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How to Access Gmail Offline using Google Gears



Access Gmail Offline using Google GearsFew months ago, Google released Google Gears. Wordpress uses Google Gears to speed up the Administration Pages.

What is Google Gears?

Google Gear is a extension for Firefox and Internet Explorer browsers that allows to navigate on compatible websites offline and synchronize when going back online.

Today, Google has rolled out a new Gmail feature called “Gmail offline functionality”. With this feature, Gmail users with Google Gears installed can access Gmail in offline mode (i.e when not connected to the Internet). This functionality of browser-based offline access to Gmail will be available to everyone in few days.

What is Gmail Offline?


With this new offline service feature, Gmail users will be able to load Gmail in their Web browsers even if they don’t have an Internet connection. They can do any operations like read, star, label, archive and organize e-mails. Offline Gmail will even allow users to compose new e-mails and move them to the Outbox, where they will wait until the user is online again to be sent.

When a Gmail user is connected to the internet, Gmail uses Gears to download a local cache of mail. The cache is then synchronized with Gmail’s servers as long as the internet connection is there.

The Gears implementation will let people work within the Gmail interface without the need for a separate PC application. When offline, messages will be put in a Gears browser queue, and the desktop and online versions of the accounts will be synchronized automatically when users connect to the Internet again using the local cache of the mail.

To use this feature, first Download and install Google Gears

How to Enable Gmail offline feature

  1. Login to your Gmail account.
  2. Click Settings (top right) and then click the Labs tab.
  3. Select Enable next to Offline Gmail.
  4. Click Save Changes.
  5. After your browser reloads, you should see a new “Offline0.1? link”.
  6. To browse in offline, simply click that link.

As this feature is still in beta, you might come across some bugs.

I have already enabled the feature and temporarily disconnected the internet to check the Gmail Offline feature. It worked great!

Via Read2Know

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17 Responses to “How to Access Gmail Offline using Google Gears”

  1. Great instructions! Gears is very useful. I am rarely without an internet connection and don’t travel much so I don’t really need it but I can see how it would be helpful to many people.

    Kim Woodbridges last blog post..WordPress 2.7 Post_Class Template Tag and Sticky Posts

    • Nihar says:

      @Kim, Myself on the same boat. I don’t have internet disconnection problem. I don’t have to use this feature. But, checked out the feature by disabling the internet!

  2. Read 2 Know says:

    I’m sure it will be a big hit in India. I myself wanted the offline feature few days ago as my Internet was down for almost 4 days due to a pipeline construction.

    Thanks for the link by the way!

    Read 2 Knows last blog post..Access your Gmail – Offline

  3. Yes, Nihar. it will definately be a hit here in Indian especially for those in Dial up and also saving quite a bit of bandwidth for broadband users with download limit. I used google gears for wordpress, i really love it, as it saves my valuable time. I will Offline Gmail too, Thanks

    Nicholas | Pixobyte.coms last blog post..How to create a new user in Windows XP without the notice of the administrator

    • Nihar says:

      @Nicholas, I agree with you. It will be of great help in India and other countries where internet speeds and internet connections are not up to the mark.

  4. Raju says:

    Thanks for the detailed post,will surely be useful at some point!

    Rajus last blog post..[How To] Automatically Download the Latest Episode of Your Fav TV Show!

  5. Wade Briggs says:

    Great stuff, always find something cool when I come back to your blog Nihar. Thanks :)

  6. Steve Yu says:

    I didn’t know google gears has such feature. Thanks for sharing it.

    Steve Yus last blog post..Google Toolbar Brings Google Chrome New Tab Feature in Firefox

    • Nihar says:

      @Steve Yu, I am surprised that you didn’t know about this before. I thought that most of them who use wordpress would know about google gears.

  7. [...] expect the top commentor of january is Nihar and a very good friend of BE Folks.Learn how to use Google Gears from his latest [...]

  8. This is an interesting feature addition to GMail. I think the most useful bit would be downloading the mail to be searchable even if you are offline. That could be very useful when you just want to be able to search your mail even if you don’t have a net connection available. Kudos to Google on this one.

    Epiphone Electric Guitarss last blog post..Hero On The Hudson Video Game

  9. Jonny says:

    Good post Nihar, I might start using this myself. I’ve already enabled it on my wordpress installation for my site so it is faster to edit.

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