A well-organized inbox is one of the easiest ways to improve email productivity. Show
Fortunately, Gmail offers several effective ways to manage your inbox — the easiest being Gmail labels (or folders). These folders enable you to organize your important emails better, making them easily accessible. In this article, I’ll first clarify how Gmail’s folder system works. Then, I’ll cover how to use folders in Gmail using its web app and mobile app, including how to create, nest, and remove your Gmail folders. This Gmail Guide Contains:(Click on links to jump to specific sections)
Let’s get started. Gmail Folders vs. LabelsGmail doesn’t have a traditional folder system like Microsoft Outlook. How are labels different from folders? For example, it’s possible to assign an email to the labels “Weekend plans” and “Personal” — without creating a copy of it for each label. Since a Gmail label and a folder are essentially the same, I’ll be using “labels” and “folders” interchangeably in this guide. Now that you know what a Gmail folder (or label) is, let’s go over how you can use it on the Gmail web app: How to Use Folders on the Gmail Web AppGmail’s folders can help you organize your inbox better and manage emails more efficiently. But for effective inbox organization, you’ll first need to know how to create and manage labels inside Gmail. To help you out, I’ll talk about:
Let’s dive straight into creating folders on your Gmail web app: A. How to Create Folders on the Gmail Web AppWhile there are several ways to create new folders in the desktop version of Gmail, I’ll cover the two easiest methods in this guide. i. Method 1: Using Email Options to Create LabelsStep
1 If you don’t have a Gmail account, sign up and set up your new mailbox. Step 2 Hover your mouse cursor over the Label as option and click Create new. Remember, I’m using “labels” and “folders” interchangeably in this guide. Step 3 Note: You’ll also notice the option to nest the label. You can nest one or multiple labels inside another label. Nesting a label is Gmail’s equivalent of creating a subfolder. I’ll go into more detail on how to create a nested label later in this guide. ii. Method 2: Using the left sidebar to create labelsStep 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4 Keep scrolling down until you see the Create new label button. Step 5 Name your new folder, click Create, and you’re good to go! Pro tip: To create a folder, you can also select an email, click the little label icon (or folder icon) below the search bar, and follow the steps outlined above. Once you’ve created your new folder, you can add the relevant emails to it. Go back to Contents B. How to Move Emails into Folders on the Gmail Web AppMoving your important emails into Gmail folders is much easier than creating new folders. Here’s how to do it on Gmail’s desktop version: Step 1 Step 2 Then, click and hold to drag them over to the required folder on the left sidebar. Step 3 But how do you move important emails to a folder automatically? Let’s find out. C. How to Assign Emails to a Folder Automatically on the Gmail Web AppGmail also lets you avoid the hassle of manually assigning emails to folders. Here’s how it works: Step 1 Step 2 This way, all future emails from this email address will automatically go to the folder you assign. Note: You can also fill in other filter criteria to create a more restrictive filter. Step 3 Step 4 Step 5 Gmail will now send all incoming emails from that email address to the specific folder you have chosen. Alternatively, open the specific emails to which you want to apply a filter, and click the three vertical dots next to the label icon (folder icon). From the drop-down menu that appears, select Filter messages like these and follow the steps outlined above. Go back to Contents Next, I’ll discuss the steps to nest a folder inside another in Gmail. D. How to Nest Folders on the Gmail Web AppNesting folders in Gmail is very similar to creating subfolders inside a parent folder. i. Method 1: Create a New Nested Folder in an Existing folderHere’s how to create a new nested label inside an existing label: Step
1 Step 2 Step 3 ii. Method 2: Turn an Existing Folder into a SubfolderFollow the steps below to take an existing label or folder and turn it into a subfolder: Step 1 Step 2 Besides creating, moving, and nesting folders, you might often need to rename folders. I’ll share the steps to do so in Gmail. Go back to Contents E. How to Rename a Folder on the Gmail Web AppWant to change the folder
names you’ve already created? Step 1 Step 2 Type in the new name and save. That’s all there is to it! Now how do you delete a folder from Gmail? Let’s explore that next. F. How to Remove a Folder on the Gmail Web AppFollow the below steps to remove a label from the Gmail web app: Step 1 Step 2 This is a Delete Folder equivalent as it removes the folder from Gmail. Note: When you remove a label, Gmail doesn’t delete the emails under that label. It only erases the label. Go back to Contents G. How to Assign Colors to Your Folders on the Gmail Web AppIf you want to maximize your inbox organization, you can assign different colors to your folders to easily differentiate between them. Here’s how to color-code your Gmail folders on the web app: Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 H. How to Show or Hide Your Folders on the Gmail Web AppIf you have tons of folders and don’t want them crowding up your sidebar, Gmail lets you choose between showing and hiding folders. Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 To select the folders you want to make visible or not, click the show or hide buttons next to the folder name. Go back to Contents Next, I’ll go over how you can use and manage folders on the Gmail web app: How to Use Folders on the Gmail Mobile AppThe Gmail mobile app lets you move emails and also automatically assign email addresses to folders. I’ll show you how to:
Let’s first go over how to move emails to folders on the mobile app. A. How to Move Emails into Folders on the Gmail Mobile AppWhile the mobile app won’t let you create new folders, you can move emails into your existing folders. Here’s how to do it: Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4 This is how the Move to (destination folder) window looks: It’s a label list from which you can select the folder of your choice. Go back to Contents B. How to Move an Email to Another Folder on the Gmail Mobile AppIf you wish to move your emails from one Gmail folder to another, you can do so easily on the mobile app. Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4 The Move to window will have all the folder names except the parent label (parent folder) that contains the selected email. Go back to Contents You can also use Gmail’s mobile app to redirect emails directly to specific folders. Curious? C. How to Assign Labels to an Email Automatically on the Gmail Mobile AppNote: You can only assign labels automatically in iOS devices to move incoming emails to a specific folder. This feature is absent in Gmail’s Android mobile app. Here are the steps to automatically assign labels to a folder on the Gmail mobile app on iOS devices. Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4 Step 5 Step 6 Specific emails from the email address will now be automatically sent to the folder. Note: You can’t rename or edit a Gmail folder from the mobile app. You also cannot create a custom folder (custom label) in the mobile app either. Go back to Contents Wrapping UpOrganizing your mailbox can be a pain. But with Gmail folders, it becomes far easier! You can quickly create, delete, rename, and even assign colors to folders in minutes. And while the mobile app may lack some features, the web app more than makes up for it. Try out the handy steps I covered here to organize your Gmail inbox easily! Ready to transform Gmail into an email marketing/cold email/mail merge tool? Only GMass packs every email app into one tool — and brings
it all into Gmail for you. Better emails. Tons of power. Easy to use. TRY GMASS FOR FREE Ajay is the founder of GMass and has been developing email sending software for 20 years. Love what you're reading? Get the latest email strategy and tips & stay in touch. How do I create a new folder in my Gmail inbox?On your computer, go to Gmail. On the left, scroll down, then click More. Click Create new label. Name your label.
How do I create a folder and subfolders in Gmail?How to Create Folders on Phone. Open your Gmail app and sign in.. Tap on the three horizontal lines in the top left hand corner.. Scroll through the menu to Labels and tap on + Create new.. Type the name of your new label.. Tap Done.. Your new folder will be found in the left hand menu under Labels.. Can I insert folder in Gmail?Unfortunately, you can't directly upload folders as attachments in Gmail, but if you compress the folder into a ZIP file, you can attach it. Just be aware that if your attachment is larger than 25 MB, you'll have to use an alternative method, such as a link to a Google Drive folder.
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