This email setting on Gmail could save you from a lot of embarrassment, here’s how to turn it on

Do you quickly shoot off emails to your friends, colleagues as soon as you think of a response or at the spur of the moment only to regret it a little later? Enabling this hidden Google setting could save you a lot of hassle, embarrassment and bother – here’s how to turn it on.

Sending emails on impulse can lead to problems and therefore, users should have this Gmail setting enabled.

Gmail is one of the most widely used free email services in the world. Not just for individuals, Google also offers its email services to companies as part of its Google Workspace service. With a range of features, the Gmail service is loaded with options from email filters to Confidential Mode. However, there is a hidden feature in Gmail, that can save many users from an embarrassing conversation with a boss, colleague, friend or family member. This feature is called Undo Send, available for all Gmail users on both the desktop and on smartphones.

Sending an email in the heat of the moment is something that many users have done, only to regret hitting the send button a moment later. Sometimes, you might spot a typo you missed in the job application email you were sending out, which could definitely leave a bad first impression. Thankfully, Gmail lets you avoid situations like these, but you will have to change one of your email settings.

If you want to quickly “kill” an email sent from Gmail even after you have hit the send button, Google already allows users a five-second grace period before the email is sent to the sender. However, some users may take more time to spot the undo button, while others might not have enough time to review their changes to the email. The solution? Increasing the timer to give you more time to “Undo Sending” an email.

To make the change to increase the undo send timer, follow these steps on a desktop or laptop computer.

Step 1) Click the gear icon at the top of your Gmail inbox, then click on “See all settings”.

Step 2) Now look for the General tab, then look for the ‘Undo Send' setting. Choose the appropriate timer from this list. Either 20 or 30 seconds should be more than enough.

Step 3) Don't forget to hit the Save Changes button, to make sure the new settings are applied.

Step 4) Now send a test email to confirm whether the ‘Undo Send' button is visible for the new timer you set.