Gmail folders are called labels, and you create them in seconds

Gmail does not use folders the way your computer does. Instead, it uses labels — tags you attach to messages so you can find them later. A single email can have multiple labels at once, which is actually more flexible than a traditional folder. Creating a label takes about 30 seconds and requires no special permissions.

The simplest way to create a label is to right-click on an email message. A menu appears with the option "Label as" — click that, then click "Create new" at the bottom of the submenu. Type the name you want (like "Invoices" or "Project Alpha") and press Enter. That label now exists and is attached to the message you clicked.

If you want to create a label without attaching it to a message first, go to the left sidebar where you see "Inbox," "Sent Mail," and "Drafts." Scroll to the bottom of that list and click the three dots next to "More." Select "Create new label," type the name, and click "Create." The label appears in your sidebar when ready, ready to use.

Key Takeaways

  • Gmail labels are tags you attach to messages, not folders — one email can have multiple labels at once.
  • The fastest way to create a label is to right-click a message, select "Label as," then click "Create new."
  • You can also create a label from the sidebar by clicking the three dots next to "More" and selecting "Create new label."
  • Labels appear in your left sidebar once created, and you can click any label to see all messages tagged with it.
  • You can rename, delete, or hide labels later by right-clicking the label name in the sidebar.

Creating a label from the sidebar

Open Gmail and look at the left side of the screen. You will see "Inbox," "Starred," "Sent Mail," and "Drafts" listed in order. Below those, you may see other labels you have already created. At the very bottom of this list, click the three dots (called a menu button) next to the word "More."

A small menu drops down. Click "Create new label." A dialog box appears asking you to name the label. Type whatever you want — "Work," "Receipts," "To Read Later," anything that makes sense for your messages. Do not use special characters like slashes or asterisks; stick to letters, numbers, and spaces. Click the "Create" button, and the label is done.

Your new label now appears in the sidebar. Click it anytime to see every message with that label. If you have many labels, Gmail will hide some of them behind a "Show more" link — click that to see the full list.

Creating a label by tagging a message

Open any email in Gmail. At the top of the message, you will see several icons — a back arrow, a delete button, a mark-as-spam button, and others. One of these icons looks like a tag or label. Click it. A menu appears showing all your existing labels with checkboxes next to them.

At the bottom of this menu, click "Create new." Type the name of the label you want to create. Click "Create," and Gmail attaches that label to the message when ready. The label also appears in your sidebar for future use.

This method is useful when you are reading a message and realize you need a new label for it. You create the label and tag the message in one action, rather than creating the label first and then finding the message later.

Organizing labels into groups

If you create many labels, Gmail lets you nest them — put labels inside other labels to keep your sidebar clean. For example, you might create a label called "Work" and then create labels inside it called "Work/Projects," "Work/Invoices," and "Work/Meetings."

To do this, create a label normally. Then create another label and name it with a forward slash: type "Work/Projects" as the name. Gmail automatically puts "Projects" under "Work" in your sidebar. The forward slash tells Gmail to treat the second word as a sub-label.

You can go as deep as you want — "Work/Projects/Client A" creates three levels. However, most people find two levels (like "Work/Invoices") clear enough. Too many levels makes labels harder to find quickly.

Attaching labels to messages after creation

Once a label exists, you can attach it to any message. Open the message and click the label icon (the tag symbol) at the top. A menu shows all your labels with empty checkboxes. Click the checkbox next to the label you want to attach. The checkbox fills in, and the label is now on that message.

You can attach multiple labels to one message. If you have an email about a work project that is also an invoice, you can tag it with both "Work" and "Invoices." Click the checkbox next to each label you want, then click outside the menu to close it.

To remove a label from a message, open the message, click the label icon, and uncheck the label you want to remove. The label stays in your sidebar — you are just removing it from that one message.

Viewing all messages with a specific label

Click any label in your left sidebar to see every message with that label. The main area of Gmail now shows only messages tagged with that label, in the same order as your inbox (newest first, unless you change the sort).

If you have nested labels like "Work/Projects," clicking "Work" shows all messages tagged with "Work" plus all messages tagged with any sub-label under "Work." Clicking "Work/Projects" shows only messages tagged with "Work/Projects" specifically.

You can search within a label too. Use the search box at the top of Gmail and type your search term. Gmail searches only the messages in the label you are currently viewing. This is useful when you have many invoices and need to find one from a specific month.

Changing or deleting labels

Right-click any label in your sidebar to see options. You can rename the label, delete it, or hide it from your sidebar (without deleting the label itself). If you delete a label, the messages do not disappear — they just lose that tag. You can always create the label again and re-tag them.

If you want to hide a label from your sidebar because you do not use it often, right-click it and select "Hide." The label still exists and is still attached to your messages, but it no longer takes up space in your sidebar. You can unhide it later the same way.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I move a message from one label to another?

Gmail does not work that way because labels are not folders. A message can have multiple labels at once. Instead of moving a message, you add or remove labels. Open the message, click the label icon, and check or uncheck the labels you want. The message stays in your inbox and in any label you have tagged it with.

What happens if I delete a label?

The label disappears from your sidebar, but the messages do not disappear. They straightforward lose that tag. You can create the label again anytime and re-tag those messages if you need to. Gmail will not ask you to confirm the deletion, so be careful if you have a label you use often.

Can I use the same label on messages in different email accounts?

No. Labels are specific to each Gmail account. If you have two Gmail accounts, each one has its own set of labels. You would need to create the same labels in both accounts separately if you want them organized the same way.

Is there a limit to how many labels I can create?

Gmail does not publish a hard limit, but most people find that 50 to 100 labels is plenty. If you create hundreds of labels, your sidebar becomes slow and hard to use. Start with a few broad labels and add more only when you need them.

Can I color-code my labels?

Yes. Right-click a label in your sidebar and select "Label color." A palette appears with color options. Click the color you want, and that label now appears in your sidebar in that color. This helps you spot important labels at a glance.