Let’s cut straight to the chase here: if you’re a Google Mail or Google Docs user, you need CloudMagic for Chrome or Firefox. This free browser add-on indexes all of your mail, documents and contacts, enabling you to quickly and easily search any of these elements without having to stop what you’re doing: just click the CloudMagic button in your toolbar and the search box appears in its own pop-up window.

Type your search terms and results are displayed instantly – and because your index is stored offline, it’s secure and available to you when you’re not connected to the internet (or logged into your Google account). Select an entry and it’ll appear in its own preview window, allowing you to copy and paste or click a link to view that message, contact or document in its own tab.

Any Gmail user who’s had to save a draft of a message to perform a search for some important information will find it a boon. Chrome users can even access the index directly from the Address bar: type ‘c’, press [Tab] and then type your search terms. The results appear in the usual dropdown format – no preview here, but clicking one instantly opens the item in question in its own tab.

CloudMagic for Chrome and CloudMagic for Firefox are available as free downloads for Windows, Mac and Linux users. Future plans include allowing you to incorporate your Facebook and Twitter accounts too, ensuring it’ll become even more essential.