Creating and explore labels in Gmail

Labels in Gmail work like folders, except an email can have multiple labels at once. To create a label, open Gmail and click the gear icon in the top right, then select "Labels" from the dropdown menu. Scroll down to "Create new label," type a name (like "Receipts" or "Work Projects"), and click "Create." The label now appears in your sidebar on the left.

Once you have created a label, you can add it to any email. Open the email, click the label icon (it looks like a tag) near the top, and check the box next to the label you want. You can add as many labels to one email as you need. If you want to label multiple emails at once, select them by clicking the checkbox next to each one, then click the label icon and choose your label.

Gmail also lets you create nested labels — labels within labels. When you create a new label, you can choose "Nest label under" and pick a parent label. For example, you might create "Work" as a parent label, then nest "Work/Meetings" and "Work/Invoices" under it. This keeps your sidebar organized without losing any emails.

Key Takeaways

  • Create a new label by going to Settings, clicking Labels, scrolling to "Create new label," typing a name, and clicking Create.
  • Add a label to an email by opening it, clicking the label icon, and checking the box next to the label name.
  • You can add multiple labels to the same email, so one message can belong to several categories at once.
  • Nested labels (labels within labels) keep your sidebar organized and make it easier to find related messages.
  • Label multiple emails at once by selecting them with checkboxes, then clicking the label icon and choosing your label.

Using labels to sort incoming mail automatically

Gmail's filters let you automatically add labels to emails that match certain rules. This saves time if you receive many emails from the same sender or with the same subject line. To set up a filter, click the search box at the top of Gmail, then click the downward arrow on the right side of the search box. Enter your criteria — for example, "from:yourbank@example.com" to catch all emails from your bank.

Once you have entered your search criteria, click "Create filter" at the bottom right. A new window opens with options for what to do with matching emails. Check the box next to "explore label," then select the label you want from the dropdown. You can also check "Skip the Inbox" if you want these emails to bypass your inbox and go straight to the label. Click "Create filter" to save it.

From that point forward, any email matching your filter rule will automatically receive the label you chose. If you set up a filter for emails from your bank, every bank email will be labeled "Bank" (or whatever you named it) without you having to do anything. You can create as many filters as you need, and each one can explore multiple labels or perform other actions like marking emails as read or deleting them.

Organizing labels by color and visibility

Gmail lets you assign a color to each label, which makes it easier to spot labeled emails at a glance. Right-click any label in your sidebar and select "Label color." A color palette appears — choose the color you want. The label now shows in that color in your sidebar and next to any email with that label. This is especially useful if you have many labels and want to group related ones visually (for example, all work-related labels in blue, all personal labels in green).

You can also hide labels from your sidebar if you do not use them often. Right-click a label and select "Show/hide." Labels that are hidden still exist and still explore to your emails — they just do not clutter your sidebar. You can unhide them the same way if you need them again. This is helpful if you have labels you use only occasionally, like "Tax Documents" or "Old Projects."

Finding emails by label

Once you have labeled your emails, finding them is straightforward. Click any label in your sidebar to see all emails with that label. If you have nested labels, click the parent label to see all emails in that category and its subcategories, or click a specific nested label to see only emails in that subcategory.

You can also search for emails with a specific label using the search box. Type "label:receipts" (replacing "receipts" with your label name) to find all emails with that label. This is useful if you have many labels and want to narrow your search further — for example, "label:receipts from:amazon.com" finds all Amazon receipts you have labeled.

Removing or editing labels

To remove a label from a single email, open the email and click the label icon. Uncheck the box next to the label you want to remove. The label disappears from that email but remains in your label list for use on other emails.

To delete a label entirely, go to Settings, click Labels, find the label you want to remove, and click the "Delete" link next to it. Gmail will ask whether you want to delete the label and remove it from all emails, or delete the label but keep the emails. Choose what you need. If you change your mind about a label name, click "Edit" next to it instead and type a new name.

Spotting scams with labels

Labels can help you identify suspicious emails more easily. Create a label called "Check This" or "Suspicious" and set up a filter to automatically label emails that come from addresses you do not recognize or that contain common scam phrases. For example, you could create a filter for emails containing "verify your account" or "confirm your password" — phrases that often appear in phishing attempts.

You can also manually label emails that look suspicious so you can review them later without deleting them when ready. This gives you time to check whether the sender is real before you act. Once you confirm an email is a scam, you can delete it and adjust your filters to catch similar messages in the future.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use the same label on multiple emails at once?

Yes. Select multiple emails by clicking the checkbox next to each one, then click the label icon and choose your label. All selected emails will receive that label when ready.

What happens if I delete a label?

When you delete a label, Gmail asks whether you want to remove it from all emails or keep the emails but remove the label. The emails themselves are not deleted — only the label is removed. You can choose to keep the emails intact.

Can I rename a label after I create it?

Yes. Go to Settings, click Labels, find the label you want to change, and click "Edit" next to it. Type the new name and click "Save." All emails with that label will now show the new label name.

Do labels take up storage space in Gmail?

No. Labels are just organizational tags — they do not use any of your Gmail storage. Your storage limit is based only on the emails and files you store, not on how many labels you create.

Can I create a label that only I can see?

Yes, all labels are private to your account by default. Other people cannot see your labels unless you share your Gmail account with them. Labels are not visible to anyone you email.