Perhaps there's a certain subset of messages that you want to delete, but filter options don't encompass them. This is helpful if your filters end up too aggressive – or not aggressive enough. To alter or delete a filter you've already made, navigate to Settings > Filters and Blocked Addresses. You can always mark certain messages as important, make sure they never go to Spam, or star them (a neat trick for weeding out promotional emails is to create a filter for emails that have the word "unsubscribe" in it). In that case, you probably want to check off the "Delete it" option.Ĭonversely, you can also use filters to make sure your important emails get prioritized. For example, you may be dealing with stubborn promotional offers that won't go away with the Unsubscribe feature. This is just an example of a filter configuration, but you will find other settings work best for different needs.
This makes it easy to select these unimportant messages and delete them later on, and serves as a handy archive of info I may need to refer back to. Now, whenever I want to see these statements, I can just click the "Charter" folder in the left column of my Gmail inbox. I have the "Also apply filter to matching conversation" box checked – that way, the results of the search I just conducted will also be filtered according to these instructions. In my example, I want these messages (billing statements from my ISP) to skip the inbox entirely, and instead be sent directly to a labeled folder (Charter). Select all X conversations in X."Ĭreating filters helps keep your inbox clear in the future
Once you check it, though, Google will issue an indication in the top bar of your inbox: "All X conversations on this page are selected. In that case, checking the "select all" box only selects the messages on the first page. In some cases, more messages may fit the filter than are displayed on one page. Bye, depressing confirmations of takeout ordered online! Tick the square box at the very top of the page (inline with the menu bar), which selects all messages on the page. Look them over to make sure there's nothing of consequence, then go for the gold. You might see hundreds or even thousands of emails. You'll be greeted with a filtered inbox, which shows all of the emails that fit your criteria. If you just want to round up and delete these filtered messages, click the blue search button. You can either click the blue search button on the left, or the "Create filter with this search" link on the right. Once you've set your parameters, you have two options. It's usually autofilled with the sender as the common thread (which should be enough for many types of spammy content) but as you see, it's possible to further refine the group. You'll be greeted with a Filter window with several options. "FIlter messages like these" is found under the "More" option You can configure (but not delete) system labels like Starred, Important, Sent Mail and Drafts, or you dial in the ones you've created yourself. To further define, edit or delete labels, head to Settings > Labels. Click the downward-facing arrow to the right of the title, and you'll see the "Label Color" option. After you create a label, find it in the left hand column, and hover over the heading. You can also color-code labels for more at-a-glance visual organization. For example, you could have a main label called "Clients" and a sub-label for each individual. It's possible to apply more than one label at a time, as well as create sub-labels.
When you Label an e-mail, you are simply adding an identifying tag.
When you Move an email, you are filing it away into a folder. To create a label, you can either go to Settings > Labels > Create New Label, or when you have an email open, you can click the "Move to" or "Label" icons, then hit "Create New". Labels can act as folders – places to store messages instead of the inbox – or they can act just like regular labels, identifying tags that appear next to the subject line of your messages to help keep you organized. If you're not using labels in Gmail, it's time to start. Here are New Atlas' tips for achieving an immaculate inbox so you can find what you need, when you need it. However, it's easy to abuse those luxuries and find yourself buried in an inbox thousands of messages deep. Ample storage space and extreme searchability are two of the driving factors behind Gmail's popularity.