How to insert canned responses in Gmail (and anywhere)
Gmail has built-in templates, but they're slow to reach and only work in Gmail. Here's a faster way to insert canned responses in Gmail — and in every other text field you use — by typing //.
The quick way with ReplyKit
- Install the extension. Add the free ReplyKit to Chrome.
- Save your reply. Open the popup, give your canned response a title (e.g. "Order shipped") and paste the text.
- Insert it. In the Gmail message body, type
//(or pressCtrl/Cmd+Shift+Space), then pick the snippet. It's inserted right at your cursor.
No menus, no digging through settings — the same // trigger works in help desks, marketplaces, social networks, CRMs and forms too, not just Gmail.
Stop retyping the same emails. Set up your canned replies in a minute.
Add ReplyKit to Chrome — freeGmail templates vs. a snippet tool
Gmail's "Templates" (formerly Canned Responses) are fine if you live entirely inside Gmail and only need a handful. But they require enabling a setting, they're a few clicks deep in the reply toolbar, and they don't follow you to other tools. A snippet extension gives you one consistent shortcut everywhere you type, with instant search across all your replies.
Tips for great canned responses
- Keep a short, friendly greeting and sign-off as separate snippets you can mix and match.
- Write neutral templates you can lightly personalise after inserting (a name, an order number).
- Group by job: support FAQs, shipping updates, follow-ups, refunds.
- Review them monthly — trim what you never use, add the phrases you keep retyping.
Does it work in the Gmail body?
Yes — ReplyKit inserts directly into the Gmail compose body. For a few isolated editors that block automatic insertion, there's a Copy button so you can paste manually. Your snippets stay private: on the free plan they're stored locally in your browser; see the privacy policy.