the app’s recently revealed native offline mode — something that was announced as part of the new Gmail rollout but hadn’t actually been available until now.
The new offline mode is a huge step up from Gmail’s previous offline functionality. That setup worked only via a separate Chrome extension and used an awkwardly stripped-down mobile-like interface in place of the regular Gmail environment.
Gmail’s new offline mode, simply, “just works”: Once you’ve enabled it, all you have to do is open up the regular Gmail website, and you can then read through your recent messages and even compose new emails right then and there. Any messages you send will be stored in a new “Outbox” folder and then sent out as soon as you’re back online. Just as the case was so far.
For those times when you don’t have a reliable internet connection but still need to get some work done, you can access your email with native offline support, allowing you to search, compose, reply, delete and archive emails from the past 90 days, all without being connected to the internet. This new feature eliminates the need for a Chrome extension or other additional tool to access email while offline.
Get the new Gmail right now
First you need to see if the new Gmail is available for your account, which you can do by going to the gear icon in the top right corner of your Gmail page. There, you’ll see the option to “Try the new Gmail” — if it’s available.
If you have a G Suite account for work or school, meanwhile, administrators can enable the update via the Admin Console. Then users will have access to the “Try the new Gmail” option on their individual accounts. Right away, you’ll see that your Gmail interface looks a bit different with the new version.