How to Create Email Templates in Gmail in 2026, With Examples

To create an email template in Gmail, first turn templates on: Settings > See all settings > Advanced, set Templates to Enable, and click Save Changes. Then write the message in Compose, click More options > Templates > Save draft as template > Save as new template. Templates work only in Gmail on a computer, Google's help page says.

If you answer the same five questions every week, you already have templates. They just live in your head, or in an old Sent email you hunt for each time. This guide covers the exact Gmail steps to save, insert, update and delete a template, how to send one automatically with a filter, what to do on your phone, how templates differ from Gmail's newer layouts, and a few templates worth copying.

How to turn on templates in Gmail

Gmail ships with templates switched off, so the Templates item won't appear in the compose window until you enable it. You can only do this, and only use templates, from Gmail on the web on your computer, according to Google's instructions.

1. Open Gmail on your computer.
2. Click the gear icon (Settings) and choose See all settings.
3. Click the Advanced tab at the top.
4. Next to Templates, select Enable.
5. Scroll to the bottom and click Save Changes.

The step people skip is the last one. The Advanced tab is long, and if you leave without clicking Save Changes, the setting doesn't stick. When the Templates menu doesn't show up later, that's the first thing I check.

How to create a template in Gmail

A Gmail template is a saved message body you can drop into any new email or reply. You make one from an ordinary draft, using the steps on Google's help page.

1. Click Compose.
2. Write the template text in the message body. Add a subject line if you want one saved with it.
3. At the bottom of the compose window, click More options (the three dots).
4. Click Templates, then Save draft as template.
5. Click Save as new template.
6. Close the draft without sending it.

Leave the To field empty while you build a template. A template is about the words, and an address left in the draft is one more thing to forget to change.

For a fresh batch of templates, I write each one as if I were sending it to a real person today, then swap the specifics for brackets. A template that started as a real email reads like one. A template written from scratch as a "template" tends to read like a form letter.

Use placeholders you can't miss

Mark every part that changes with square brackets and capitals, like [FIRST NAME] or [DATE]. Gmail won't remind you to fill them in, so they have to stand out to you. Before I click Send, I scan for an opening bracket. If one is left, the email isn't ready.

How to insert a template into an email or reply

Inserting a template pastes its saved text into the message you're writing, whether that's a new email, a reply or a forward. Google's steps:

1. Click Compose, or open an email and click Reply.
2. At the bottom of the compose window, click More options.
3. Click Templates.
4. Under Insert template, click the one you want.
5. Fill in the placeholders, add the recipient if it's a new email, and click Send.

Templates work best in replies. When a prospect writes in asking for pricing, I hit Reply, insert my pricing template, and change one line so it answers their actual question. The thread stays intact, and they get a reply that sounds like me rather than a brochure.

How to edit or delete a Gmail template

Gmail has no separate template editor. To change a template, you insert it, edit the draft and save over the old version. Deleting is permanent: Google says a deleted template can't be recovered.

Edit a template

1. Click Compose, then More options > Templates and insert the template you want to change.
2. Edit the text.
3. Click More options > Templates > Save draft as template.
4. Under Overwrite Template, choose the same template and click Save.

Delete a template

1. Click Compose, then More options > Templates.
2. Click Delete template and choose the template.
3. Click Delete.

Since deletion can't be undone, I copy a template I might want later into a note before removing it. It costs ten seconds and has saved me rewriting a long one from memory.

How to send a Gmail template automatically with a filter

Gmail can reply with a template on its own whenever an incoming email matches a filter. The setting is called Send template, and it's part of creating a filter, per Google's help page.

1. In the Gmail search box, click Show search options.
2. Enter what should trigger the reply: a sender, words in the subject, or the address it was sent to.
3. Optional but worth it: click Search to see which emails match.
4. Click Create filter.
5. Check Send template and choose your template.
6. Click Create filter.

I use this for exactly one thing: a contact address on a website. Every message to it gets a short note saying it arrived and when to expect a reply. For anything a person might take as a real answer, I reply myself.

For more ways to put filters and templates to work together, see the Gmail automation ideas post. If you need one email sent to a list of people, each with their own name in it, that's a job for mail merge in Gmail, not templates.

Can you use Gmail templates on iPhone or Android?

No. Google says templates can only be turned on and used from Gmail on your computer, so the Templates menu doesn't appear in the Gmail app on iPhone, iPad or Android. Templates you save on a computer won't show up in the app.

There are two workarounds that hold up:

• Write the reply later on your computer. If the email can wait an hour, star it and answer it from your desk with the template.
• Save short replies as text shortcuts on your phone. On an iPhone, Apple's text replacement steps are Settings > General > Keyboard > Text Replacement, then tap the plus button, enter the phrase and a shortcut, and tap Save. Type the shortcut in the Gmail app and the phrase appears. It suits one or two sentences, not a full email.

My phone has a handful of these for replies like "Got it, I'll look at this properly tomorrow morning." That buys time without a half-written answer from the train.

Gmail templates vs. layouts: which one do you need?

Templates save plain message text. Layouts are a different Gmail feature for designed emails with a logo, colors, images and buttons, meant for things like newsletters and announcements. Google lists layouts on Business Standard, Business Plus, Education Standard and Plus, Enterprise Standard and Plus, and Workspace Individual plans.

One caution from Google: because some versions of Microsoft Outlook render HTML through Word, a layout can look different when it lands there. For a reply to a client, a plain template is safer and reads more personally anyway.

Gmail templates worth saving

The templates that earn their place are the replies you send most often with the fewest changes. Here are four to adapt. Swap every bracket before sending.

Hi [FIRST NAME],

Thanks for asking. Our [PLAN OR SERVICE] is [PRICE] per [MONTH / PROJECT], and that includes [TWO OR THREE THINGS THEY CARE ABOUT].

Since you mentioned [THEIR SITUATION], the [OPTION] is probably the better fit. Happy to walk you through it on a 15-minute call: [BOOKING LINK].

Best,
[Your name]

Hi [FIRST NAME],

Thanks for reaching out. I'm not the best person for [TOPIC], but [COLLEAGUE'S ROLE] on our team handles it, and I've copied them here.

[COLLEAGUE'S FIRST NAME], over to you.

Best,
[Your name]

Thanks for your message. It reached us, and someone will reply within [ONE BUSINESS DAY].

If it's urgent, call [PHONE NUMBER] between [HOURS] on weekdays.

[Your company name]

Hi [FIRST NAME],

Checking in on my note from [DAY]. Do you still need [THE THING] by [DATE]? A quick yes or no is plenty, and I'll plan around it.

Thanks,
[Your name]

The filter reply has no greeting by name because Gmail sends it as written, with no chance to fill anything in. Keep automatic templates generic and safe to send to anyone. If you're writing one for time away, the Gmail out-of-office guide has replies built for that instead.

Why aren't templates showing in Gmail?

When Templates is missing from More options, it's almost always one of these:

• The setting didn't save. Go back to Settings > See all settings > Advanced, check that Enable is selected, and click Save Changes at the very bottom.
• You're in the Gmail app. Templates don't exist on phones and tablets. Switch to Gmail on your laptop or desktop.
• You're looking in the wrong menu. Templates sit under the three-dot More options button at the bottom of the compose window, not in the formatting toolbar.
• You saved it in a different account. Templates are saved in the Gmail account you made them in. If you switch between a personal and a work account, check which one you're signed in to.

What about attachments?

Google's template instructions describe templates as saved message text and don't cover attachments, so don't count on a file coming along. I paste a Google Drive link into the template instead. It stays in the text, and I can update the file in Drive without touching the template.

Habits that keep templates from going wrong

A template saves typing, but it also makes it easy to send something that's slightly off. These habits catch most of it:

• Add the recipient last. If the To field is empty, an unfinished email can't go anywhere.
• Read the first and last lines out loud. That's where a wrong name or an old date hides.
• Change at least one sentence for the person. A reply that answers their exact question lands better than a perfect generic one.
• Review the list every few months. Prices, links and team members change. A template with last year's price is worse than no template.
• Pair templates with Schedule send. Write the email now and send it at a sensible hour from the small arrow beside Send. Gmail allows up to 100 scheduled emails at a time.

Apple's Mail app, for anyone who reads Gmail through it on a Mac, has no templates button at all. The Apple Mail templates guide covers the workarounds there.