How to Organize an Inbox in Gmail

Unlike many email clients, Gmail doesn't allow you to create folders to organize your email. This can sometimes make your Inbox seem very cluttered and overwhelming, but luckily Gmail has other features that can be used to organize your email. By applying filters and labels to your messages, you can actually make your Inbox incredibly easy to navigate.

Instructions

Create Filters

    1

    Create filters to organize your incoming messages. Filters can be used to automatically forward, archive, label or delete messages as they come in to your email address. Click the "Create a Filter" link next to the search box in Gmail or click "Settings" and choose the "Filters" tab.

    2

    Enter the information in the correct fields to filter incoming messages. If, for example, you want all emails regarding the Smith Account forwarded to another email address, then enter the keywords "Smith Account" in the "Has the words" field. Or, if you know want emails from your grandma to have a specific label, enter her email address in the "From" field. You can be as vague or as specific as you'd like.

    3

    Use the "Test Search" button to see which emails already in your Inbox will be affected by the filter. If you're satisfied, click "Next Step."

    4

    Choose what action(s) you'd like the filter to perform by checking the correct boxes. You can also choose to apply the filter to apply to previously received emails that fit your chosen criteria. Click "Create Filter."

Organize Using Labels

    5

    Go to Settings, then Labels to create labels for your email. Not quite folders, Labels in Gmail work in a similar manner. You can designate a Label for certain email addresses. For instance, if you wanted all messages from eHow to be labeled "eHow" you can create a Label called "eHow" and apply it to all the associated email addresses.

    6

    Create new labels. Type a name for your Label in the text box and hit "Create." Alternatively if you want to create a label from your Inbox, select the message(s) it will apply to and choose "New Label" from the Action menu.

    7

    Apply labels by checking the box next to an email and choosing the Label name from the Action menu.

    8

    Organize your Inbox by using Labels in conjunction with Filters. Once you have your Labels created, you can create a filter that will automatically label certain email addresses as the message comes into your Inbox.

    9

    Select different colors for your Labels to make them easier to spot. On the left-hand side of your Gmail, there is a list of your current Labels. Click on the color square next to the name to choose a color for the Label. Try to make all your Labels different colors so you quickly access the email as it comes in.

    10

    See all the emails that share a Label by clicking on the name in the Label list. Your Gmail will show only the messages with that Label.

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