X

Gmail gets one-button dump option

Created by Jeremie LE & David K, the new feature, when activated, allows you turn the contents of an email into a Google doc at the click of a button.

Eric Franklin Former Editorial Director
Eric Franklin led the CNET Tech team as Editorial Director. A 20-plus-year industry veteran, Eric began his tech journey testing computers in the CNET Labs. When not at work he can usually be found at the gym, chauffeuring his kids around town, or absorbing every motivational book he can get his hands on.
Expertise Graphics and display technology. Credentials
  • Once wrote 50 articles in one month.
Eric Franklin

Eric Franklin/CBS Interactive

Turning your Gmail into an editable document used to be as simple as one, two, three clicks. Thanks to a new Gmail feature, however, it's now as simple as, well, one click.

Created by Jeremie LE and David K, the new feature, when activated, lets you turn the contents of an e-mail into a Google document with the click of a button.

To activate this feature, from your Gmail account click on Settings, then click on the Labs link. Scroll down to the Create a Document section. Check Enable and click Save changes. Now, you'll see a Create a Document option to the right of whatever thread you're viewing. Clicking on it will dump the entire thread into a Google document. Simple, easy.

When I first read about this, I thought "Wow, how lazy do you have to be that you can't just copy and paste your e-mail into Google doc?" Well, you are very lazy if you can't just do that. However ,if dumping your e-mail into a doc is something you do on a regular basis, this feature makes this process much more convenient. I'm a person that makes Google Docs constantly and many of them are based on an e-mail--usually an idea I've sent myself, so for me a one button option makes idea dumping that much more efficient.