Gmail templates
Gmail has its own templates feature, but it hides behind a setting, only works in Gmail on the web, and saves text that never changes. That's fine for one boilerplate paragraph. It falls apart when the reply needs a name, a date, or a link you just copied.
These eight templates are written for situations that come up because of the way Gmail works: long reply-all threads, introductions where someone needs moving to BCC, shared inboxes run through Google Groups, Meet links, and the follow-up Gmail nudges you to send. Each one has a short and a longer version.
Copy any template as plain text and paste it into Gmail's own Templates if you like. Or add it to Retext, type the trigger in Gmail, and fill in the blanks as it expands. The same trigger works in Slack, Mail and anywhere else you type on your Mac.
Installs every template with its trigger and fields. On the free plan Retext adds as many as your plan has room for.
The 8 templates
Each one has a primary version, at least two variants, and notes on when to use it.
Quick acknowledgement
;gm-ackHi [Name], Got it, thanks. I'll [Next step] and get back to you by [date in 2 days]. [Your name]
Moving you to BCC
;gm-bccThanks for the intro, [Introducer name]. Moving you to BCC to spare your inbox. Hi [New contact name], great to meet you…
Forward with context
;gm-fwdHi [Recipient name], Forwarding the thread below from [Original sender]. Short version: [One-line summary]. What I need…
Google Meet invite reply
;gm-meetHi [Name], Here's the link for our call on [Day and time]: [clipboard] It's a Google Meet link, so on a computer it open…
Gmail vacation responder
;gm-awayHi, Thanks for your email. I'm away until [Return date] and not checking Gmail. For anything urgent, contact [Backup con…
Group thread reply
;gm-groupHi all, Answering a few questions at once so this thread doesn't split: 1. [First question]: [First answer] 2. [Second q…
Shared inbox reply
;gm-inboxHi [Name], Thanks for writing to [Team address]. I'm [Your name], and I'll be looking after this from here, so you'll he…
Gentle nudge
;gm-nudgeHi [Name], Bumping this up in case it got buried. The one thing I need is [The ask]. If [Deadline] doesn't work any more…
Who this pack is for
People who live in Gmail or Google Workspace: founders answering a hello@ address, operations and support people working a Google Groups inbox, assistants scheduling Meet calls, and anyone who sends the same five replies a day and is tired of retyping them on their phone.
How the triggers are named
Every trigger starts with gm- and is followed by a short word for the job: ;gm-ack, ;gm-bcc, ;gm-meet. Short enough to type in a compose box without looking, and no trigger is the start of another, so nothing fires early.
How Gmail's built-in Templates work
Gmail's templates (once called canned responses) are off by default. Turn them on in Settings, See all settings, Advanced, Templates, then save. After that, write a draft, open the three-dot menu in the compose window, and choose Templates, Save draft as template. To use one, open the same menu and pick it.
A Gmail template is fixed text, inserted exactly as you saved it. There are no fill-ins, so every "[Name]" has to be found and replaced by hand, and dates go stale. Google only lets you turn on and use templates from Gmail on a computer: the Gmail apps for iPhone and Android can't insert them, and nothing outside Gmail can use them.
Where Gmail templates stop working
The limits show up fast once more than one person or one app is involved. A Gmail template can't be shared with a colleague, so a team that answers the same questions ends up with five slightly different versions. It can't be used in a Google Chat message, a help desk, LinkedIn or a support ticket. And because the text is fixed, a reply that should say "I'll get back to you by Thursday" either says the wrong day or says nothing useful.
Gmail's Smart Reply and Smart Compose suggestions are quick, but they're guesses about short phrases. They can't insert your booking link, the order number you just copied, or the way your team words a refund.
Using these templates with Retext
Click Add to Retext on any template, or Add all on this page, and the snippets install in the Mac app. In Gmail, type the trigger, for example ;gm-ack, and Retext asks for the fill-ins as it expands (one prompt per field), works out dates like "two days from today", drops in whatever is on your clipboard, and leaves your cursor where the personal part goes. Details that never change, like [Your name] or your team address, are in square brackets: replace them once after installing and you never type them again.
Because Retext types at the system level, the same snippet works in Gmail in Chrome, Safari or Arc, and in every other app on your Mac. Already have Gmail-style replies saved in TextExpander, Raycast or macOS text replacements? Retext imports them.
Keep one trigger, change the text per app
Per-app snippets let one trigger say different things in different places. Your ;gm-meet can paste a full email with dial-in notes in Gmail and a one-line link in Slack. Set the scope when you edit the snippet: everywhere, only in certain apps, or everywhere except a few.
Snippets that work everywhere
Type ;trigger in any Mac app, from Gmail and Outlook to Zendesk, Slack and your terminal.
How snippets workDynamic fields
Fill-ins ask for the name or order number when the snippet expands. Dates calculate themselves, {clipboard} drops in what you copied, and {cursor} puts you where the personal line goes.
See dynamic fieldsPer-app snippets
Keep one trigger with different text per app: a full signature in Mail, a one-liner in Slack, a formal reply in Outlook and a short one in Teams.
Set snippets per appQuestions
How do I turn on templates in Gmail?
On the web, open Settings, See all settings, then the Advanced tab, and enable Templates. Save changes at the bottom of the page. The Templates option then appears in the three-dot menu of every compose window.
Can I use Gmail templates in the Gmail app on my phone?
No. Gmail's templates only work in Gmail on the web. To use one of these on your phone, copy it as plain text from this page and paste it into the Gmail app.
Can Gmail templates include a name or date that changes?
Not on their own. A Gmail template is fixed text. Retext snippets have fill-ins that ask for a name as you type, and date fields such as {date+2} that always show the right date.
Can I share Gmail templates with my team?
Gmail doesn't share templates between accounts. You can send someone the text, but each copy then drifts. Retext Teams keeps one shared pack that every member gets, edited in one place.
Are these the same as Gmail canned responses?
Canned responses is the old name for Gmail's templates. Everything on this page can be pasted into Gmail's templates as plain text, or installed as a Retext snippet with fill-ins.
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Type ;gm-ack instead
Add this pack to Retext and every reply above is a short trigger away, in any app on your Mac.
Free to start. No account required on the Mac.