Gmail allows a maximum of 50 templates per account.
• Templates are stored per Gmail account, not per browser or device. They are available wherever you access your Gmail on the web.
• Templates are not available in the Gmail mobile app. You can only create and insert templates using Gmail in a desktop web browser.
• Templates save the email body and subject line, but they do not save recipients (To, CC, BCC). You need to add recipients manually each time.
• Rich formatting, links, and inline images are preserved within templates.

Using Templates with Filters for Automatic Responses

For advanced users, Gmail templates can be combined with Gmail filters to send automatic replies. This is useful for scenarios where you want to acknowledge receipt of specific types of emails automatically:

1. Create a template with your standard acknowledgement message.
2. Go to Settings > Filters and Blocked Addresses > Create a new filter.
3. Define the filter criteria (e.g., emails with a specific subject or from a specific sender).
4. In the filter actions, select Send template and choose the relevant template.

This combination is particularly useful for small businesses that receive a high volume of enquiries and need to send immediate acknowledgements. However, use this feature carefully to avoid sending automated replies to emails that require a personal response.