Gmail uses labels instead of traditional folders
Gmail does not have folders in the way other email services do. Instead, it uses a system called labels that work similarly but more flexibly. A label is a tag you attach to an email message. Unlike a folder, a single email can have multiple labels at once, and you can search or filter by label to find messages quickly.
This matters for organizing because it means you are not forced to choose one place for each email. You could label a message from your landlord with both "Housing" and "Urgent" at the same time, then find it by searching either label. Traditional folders would force you to pick one or the other.
Key Takeaways
- Labels in Gmail are created by clicking the three-line menu icon, selecting "Labels," and then clicking "Create new label."
- You can add a label to an email by opening the message, clicking the label icon (looks like a tag), and selecting or typing the label name.
- One email can have multiple labels, so you can tag a message with both "Bills" and "2024 Taxes" without moving it between folders.
- Nested labels (like "Bills > Utilities") help organize related labels into groups and reduce clutter in your label list.
How to create a new label from the settings menu
Open Gmail and click the three horizontal lines (the menu icon) on the left side of the screen. Scroll down until you see "Labels" and click it. At the bottom of the Labels section, click "Create new label." A box will appear asking you to name the label. Type a name like "Housing," "Medical," or "Scam Reports" — whatever matches what you want to organize.
After you type the name, you can optionally click "Create sublabel" if you want this label to nest under another one. For example, you might create a label called "Bills" first, then create "Utilities" as a sublabel under it. This keeps your label list from becoming overwhelming. When you are done, click "Create."
How to add a label to an email you already have
Open the email message you want to label. Near the top of the message, look for a tag icon (it looks like a small label or sticker). Click it. A dropdown menu will show all your existing labels with checkboxes next to them. Click the checkbox next to any label you want to add to this email. You can select multiple labels at once.
If you want to create a new label while labeling this email, type the label name in the search box at the top of the dropdown. Gmail will show you an option to "Create new label" with the name you typed. Click it, and the label will be created and added to the email in one step.
How to label multiple emails at once
If you have several emails you want to label together, you can do this without opening each one. In your inbox or any folder, click the checkbox next to the first email you want to label. Then hold Shift and click the checkbox next to the last email in the group you want to select — this selects all emails between them. Alternatively, click each checkbox individually if the emails are not in a row.
Once you have selected the emails, click the label icon (tag) that appears at the top of the email list. The same dropdown menu will appear. Select the label or labels you want to add to all the selected emails at once. This is much faster than labeling them one by one, especially if you are organizing a large batch of old messages.
How to find emails by label
On the left side of Gmail, under the Labels section, you will see all the labels you have created. Click any label name to see only the emails with that label. The number next to the label shows how many emails have it. If you created nested labels (like "Bills > Utilities"), click the arrow next to the parent label to expand it and see the sublabels.
You can also search for a label using the search box at the top of Gmail. Type "label:" followed by the label name, like "label:Housing" or "label:Scam Reports." This works even if you are not sure of the exact spelling, and it will show you every email with that label.
How to rename or delete a label
To change a label's name, click the three-line menu, select "Labels," and find the label you want to edit. Click the three dots next to the label name and select "Edit label." Type the new name and click "Save." Renaming a label does not affect the emails that have it — they keep the label with the new name.
To delete a label, click the three dots next to it and select "Delete label." Gmail will ask whether you want to delete the label only or delete the label and all emails with it. If you choose to delete the label only, the emails stay in your inbox but lose that label. If you choose to delete both, those emails are permanently removed. Be careful with this option.
Why labels help you spot scams and stay organized
Labels let you create a system that matches how you actually think about your mail. You might label suspicious emails with "Check This" and "Sender Unknown" at the same time, then review them all together before deciding whether to report them. You can label legitimate bills with both "Bills" and the year ("2024 Bills"), making it straightforward to find all your financial records for a specific year without creating separate folders.
Because one email can have multiple labels, you are not forced to choose between organizing by topic, by sender, by year, or by urgency. You can do all of them at once. This flexibility is what makes labels more powerful than traditional folders for the kind of organizing that actually helps you find things and spot patterns — like recognizing when multiple emails from different senders are using the same scam language.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I color-code my labels to make them easier to spot?
Yes. Click the three-line menu, select "Labels," and find the label you want to color. Click the three dots next to it and select "Label color." Choose from a palette of colors. The label will appear in that color in your label list and next to emails that have it, making it easier to scan your inbox visually.
What happens if I delete a label by accident?
If you delete a label, Gmail asks whether you want to delete the label only or the label and all emails with it. If you chose to delete the label only, the emails are still in your inbox — they just no longer have that label. If you deleted both, the emails are gone. Gmail does not have an undo button for this, so be careful when deleting.
Can I move a label to be under a different parent label?
Yes. Click the three-line menu, select "Labels," and find the label you want to move. Click the three dots next to it and select "Edit label." Click the dropdown next to "Nest label under" and select a different parent label. Click "Save." The label will move to its new position in your label hierarchy.
Do labels work the same way on the Gmail mobile app?
Labels work the same way on mobile, but the interface is slightly different. Open an email and tap the label icon (tag) at the top. You can add or remove labels from there. To see all emails with a label, tap the three-line menu, scroll to "Labels," and tap the label name you want to view.