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How to Change Gmail Label Colors

Tap a step to see how to change a Gmail label's color, in order.

  1. Find the label in the sidebar

    Scroll the left-hand label list in Gmail to find the label you want to recolor.

  2. Hover over the label and click the three-dot icon

    Hovering over a label name reveals a three-dot "more" icon on the right; click it.

  3. Choose "Label color"

    Select "Label color" from the menu that appears.

  4. Pick a color, or add a custom one

    Click any preset color to apply it instantly, or choose "Add custom color" at the bottom of the palette to set your own background and text color.

  5. Why this is worth doing

    Color-coding labels like Work, Personal, and Urgent lets you tell what kind of message you're looking at from across the inbox, at a glance.

A sub-label can carry its own color, independent of its parent

A nested sub-label doesn't have to inherit its parent label's color -- you can set each sub-label's color separately, which is useful for something like color-coding individual projects nested under a single "Work" label.

Removing a color resets a label to Gmail's default gray

If a custom or preset color stops being useful, open the same "Label color" menu and choose the default option (usually shown as "No color" at the top of the palette) to reset the label to plain gray text without deleting the label itself.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I set a custom color beyond the provided palette?

Yes. Click "Add custom color" near the bottom of the color palette to choose your own exact background and text color.

Can a sub-label have a different color from its parent label?

Yes. Each sub-label's color is set independently, so a sub-label can use a completely different color from the label it's nested under.