Gmail is getting a big redesign — here's your first look

Gmail is getting a big redesign — here'due south your first look

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

Update: Gmail's huge redesign in now rolling out to everyone .

Anyone with a work Gmail should prepare themselves for some changes over the next few months. Google has but announced that there's a brand new Gmail layout on the fashion, which is set to modify how the electronic mail customer interacts with Chat, Meet and Spaces.

The idea hither is that it will get in easier to admission those services by uniting them with Gmail itself. The redesign is prepare to launch on February 8 for anyone who opts in. Information technology will be the default by Apr, with an option to opt-out, just Google is set to brand the new pattern mandatory by the end of Q2/June.

At the moment all those services are accessible through Gmail'due south sidebar, the integration is a little bit muddled. At the very least, the current model doesn't look specially neat. And the way Gmail accesses the different services isn't consequent; Chat windows pop up at the bottom, while Spaces switches to a totally unlike view.

Meanwhile accessing meetings is even worse, switching to a totally different screen to see what's coming and then opening up new Meet tabs for the meetings themselves. Bluntly the whole layout has been in dire demand of a refresh for a while, and Google'due south finally getting round to information technology.

new look gmail workspace with chat spaces and meet tabs — (Image credit: Google)

At present each service looks to exist getting its ain dedicated tab in a new section of the sidebar. Non only does that make things look better, it'southward likely going to brand accessing those services a lilliputian more than uniform.

There volition exist notification bubbles, showing you where your attention is needed, while Conversation and Spaces volition display a full list of conversations on a single screen. So no more navigating through a list that's been stuffed into the bottom left-hand corner of your screen like an afterthought.

Google also confirmed that users volition exist able to search chat histories, just equally you would emails, in the search bar. It'due south something Hangouts used to offer, just was missing when the new Google Conversation rolled out. That feature will exist arriving "in the coming months."

This modify is only affecting Google Workspace users, and there haven't been whatsoever announcements about it rolling out to ordinary Gmail users. But it'south non impossible that it may happen anytime, especially since Google no doubt wants to encourage its existing users to try the other services on offer.

All the same, for business organization users, this change is going to be a large aid — particularly if your organization already uses the various services Google has on offer. If you want to switch over sooner rather than later, go along an eye out for the popular-upwards bulletin in the bottom right corner asking if you desire to give information technology a endeavor.

Tom is the Tom's Guide's Automotive Editor, which means he can usually be found genu deep in stats the latest and best electric cars, or checking out some sort of driving gadget. It's long way from his days as editor of Gizmodo UK, when pretty much everything was on the table. He's ordinarily found trying to squeeze some other giant Lego gear up onto the shelf, draining very large cups of coffee, or lament that Ikea won't allow him buy the stuff he actually needs online.