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How to Organize Email with Gmail Labels

Tap a step to see it in order.

  1. Open label settings

    Click "Create new label" near the bottom of the left-hand menu, or go to the Labels tab in Settings.

  2. Create a new label

    Type a name for the label you want (for example, "Work" or "Receipts") and click Create.

  3. Apply a label to an email

    Open a message, click the label icon, and select the label you want to attach to it.

  4. Set up a filter for automatic labeling

    You can create a filter that automatically applies a label to messages from a specific sender or containing certain keywords.

  5. Create nested sub-labels

    Nesting a label inside another lets you build more specific categories, like "Work to Project A."

More flexible than a folder

Unlike a traditional folder, a single email in Gmail can carry several labels at once, which makes it much more flexible for organizing messages that belong to more than one category.

If your inbox has piled up

If labeling alone is not enough to get on top of a crowded inbox, it is worth also learning how to select and delete large numbers of old emails at once to clear out the backlog.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does applying a label remove the email from my inbox?

No. A label is just a tag for organizing messages, so the email stays in your inbox unless you separately archive it.

Can I change the color of a label?

Yes. Open the options menu next to a label to assign it a color, which makes it easier to tell labels apart at a glance by importance or type.