Out of all the free email services out there, I still prefer Gmail because it has most (if not all) of the features that I’m looking for. Nonetheless, I do think that it could become even better if it would allow its users to add, tweak or remove some elements from its user interface. This way, users can easily customize their Gmail inbox in such a way that would best suit their preferences. Anyhow, this option may not be available in Gmail’s default settings but it can still be made possible for as long as you have Gmelius – a free browser extension for Chrome, Firefox and Opera.

What is it and what does it do

Main Functionality

Gmelius, pronounced as ‘Gmail’-‘ius”, is a free browser extension for Chrome, Firefox and Opera. The sole purpose of this extension is to help you achieve a cleaner, smarter and better-looking Gmail inbox. With the help of this extension, you can easily add, tweak or remove some unnecessary elements from your Gmail user interface. This includes the ads, people widget, chats, etc. Speaking of which, below is a list of the things that you can do with Gmelius for Gmail:

• remove any unnecessary ads (top, right, bottom ads)
• make Gmail header (the logo and search block) visible on-demand
• restore the old compose window
• print cleaner emails
• remove the “People Widget”
• customize the navigation icons (you can choose between buttons only or buttons with text)
• add a subtle row highlight
• homogenize the appearance of incoming emails
• add attachment icons and change their placement from left to right (or vice versa)
• disable the “consider including” option
• add option to “auto-scroll” to top of Inbox
• move labels from the left side to the right side of your inbox
• automatic de-obfuscation of email addresses (turn name [at] email [dot] com to name@email.com)
• remove other diverse elements such as chats, chat statuses, Google + activity, footers, etc.

Pros

• Easy to use, easy to configure
• Easy to install/uninstall
• Can easily improve or enhance the appearance and functionality of your Gmail account by adding, removing or tweaking some essential features or elements
• Feature-packed – you have lots of options to choose from
• Can smoothly integrate itself with your Gmail account/s – it won’t cause your Gmail to crash or lag
• Non-obtrusive
• Works on Chrome, Firefox and Opera

Cons

• None that I can think of but it would be nice if the extension would also support other browsers such as Safari, IE, Maxthon, etc. It would also be nice if it can extend its availability to other platforms such as Android, iOS, etc.

Discussion

As I have already mentioned earlier, Gmelius is a free browser extension that you can use to customize your Gmail UI. With this extension, you can add, remove or tweak its UI elements in such a way that would best suit your preferences.

The way how this extension works is also very simple. Just install it to your web browser and then select or check any of the items listed in its general and premium settings. The items listed mainly consists of options that would not only let you regain more space from your Gmail inbox but would also allow you to add or restore some essential features like the “Old Compose” option as well as the subtle row highlights and attachment icons. So as soon as you’re done, just save your settings and the changes will automatically take effect on all of your Gmail email accounts. It also doesn’t matter if you are simultaneously logged-in to multiple accounts. If you are using Chrome, you can access the extension’s settings by going to Tools > Extensions and then simply click the “Options” link right below the said extension.

With Gmelius, you will be able to gain more control over the things that you want to add, keep or remove from your Gmail UI. It’s a great solution for users who wish to personalize their Gmail space. Aside from this, this extension can smoothly integrate its features to your inbox. It also won’t cause you any troublesome issues plus you can easily restore your Gmail UI settings back to the way it used to be. If you’re worried about privacy, Gmelius has clearly stated in its official page that it will never access, store, read, alter or transmit your personal data.

All in all, I can say that Gmelius is very reliable extension. It will not only make your Gmail look cleaner, it will also make it more user-friendly and of course – ad-free. I just think that it would be much better if it could also extend its support to other web browser and mobile platforms other than Chrome, Firefox and Opera.

Conclusion and download link

Gmelius offers a great solution for users who wish to personalize the look and feel of their Gmail inbox. It provides something that many avid Gmail users thought to be impossible to achieve. So if you still haven’t tried using this extension yet, go ahead and feel free to check it out.

Price: Free

Version reviewed: 5.7.6.3

Requires: Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, or Opera on Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, 8.1, Mac OS X, or Linux

Gmelius homepage