Gmail was recently overhauled after a long period of around 14 years since its launch in 2004. Of all the notable features, the new and redesigned Gmail ticks all the boxes that make it an email client that the users have been anticipating for years. The Gmail now allows sending emails in Confidential Mode, snoozing email notifications, and sending Smart Replies based on the email context. However, one of the features that have now begun rolling out to the users is the Offline Mode that enables working without an active Internet connection.

The Gmail Offline Mode is currently available on Chrome desktop browser (version 61). While the service is now rolling out to most users, it could still take some time for some other users. Interestingly, Google allowed the users previously to work offline via a separate Google Chrome Offline app, however, the native support in the desktop version is a welcome move by the company. Not only the users will be able to create, view, and delete emails without Internet connectivity, they also can search through the entire pile of emails. All the activities that will be performed offline will be synchronised across all the devices once Internet connectivity is available.

How to enable Gmail Offline Mode?

Although Gmail Offline Mode is available on the desktop version, it is not activated by default. The users need to enable it in settings by clicking on the cogwheel icon on the top right corner. But before that, users should make sure they are using the new Gmail – which you can do by clicking on the Try New Gmail option. Now, the users need to click on Settings, head to the Offline tab at the extreme right and check the box to Enable Offline Mail.

As soon as the Offline Mail settings are enabled, Gmail will show the customisations for the service, along with the amount of storage it would use to offline save all the data locally on the PC. The users can customise the number of days they want the emails to be available offline. The users can also choose to either keep all the data locally stored on the PC or to discard it after logout. The G Suite users will have to ask their company administrators to turn this feature on.