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6 Gmail automation ideas

Unlock your automation superpowers with these email workflows

By Ellie Huizenga · October 22, 2024
Gmail logo that connects with Facebook Lead Ads, Slack, and Google Sheet logos.

Unless you live under a rock, you probably get more emails than you know what to do with. Your inbox is perpetually a mix of promotions and newsletters, calendar invites, project update requests from teammates, and even inbound sales inquiries.  

Keeping your Gmail account organized can be tedious—but it's a must unless you want to risk missing important communications. Thankfully, you can use automation to stay on top of your email without spending hours every day on admin. 

Our automatic workflows—we call them Zaps—let you do things like save email attachments, automatically follow up with new leads, comprehensively manage tasks, and even use AI to clean up your inbox. Here's how to automate Gmail.

Zapier is the leader in workflow automation—integrating with thousands of apps from partners like Google, Salesforce, and Microsoft. Use interfaces, data tables, and logic to build secure, automated systems for your business-critical workflows across your organization's technology stack. Learn more.

Table of contents

  • Generate a to-do list from your inbox

  • Get AI to enrich your email workflows

  • Easily save email attachments

  • Declutter your inbox

  • Send notifications from your inbox

  • Follow up with new leads faster

To get started with a Zap template—what we call our pre-made workflows—just click on the button. It only takes a few minutes to set up. You can read more about setting up Zaps here.

Generate a to-do list from your Gmail inbox

Unless you have a photographic memory, it's practically impossible to keep track of every actionable email, especially if they're left to languish starred or unread in your inbox. And, if you're like me, a clean and efficient to-do list is a must to sleep at night. 

You can set up a Zap to connect your Gmail account to Google Sheets to create lists from specific emails, automatically add labeled emails to your task manager of choice, and more.

Save new Gmail emails matching certain traits to a Google Spreadsheet

Save new Gmail emails matching certain traits to a Google Spreadsheet
  • Gmail logo
  • Google Sheets logo
Gmail + Google Sheets

Add new starred emails to Todoist as tasks [Business Gmail Accounts Only]

Add new starred emails to Todoist as tasks [Business Gmail Accounts Only]
  • Gmail logo
  • Todoist logo
Gmail + Todoist

Create Trello cards from new Gmail threads

Create Trello cards from new Gmail threads
  • Gmail logo
  • Trello logo
Gmail + Trello

Get AI to enrich your email workflows

Do you need a helping hand when it comes to writing email copy that actually converts leads? Or maybe you sift through hundreds of emails every day, labeling them as you go—and you'd like to save yourself the hassle. 

Fortunately, you can use AI to help you do everything from penning emails to generating a daily digest of your emails in Slack. Once you receive a new email, ChatGPT or OpenAI will analyze the content, then carry out the instructions you give it. Finally, it will send the output wherever you need it to go. Here are a few examples: 

Create email copy with OpenAI from new Gmail emails and save as drafts in Gmail

Create email copy with OpenAI from new Gmail emails and save as drafts in Gmail
  • Gmail logo
  • OpenAI (GPT-4, DALL-E, Whisper) logo
  • Gmail logo
Gmail + OpenAI (GPT-4, DALL-E, Whisper)

Get an AI-generated daily digest of your emails in Slack

Get an AI-generated daily digest of your emails in Slack
  • Gmail logo
  • Slack logo
Gmail + Formatter by Zapier + OpenAI (GPT-4, DALL-E, Whisper) + 2 more

Create Trello cards with OpenAI responses to newly-starred emails in Gmail

Create Trello cards with OpenAI responses to newly-starred emails in Gmail
  • Gmail logo
  • OpenAI (GPT-4, DALL-E, Whisper) logo
  • Trello logo
Gmail + OpenAI (GPT-4, DALL-E, Whisper) + Trello

Learn more: How to use OpenAI's GPT to write business emails

Automatically save email attachments

Constantly losing track of email attachments? This is an issue everyone with a Gmail account seems to face. By setting up automatic workflows, you can easily save Gmail attachments to Dropbox, Google Drive, or whichever cloud-sharing app you use. 

You can even save email attachments to specific folders so you can keep your organization streak going with your file management, not just your inbox. 

Save new Gmail attachments to Google Drive

Save new Gmail attachments to Google Drive
  • Gmail logo
  • Filter by Zapier logo
  • Google Drive logo
Gmail + Filter by Zapier + Google Drive

Save new attachments in Gmail to Dropbox

Save new attachments in Gmail to Dropbox
  • Gmail logo
  • Dropbox logo
Gmail + Dropbox

Save new attachments from labeled emails in Gmail to Google Drive

Save new attachments from labeled emails in Gmail to Google Drive
  • Gmail logo
  • Google Drive logo
Gmail + Google Drive

Declutter your inbox

Unfortunately, your Gmail storage isn't unlimited—which means you'll eventually run out of space. When that happens, you won't be able to use your Google apps until you clear some clutter. 

Instead of waiting for the hammer to drop, use automation to delete unneeded emails as you go. For instance, you can set up filters to watch for and delete promotional and spam emails. Or, maybe you'd like to save attachments to Dropbox, and then delete the original email. Whatever workflow works best for you, these Zaps can help you keep your email inbox tidy and free up valuable storage space. 

Delete spam emails in Gmail automatically

Delete spam emails in Gmail automatically
  • Gmail logo
  • Filter by Zapier logo
  • Gmail logo
Gmail + Filter by Zapier

Save Gmail attachments in Dropbox, then delete the email

Save Gmail attachments in Dropbox, then delete the email
  • Gmail logo
  • Dropbox logo
  • Gmail logo
Gmail + Dropbox

Send notifications from your inbox

Working collaboratively with a team comes with its fair share of challenges, with communication often at the top of that list. But with a few pre-set workflows, you can easily turn your Gmail inbox into an effective information-sharing machine. 

For example, you can send an email when a Google Sheet is updated so team members can stay up to date on a project. You can also send emails from your Gmail account to your team chat app of choice, streamlining communication. Or one of my personal favorites: you can send auto-scheduled email updates to your team, minimizing your daily repetitive tasks without sacrificing communication.

Send daily emails with Gmail

Send daily emails with Gmail
  • Schedule by Zapier logo
  • Gmail logo
Schedule by Zapier + Gmail

Send emails via Gmail when Google Sheets rows are updated

Send emails via Gmail when Google Sheets rows are updated
  • Google Sheets logo
  • Gmail logo
Google Sheets + Gmail

Send Gmail messages for new Airtable records in views

Send Gmail messages for new Airtable records in views
  • Airtable logo
  • Gmail logo
Airtable + Gmail

Send new Gmail emails as Slack channel messages

Send new Gmail emails as Slack channel messages
  • Gmail logo
  • Slack logo
Gmail + Slack

Send emails from Gmail for upcoming Google Calendar events

Send emails from Gmail for upcoming Google Calendar events
  • Google Calendar logo
  • Gmail logo
Google Calendar + Gmail

Learn more: Build a custom notification bot for new leads.

Follow up with new leads faster 

You work hard to acquire new leads. From running campaigns across multiple platforms to hosting webinars, you know it's also incredibly important to follow up as fast as possible. If you wait too long to respond—or *gasp* miss their email altogether—there's a decent chance you'll lose a customer. 

Automatically follow up with new leads by sending an email as soon as they show interest. With Zapier, you can set up personalized Gmail auto-responders for instant engagement with a high-intent lead.

Send emails in Gmail for new leads in Facebook Lead Ads

Send emails in Gmail for new leads in Facebook Lead Ads
  • Facebook Lead Ads logo
  • Gmail logo
Facebook Lead Ads + Gmail

Send Gmail messages when new contacts are added to ClickFunnels

Send Gmail messages when new contacts are added to ClickFunnels
  • ClickFunnels Classic logo
  • Gmail logo
ClickFunnels Classic + Gmail

Get email notifications or send follow-ups to new Typeform respondents

Get email notifications or send follow-ups to new Typeform respondents
  • Typeform logo
  • Gmail logo
Typeform + Gmail

Send email via Gmail for new Google Forms submissions

Send email via Gmail for new Google Forms submissions
  • Google Forms logo
  • Gmail logo
Google Forms + Gmail

Send emails via Gmail for new Webflow form submissions

Send emails via Gmail for new Webflow form submissions
  • Webflow logo
  • Gmail logo
Webflow + Gmail

The same goes for new customers who sign up for a webinar or subscribe to your newsletter. A simple welcome message can do wonders for your business. With these Zaps, you can automatically send emails in Gmail whenever you get a new subscriber in Mailchimp, for example, or a sign-up to your webinar. 

Welcome New Mailchimp Subscribers with a Personal Email

Welcome New Mailchimp Subscribers with a Personal Email
  • Mailchimp logo
  • Gmail logo
Mailchimp + Gmail

Send emails via Gmail for new registrants in GoTo Webinar

Send emails via Gmail for new registrants in GoTo Webinar
  • GoTo Webinar logo
  • Gmail logo
GoTo Webinar + Gmail

Send emails via Gmail for new scheduled Calendly events

Send emails via Gmail for new scheduled Calendly events
  • Calendly logo
  • Gmail logo
Calendly + Gmail

Learn more: How to set up email alerts for Facebook Lead Ads.

Take your Gmail inbox to the next level

With Zapier, you can integrate Gmail with the rest of your tech stack and manage your email without the anxiety.

This is just the start of all that you can do with Gmail and Zapier. Zapier supports thousands of apps, so you can automate almost any task at work. Start building your Zap now and see what you can create!

New to Zapier? It's workflow automation software that lets you focus on what matters. Combine user interfaces, data tables, and logic with thousands of apps to build and automate anything you can imagine. Sign up for free to use this app, and thousands more, with Zapier.

Related reading:

  • Connect Gmail and Google Calendar with Zapier

  • 5 ways to automate your email

  • Automatically save Gmail attachments in a Google Drive folder

  • How to connect Gmail with Google Sheets

This article was originally published in March 2021 by Ellie Huizenga, with previous updates by Elena Alston. It was most recently updated by Nicole Replogle in October 2024.

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A Zap with the trigger 'When I get a new lead from Facebook,' and the action 'Notify my team in Slack'