Canned responses in Gmail: built-in templates vs a text expander

4 min read · Updated October 2026 · By the makers of Keyquill

Gmail has canned responses built in; they're now called Templates. For many people they're enough, and they're free. Here's how to use them, where they stop, and when a text expander is worth adding.

Turn on Gmail templates

1. In Gmail, click the gear icon → See all settings.
2. Open the Advanced tab, find Templates and choose Enable.
3. Scroll down and click Save Changes.

Save and insert a template

1. Write the reply in a new message.
2. Click the three dots (More options) at the bottom of the compose window → Templates → Save draft as template → Save as new template.
3. To use it: in any compose window, three dots → Templates → pick the template under "Insert template".

Where Gmail templates stop

• Gmail only. They don't work in LinkedIn, help desks, CRMs, WhatsApp Web or anywhere else.
• Four clicks per reply through menus, with no keyboard shortcut to insert a specific template.
• No placeholders. No automatic dates, no cursor position, no clipboard; you edit by hand every time.
• Inserting a template can also replace the subject line, which isn't always what you want in a reply.

When a text expander is better

A text expander inserts text when you type a short shortcut, like ;thx, in any text box, in Gmail and everywhere else. If you send the same replies outside Gmail, or you send a lot of them, it's the faster option. Things to look for:

• Works in every editor you use (Gmail's composer is a rich-text editor; some expanders struggle with these).
• Placeholders for dates, cursor position and clipboard.
• Where your text is stored: in the browser, or in someone's cloud account.
• Export, so your snippets aren't locked in.

Need a starting set? Our 20 canned responses for customer support download imports into most expanders.