The onslaught of new features in Gmail shows no signs of abating. Today, Google added a few more more capabilities to its email product. The first lets you archive and label emails in a single step, and there are now new keyboard shortcuts, as well.

Gmail has long used a labeling system for managing emails rather than folders, which are used in email programs such as Microsoft Exchange. The labels let users organize their emails, which have a little more flexibility than folders in that emails can have multiple different labels at the same time.

Google admits:

“it’s not always obvious how to use labels, especially for people who are new to Gmail and used to using folders, and it hasn’t helped that some common tasks have been more complicated than they should be.”

Today, that changes. Google has revamped the buttons and menus along the top of the Gmail inbox. The new buttons allow you to hit the “Move to” button, which will label and archive an email in a single step, rather than the two steps it used to take. There is a separate button for labels, which are now supported with auto-complete. Start typing the first few letters of a label, and list of suggested labels will appear from which you can select the one you want.

Lastly, Google is adding new keyboard shortcuts to support these new functions. Use “v” for “Move to” and “l” (lowercase L) for “Labels.” You have to have the keyboard shortcuts turned on in order for them to work.

So there you have it, more features for Gmail that should make labeling and archiving just a little bit easier.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 3rd, 2009 at 11:15 am and is filed under Geekery, Google, Technology, Web. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.  Both comments and pings are currently closed.