Need to check your inbox or organize your emails but don't have access to a network connection? Don't worry; Gmail has an Offline Mode designed especially for such situations that can help you out. This mode lets you check your inbox, read emails, and even draft replies without needing to connect to the internet. All you need to do is to enable it using a desktop web browser to start using it.

What is Gmail Offline Mode? As the name indicates, Gmail Offline Mode lets you access your emails without requiring an active network connection. You can not only read your emails but even search for specific messages and open attachments since this mode syncs recent emails even without a network connection. Besides this, you can compose emails offline, which are stored in the Outbox folder and sent to the recipients when your device reconnects to a network.

Gmail Offline Mode can be very useful when you experience sudden network outages, work in an area with unstable internet, or when you are traveling. Keep in mind that Gmail Offline Mode only works in a regular Chrome browser window. This means you won't be able to use it in Incognito Mode or any other browser.

  1. Go to Gmail in Chrome and log in to your Google account.
  2. Once you are signed in, click on the gear icon at the top to access the settings.
  1. Then tap on the 'See all settings' button.
  1. By default, the 'General' tab will be selected. Click on 'Offline' under it to see all related settings.
  1. Then click on the 'Enable offline mail' checkbox to enable it.
  1. Now, you can choose the number of days for which Gmail will store emails offline on your computer by clicking the dropdown on the right of the 'Sync settings' option.
  1. Gmail will also show you the amount of storage it will consume when storing emails offline on your computer. You can choose to keep offline data on your computer or remove it by clicking on the respective option before clicking on the 'Save changes' button.
  1. Finally, create a bookmark by going to your Gmail Inbox and using the Ctrl + D shortcut or clicking on the star icon on the right of the address bar. This will let you access Gmail quickly whenever you need to.
  1. To use Gmail Offline Mode, visit mail.google.com using Chrome when you are offline.
  2. A message will notify you that you are offline. You can now check your synced messages, organize emails, and compose emails that will be sent later when you reconnect to the network.

Things to know

  • After enabling Gmail Offline Mode, you can use Gmail in Chrome as you normally do. You can read messages, search for emails, and compose replies. Your composed messages will be delivered when you reconnect to the internet and Gmail will notify you when you compose messages while being offline.
  • When searching for emails, keep in mind that Gmail will only sync messages for the number of days you have selected earlier. This can be seven, 30, or 90 days. To search for older emails, you will have to reconnect to the network.
  • Additionally, if emails with attachments were synced successfully, you will be able to view them offline. On the other hand, if you want to view new attachments, you will have to wait until you can connect to the internet again.
  • You can also perform other actions, like archiving conversations, moving emails across various folders, and deleting messages when using Gmail Offline Mode. However, changes will only take effect when you reconnect to the network next time.