How to Open an Email in Its Own Window in Gmail

Open emails in separate windows without distracting elements

Businesswoman working at laptop
Sam Edwards/Caiaimage/Getty Images
by Heinz Tschabitscher
An independent writer who has reviewed hundreds of email programs and services since 1997.
Updated November 30, 2018

Open your Gmail messages and conversations in separate browser tabs or windows to eliminate distracting elements and view several emails at the same time. You can open as many emails in new windows or tabs as your browser allows, and you can continue to read the emails even after you delete or archive them from your inbox.

If you have a pop-up blocker enabled, you may have to disable it for this Gmail feature to work properly.

Open an Email in Its Own Window in Gmail

To open each message in a separate browser window with Gmail, you hold down Shift while clicking the message. Each one opens in it's own window. You can arrange them and view them simultaneously. Use this simple method is you don't use conversation view. If you use it but want to use this method, you can disable conversation view in the Settings menu.

How to Disable Conversation View

To open individual messages in separate windows instead of conversations, first make sure conversation view is disabled in Gmail:

  1. Click the Gmail Settings gear icon.

  2. Select Settings from the drop-down menu that appears.

  3. Go to the General tab. Make sure Conversation view off is selected under Conversation View.

    Gmail Settings screen
    Gmail Settings screen.  L. McAlpine

  4. Click Save Changes.

As an alternative to disabling conversation view, you can leave it turned on and use print view to open individual emails in separate browser windows or tabs.

Use Print View to Open Individual Emails From Conversations

If you use the conversation view and don't want to turn it off, you can use Gmail's print view to open any individual email in a conversation in its own browser window or tab.

  1. Open the conversation that contains the message.

  2. If you see a Show trimmed content ellipsis button (…) at the bottom of the conversation, click it to display all the emails in the conversation.

  3. Click the More icon next to the Reply arrow for the individual email you want to open in a separate window.

  4. Select Print from the drop-down menu that appears.

  5. Cancel the browser's print dialog when it appears to leave the email in a separate window.