7 Best Chrome Extensions for Managing Gmail

Google Chrome has an extension to help users do almost anything. From checking website security to exchanging all news photographs of the current president for pics of adorable kittens, you can make your browser perform some seriously cute tricks. But for those of us looking to supercharge our productivity, what are the best Chrome extensions?

Tons of extensions exist to help you improve your productivity by keeping your Gmail under control. You can send out batch replies, schedule emails for sending when you’re not online and collaborate effortlessly with team members. You even can password protect email exchanges for added security. Here are seven of the best Gmail extensions for Chrome to help you effortlessly manage workplace information exchanges.

1. Checker Plus

If you’re at all like me, resisting the urge to check notifications whenever you hear a ding, like a dog in a Pavlovian experiment, proves difficult if not impossible. Take the temptation away with the Checker Plus Chrome extension. This extension empowers you to receive notifications at specified times when you want to receive them; at other times, the app mutes the distracting alerts.

Typing speed not up to snuff? The extension has a talk-to-text function to allow you to compose emails without ever laying a finger on the keyboard until you’re ready to hit send. This alone makes Checker Plus one of the best Chrome extensions.

2. Dropbox

Sure, you can collaborate via Gmail, but who has time to scroll through endless email threads to find all the project 411 you need? Make working with others easier and more secure with the Dropbox extension for Chrome. This extension allows you to share documents securely, edit them and track changes.

In order for the extension to work properly, make sure you update to the latest version of Chrome first. This also helps keep your information safe.

3. Send From Gmail

If you use multiple email addresses, your correspondence can appear sketchy. Make sure your email’s default to your Gmail address with this extension. If you need to share web pages with team members after hours, this extension makes sure they know who is sending the correspondence for security reasons. Plus, the app provides them with a verified link user can feel safe clicking upon.

4. Batch Reply

Do you send multiple emails from team members daily? Sure, you can CC or BCC them all via Windows Mail, but doing so means adding individual addresses or making sure everyone in a specific user group needs to receive the correspondence. Make responding quicker and easier with the Batch Reply extension.

Send something in haste you need to take back? This extension allows you to do this as well, making it one of the handiest Gmail extensions for Chrome.

5. Boomerang

If you need to know when your team members open an email you sent, the Boomerang extension can help. This extension tracks email, allows staff to automatically send read receipts when correspondence is reviewed and allows you to schedule batch emails to send at specified intervals.

Because the extension uses Google’s official OpenID/OAuth systems, there’s no need to enter your Gmail password. However, should this rather weighty extension slow things down, you may need to enter Chrome’s task manager to disable it and re-enable it when needed.

6. FlowCrypt

One of the biggest gripes with Gmail is the lack of ability to encrypt email messages. The FlowCrypt extension allows users to do exactly that. Need to further protect secure information? This handy extension allows users to password-protect confidential correspondence, keeping proprietary trade secrets under wraps (as long as the recipient doesn’t spill the beans).

7. Giphy

Finally, why send a boring, text-only email when you can spice life up with fun GIFs? While not necessarily appropriate for all client correspondence, you can liven up interoffice memos and bring a smile to people’s face with hilarious moving images. Who says work can’t be playful sometimes?

Improve Productivity With the Best Chrome Extensions

Now that you know some of the best extensions for managing email, all you need to do it head to the Chrome store. You’ll be managing your email more productively in no time. Go on with your supersonic speedy self!