Archiving removes emails from your inbox without deleting them
Archiving in Gmail means moving an email out of your inbox and into a separate storage area called "All Mail". The email is not deleted — it stays in your account forever unless you permanently delete it later. You can search for archived emails anytime and move them back to your inbox if you need them again.
Most people archive emails to keep their inbox clean and focused on messages that need action. Once archived, an email no longer shows up in your inbox list, but it is still searchable and recoverable. This is different from deleting, which removes the email entirely after 30 days.
Key Takeaways
- Archiving moves an email to "All Mail" but does not delete it — you can search for it anytime.
- On a computer, click the archive button (a box with a down arrow) or select multiple emails and archive them together.
- On a phone, swipe left on an email (iPhone) or swipe right (Android) to archive it when ready.
- You can undo an archive within a few seconds by clicking the undo button that appears at the bottom of the screen.
- Archived emails still count toward your storage limit, so archiving does not free up space — only deleting does.
How to archive a single email on your computer
Open Gmail in your web browser and click on any email to read it. At the top of the email, look for a row of buttons. The archive button looks like a box with a down arrow pointing into it. Click that button once, and the email disappears from your inbox when ready.
If you cannot find the archive button, it may be hidden under a menu. Click the three dots (more options) at the top right of the email, then select "Archive" from the dropdown menu. Either way, the email moves to "All Mail" and is no longer visible in your inbox.
How to archive multiple emails at once
In your inbox list, click the checkbox next to each email you want to archive. You can select as many as you want. Once you have checked the boxes, the archive button appears at the top of the list — it is the same box-with-arrow icon. Click it, and all selected emails move to "All Mail" at once.
This is faster than archiving one email at a time, especially if you want to clear out old messages. You can also use the checkbox at the very top of the email list to select all emails on the current page, then archive them together.
How to archive emails on your phone
On an iPhone, open Gmail and swipe left on any email in your inbox. A trash icon and an archive icon appear on the right side. Tap the archive icon (the box with a down arrow) to move that email out of your inbox.
On an Android phone, swipe right on an email to archive it. The email disappears from your inbox when ready. If you swipe the wrong direction or change your mind, a notification appears at the bottom of the screen with an "Undo" button — tap it within a few seconds to bring the email back.
How to find an archived email
Archived emails are stored in "All Mail", which you can access from the left sidebar in Gmail. Click "All Mail" and you will see every email in your account that has not been permanently deleted, including archived messages. You can scroll through the list or use the search box at the top of Gmail to find a specific archived email by sender name, subject, or keywords.
If you remember roughly when you archived an email, you can narrow the search by clicking the search box and then clicking the filter icon (a funnel shape). You can filter by date, sender, or other details to find what you are looking for faster.
How to move an archived email back to your inbox
Find the archived email using the search box or by browsing "All Mail". Click on the email to open it, then click the archive button again (the box with a down arrow). The email moves back to your inbox and appears in your inbox list again.
You can also move multiple archived emails back to your inbox at once. In "All Mail", select the checkboxes next to the emails you want to restore, then click the archive button. They will reappear in your inbox when ready.
The difference between archiving, deleting, and marking as spam
Archiving hides an email from your inbox but keeps it in "All Mail" forever. Deleting moves an email to your Trash folder, where it stays for 30 days before Gmail permanently removes it. Marking as spam sends an email to your Spam folder and tells Gmail that similar emails from that sender should go to spam automatically in the future.
If you delete an email by mistake, you can recover it from Trash within 30 days. Click "Trash" in the left sidebar, find the email, open it, and click the archive button or the "Move to Inbox" option. After 30 days, deleted emails cannot be recovered.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does archiving an email delete it?
No. Archiving moves an email to "All Mail" but keeps it in your account permanently. You can search for it anytime and move it back to your inbox. Only deleting removes an email, and even then it stays in Trash for 30 days before it is gone for good.
Can I undo an archive?
Yes, within a few seconds. After you archive an email, a notification appears at the bottom of the screen with an "Undo" button. Click it to bring the email back to your inbox. If the notification disappears, open the email from "All Mail" and click the archive button again to restore it.
Does archiving save storage space?
No. Archived emails still count toward your Gmail storage limit, just like emails in your inbox. Only deleting emails permanently removes them from your account and frees up space. If you need to save storage, you should delete old emails instead of archiving them.
What happens if I archive an email by mistake?
You can undo it when ready by clicking the "Undo" button that appears at the bottom of the screen. If you miss that window, go to "All Mail", find the email using search, open it, and click the archive button again to move it back to your inbox.
Can I archive emails automatically?
Gmail does not have a built-in auto-archive feature, but you can use filters to automatically delete or label emails instead. Go to Settings, click "Filters and Blocked Addresses", and create a filter that applies a label or deletes emails matching certain criteria. This is more powerful than archiving because you can set rules based on sender, subject, or keywords.