Templates have to be turned on first. On a computer, open Gmail Settings > See all settings > Advanced, choose Enable next to Templates, and click Save Changes. Then open a compose window and go to More options > Templates. Templates can’t be turned on or used in the Gmail mobile apps.
Published by LazyBoard, with AI-assisted drafting. Steps checked against Gmail Help on October 31, 2026.
Gmail templates are saved messages you can insert into a new email or reply. They replaced Gmail’s older Canned Responses feature. If you can’t find them, the setting is usually off, you are looking in the wrong menu, or you are using the Gmail app on your phone.
1. Turn on templates
- On your computer, open Gmail.
- At the top right, click Settings, then See all settings.
- At the top, click Advanced.
- Next to Templates, click Enable.
- At the bottom, click Save Changes.
2. Look under More options
Templates don’t have their own button. Open Compose (or a reply), then at the bottom of the compose window click More options (the three dots) and choose Templates. Under Insert template, pick the one you want.
3. Use Gmail on a computer
Gmail Help states that templates can only be turned on and used from Gmail on your computer. They don’t appear in the Gmail app on Android, iPhone, or iPad, so a template you saved on your computer won’t show there.
4. Save a template the right way
Type the text you want to reuse in a compose window, then click More options > Templates > Save draft as template > Save as new template. To update a template, choose Save draft as template and pick it under Overwrite Template. Be careful with Delete template: Gmail can’t recover a deleted template.
5. Save your settings and reload
If the Templates option still doesn’t appear, go back to the Advanced tab and check that Templates says Enable. Settings only apply after you click Save Changes at the bottom of the page. Then reload Gmail and open a new compose window.
Gmail can also send a template automatically: create a filter from the search options, check Send template, and choose the template.
Saved replies beyond Gmail
Gmail templates only work in Gmail on a computer. If you send the same replies from your phone, a help desk, or another website, keep them somewhere you can use everywhere:
- On your phone: the LazyBoard keyboard for iPhone and Android keeps your replies in folders, and you insert one with a tap in apps where you can switch to it.
- On your computer: the LazyBoard Chrome extension expands a short shortcut into a saved reply in website text fields, with fill-in fields for names and dates. Test it in your Gmail compose window first; where a page doesn’t allow insertion, use Copy and paste.
For ready-made wording, browse the free reply templates.
Common questions
Why don’t I see Templates in Gmail?
Templates are off until you turn them on under Settings > See all settings > Advanced and click Save Changes. Once on, they are under More options > Templates in the compose window, and only in Gmail on a computer.
Can I use Gmail templates on my phone?
No. Gmail Help says templates can only be turned on and used from Gmail on a computer. They don’t appear in the Gmail mobile apps.
Are Gmail templates the same as canned responses?
Yes. Templates is the current name for the feature Gmail used to call Canned Responses. You turn it on and use it the same way, from the Advanced settings and the compose window.
Can I get a deleted Gmail template back?
No. Gmail can’t recover a template after you delete it, so overwrite a template instead of deleting it when you only want to change the text.