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Turn a Gmail Message Into a Document

December 17th, 2008 @ 9:00 am

6 Comments

Categories: Documents, Time-Savers, Web Tools

Tags: Google Inc., Google Gmail, E-mail Providers, Cloud Computing, Internet, Rick Broida

gmail-create-document.jpgEver wish you could turn an e-mail into, say, a Word document without all the cutting and pasting (which invariably leads to formatting hassles)? A new Google Labs feature lets you do exactly that: The aptly named “Create a document” adds an eponymous link to Gmail, giving you a one-click method for turning any e-mail into a Google Docs document.

To use the feature, load up Gmail, click Settings, and then click the Gmail Labs tab. Scroll down until you find “Create a document” and enable it. Click Save Changes at the bottom and you’re good to go: When viewing a message, you’ll see the new option on the right side of page.

Boy, Google Labs just keeps cranking out the nifty new features, huh? It was just last week that we learned how to send text messages from Gmail, and a couple months back we got the option to add your Google Calendar to Gmail. That’s what I love about Gmail: It’s already awesome, but Google keeps making it awesomer. (Yeah, it’s a word! Go look it up.) [via The Official Gmail Blog]

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  •  
    1

    tdhawkins

    12/18/08 | Report as spam

    RE: Turn a Gmail Message Into a Document

    I don't see it within settings of my Gmail account. Granted, it's been a long day but I can't find the Google Labs tab to which you refer. Any suggestions or clarification?

  •  
    2

    tdhawkins

    12/18/08 | Report as spam

    RE: Turn a Gmail Message Into a Document

    I just went to the gmail blog and someone else asked the same thing. A respondent described where to look but we evidently don't have that view because nothing was as he described on the settings page. I don't have a Labs tab second from top right. Not sure why some are seeing things differently if we're all on Gmail.

  •  
    3

    BizHacksRick

    12/19/08 | Report as spam

    RE: Turn a Gmail Message Into a Document

    Hmmm....very strange. When I log into Gmail, there's a Settings link near the top-right corner of the screen. When I click that, I'm presented with tabs marked General, Accounts, Labels, Filters, etc. Labs is the the second-to-last tab, just to the left of Themes.

    Do some people really not have a Labs tab? If so, are you outside the U.S.? Wondering if that might have something to do with it.

  •  
    4

    tdhawkins

    12/19/08 | Report as spam

    RE: Turn a Gmail Message Into a Document

    Nope, in the U.S. My tabs withing settings show as General, Accounts, Labels, Filters, Forwarding and POP/IMAP, Chat and Web Clips. Nothing else and nothing referring to Labs anywhere on the page. Only thing I can guess, my Gmail says "beta" under the "I" and "L" of the word Gmail.

    Too bad cause I would've liked that feature.

  •  
    5

    BizHacksRick

    12/23/08 | Report as spam

    RE: Turn a Gmail Message Into a Document

    Try this link:
    https://mail.google.com/mail/?labs=1

    It should "restore" Labs to your Gmail settings. Let me know!

  •  
    6

    BizHacksRick

    12/23/08 | Report as spam

    RE: Turn a Gmail Message Into a Document

    Oh, btw, what browser are you using? Labs apparently doesn't work in all of them.

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