Gmail Conversation View On and Off

One of the great features of Google's Gmail is its conversation or threaded view, which groups topics together, to enable the user to review at one glance how the conversation went through. Now, an option to turn that off, though I wish the option were just a click away.

One of the great features of Google’s Gmail is its conversation or threaded view, which groups topics together, to enable the user to review at one glance how the conversation went through.

However, after about five years of enjoying this feature from Gmail, I’ve found some loopholes about it. When searching for a particular message, for example, that you either received or sent (the search function, by the way, within Gmail is yet another powerful feature that I love), you sometimes find yourself scrounging through long conversations to find that specific message or attachment that you needed.

And this is where this new option comes in handy.

Now you can turn the conversation view on and off from the settings page.

Got a suggestion, though, to the Gmail developers. Wish this option is just a click away, instead of embedding the same among the many options in the general settings, just like the quick options for turning chat on/off, google buzz on/off, older contact manager, and basic HTML at the bottom of the page (see below):

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John Doe October 4, 2010 Reply

What was implemented is NOT what I saw being asked for, nor what I want.

The idea is to be able to turn off conversation grouping for A SINGLE MESSAGE, or for a filterable class of messages. NOT all messages globally.

Roger August 18, 2011 Reply

John, you and I have the same issue. Did you ever find/get a solution?

Generally, I like the conversation threading (on demand) however Gmail has inaccurately linked together some emails into a thread. There needs to be a work around or outright cure for this issue.

PaulG October 8, 2010 Reply

We now have an option to turn it off thank god, had to leave Gmail because of this retarded “feaure” or should I say bug.

deuts October 8, 2010 Reply

That’s great Paul. Personally, I think the threaded conversation has its merits as well as disadvantages. But now that you can easily turn it on and off, what could be more perfect? 😀

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