To get reminded in Gmail when someone doesn’t reply, set a “remind me if no reply” reminder on the email with a tool like Mixmax. If they haven’t replied by the day you pick, the reminder brings the email back so you can follow up. If they have, it stays quiet. Gmail on its own has two partial options: nudges, which show some unanswered sent emails at the top of your inbox, and snooze, which brings an email back at a time you choose whether or not they replied. Mixmax is a lightweight outreach tool inside Gmail, and reminders are included on the free plan.
Gmail’s built-in options, and what each one misses
Nudges: Gmail picks which emails to remind you about
Gmail can show sent emails that might need a follow-up at the top of your inbox, with a note like “Sent 3 days ago. Follow up?” You turn it on or off under Settings → See all settings → General → Nudges, with the option “Suggest emails to follow up on” (Google help).
- Good for: a light safety net, with no setup.
- What it misses: Gmail decides which emails get a nudge and when. You can’t say “remind me about this one on Thursday.” Nudges also need conversation view turned on.
Snooze: the email comes back when you say
Hover over an email, click the clock icon (Snooze), and pick a date and time. The email leaves your inbox and comes back at the top when you chose (Google help). Snoozed emails live under Snoozed in the left sidebar.
- Good for: emails you’ve received and need to deal with later.
- What it misses: snooze doesn’t know whether they replied, so the email comes back either way. And it’s built for emails in your inbox, not ones you sent and are waiting on.
Schedule send: writing the follow-up in advance
You can write your follow-up now and schedule it for later (click the arrow next to Send, then Schedule send).
- Good for: a message that should go out at a set time no matter what.
- What it misses: if they reply before it goes out, Gmail sends it anyway. That’s how people end up sending “just following up!” to someone who answered yesterday.
How to set a “remind me if no reply” reminder with Mixmax
- Sign up for Mixmax with your Google account (free, no credit card). It works inside your normal Gmail.
- Write your email in Gmail.
- Open the reminder option in the Mixmax toolbar of the compose window and pick a day, for example in 3 days.
- Choose “if no reply.” You can also choose to be reminded regardless, for emails you’ll want to revisit either way.
- Add a note if you like (“ask about the start date”), so you know what to say when the reminder comes up.
- Send. If they reply before the day you picked, there’s no reminder. If they don’t, Mixmax reminds you, and you follow up.
Best for: anyone who wants to write each follow-up personally but keeps forgetting who to chase: freelancers, recruiters, agents, founders, people who answer inquiries from new clients.
When a reminder isn’t enough: let the follow-up send itself
A reminder still depends on you having time when it goes off. If you’re chasing more than a handful of people, write the follow-up once and let it send for you: if they don’t reply, Mixmax sends the follow-up you wrote, and it stops the moment they reply. It goes out from your address, as a reply in the same thread. For a whole list (a CSV, Salesforce or HubSpot), use a sequence.
Here’s how to set it up: how to automatically follow up in Gmail if they don’t reply.
| Option | What happens | The catch |
|---|---|---|
| Gmail nudges | Gmail brings some unanswered emails you sent back to the top of your inbox | Gmail decides which emails and when |
| Gmail snooze | The email disappears and comes back on the day you pick | It doesn’t check whether they replied |
| Mixmax reminder | You’re reminded on the day you pick, only if they haven’t replied | You still write and send the follow-up |
| Mixmax automatic follow-up | The follow-up you wrote sends on the day you pick, and stops if they reply | You write the follow-up up front |
Other reminder tools for Gmail
- Boomerang brings an email back if nobody replies within the time you set. We compare it in Mixmax vs. Boomerang.
- FollowUpThen works by email address: you add an address like
3days@followupthen.comto an email and get a reminder later. See Mixmax vs. FollowUpThen.
Both are reminder tools. If you also want the follow-up to send itself when you’re busy, that’s what Mixmax adds.
A simple reminder routine that works
- Every time you send an email that needs an answer, set a reminder before you hit send.
- Pick a day two or three business days out for the first one.
- When the reminder comes up, reply in the same thread with one new thing and one easy question.
- Set the next reminder (or an automatic follow-up) before you close the email.
- After three or four follow-ups with no answer, send a short last email and stop.
For what to write, see follow-up email templates for no response.
Frequently asked questions
Can Gmail remind me if someone doesn’t reply?
Partly. Gmail’s nudges can show some sent emails that got no reply, but Gmail chooses which ones and when. To pick the email and the day yourself, use a reminder tool like Mixmax and choose “remind me if no reply.”
How do I turn Gmail nudges on or off?
Go to Settings → See all settings → General, find Nudges, and check or uncheck “Suggest emails to reply to” and “Suggest emails to follow up on.” Then click Save Changes.
Does snoozing an email remind me to follow up?
It brings the email back to the top of your inbox at the time you choose. It doesn’t check whether they replied, so you’ll get it back either way.
What’s the difference between a reminder and an automatic follow-up?
A reminder tells you to follow up, and you write the email. An automatic follow-up sends the email you already wrote, and only if they haven’t replied. Mixmax does both.
Is there a free follow-up reminder for Gmail?
Yes. Mixmax Free includes reminders, plus 50 sequence recipients and 20 tracked emails a month.
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