What a label is and why you'd use one

A label in Gmail is a tag you attach to emails to organize them into groups. Unlike folders in other email programs, a single email can have multiple labels at once — so the same message can be tagged "Work" and "Urgent" and "Follow Up" all at the same time. Labels let you find related emails fast without moving them out of your inbox.

The main reason to use labels is that they work better than Gmail's folder system for the way most people actually sort mail. You might want to see all emails from your landlord, but also all emails about your lease, and those two groups overlap. A label approach handles that overlap. You can also search for a label name and see every email with that tag, regardless of when it arrived.

Gmail comes with a few built-in labels like "Starred" and "Important", but you create your own labels to match the way you think about your mail.

Key Takeaways

  • You create a new label by clicking the "Create new label" option in the left sidebar, typing a name, and confirming — the whole process takes under a minute.
  • Once a label exists, you add it to an email by opening the message, clicking the label icon, and checking the box next to the label name.
  • You can assign a label to multiple emails at once by selecting them in your inbox, then clicking the label icon in the toolbar.
  • Labels appear in your left sidebar so you can click one to see all emails with that tag, and you can delete a label without deleting the emails it was attached to.

Creating a new label from the sidebar

The fastest way to create a label is from the left side of your Gmail inbox. Look for the word "Labels" in the left panel — it appears below your inbox and starred messages. Directly under "Labels" you'll see a small plus sign or the text "Create new label". Click that option.

A box will pop up asking you to name your label. Type a short, clear name — something like "Rent", "Medical", "Car Insurance", or "2024 Taxes". Avoid very long names because they take up space in your sidebar. Once you've typed the name, click "Create" or press Enter. The label now exists and appears in your left sidebar under the Labels section.

If you don't see a "Create new label" option, scroll down in the left sidebar — it may be below your existing labels. On a phone, tap the menu icon (three horizontal lines) to see the full label list, then look for the plus sign next to "Labels".

Adding a label to a single email

Open the email you want to label. Near the top of the message, you'll see several small icons — one looks like a tag or label icon (it may show as a small rectangle or a tag shape). Click that icon. A menu will drop down showing all your labels.

Find the label you want to add and click the checkbox next to it. The checkbox will fill in, and the label is now attached to that email. You can add as many labels to one email as you want — just keep clicking checkboxes. When you're done, click outside the menu or press Escape to close it. The email now has those labels, and you can see them listed at the top of the message.

If you can't find the label icon, look for three dots (a menu icon) at the top right of the email. Click that, then look for "Labels" or "Add labels" in the menu that appears.

Labeling multiple emails at once

If you have several emails you want to tag with the same label, you can do it in one step instead of opening each one. In your inbox, click the checkbox next to the first email you want to label. Then hold Ctrl (or Cmd on a Mac) and click the checkboxes next to the other emails. All selected emails will have a light background showing they're chosen.

Once you've selected all the emails, look at the toolbar above your inbox — you'll see a label icon there (the same tag or rectangle shape). Click it, and the label menu will appear. Check the box next to the label you want to add to all selected emails. The label is now attached to every email you selected.

This method works for emails spread across different dates or senders. You can select 2 emails or 20 emails at once, as long as they're all visible on your current screen or you scroll to find them while holding Ctrl.

Organizing labels into groups

If you create many labels, your sidebar can get crowded. Gmail lets you nest labels inside other labels to keep things tidy. When you create a new label, the creation box offers an option to put it "under" another label. Click that option and choose a parent label — for example, you could create "Rent", "Insurance", and "Medical" as separate labels, then create a parent label called "Bills" and nest all three under it.

Once nested, the parent label appears in your sidebar with a small arrow next to it. Click the arrow to expand and see the labels inside. This doesn't change how labeling works — you still add labels to emails the same way — but it makes your sidebar easier to scan when you have ten or more labels.

You can also rename a label or change which parent it belongs to by right-clicking the label name in the sidebar and selecting "Edit label". A box will appear with options to change the name or parent label.

Finding and removing labels

To see all emails with a particular label, click that label name in the left sidebar. Gmail will show you every email tagged with that label, no matter when it arrived or who sent it. You can then search within that view, or explore additional filters.

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

If you want to delete a label entirely, right-click it in the sidebar and select "Delete label". Gmail will ask you to confirm. Deleting a label does not delete any emails — it only removes the tag. All the emails that had that label will still be in your inbox; they just won't have that tag anymore.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use the same label on emails from different people?

Yes. Labels work across all your emails regardless of sender, date, or subject. You could label emails from your landlord, your bank, and your insurance company all with the label "Bills" if you want to see them together.

What's the difference between a label and starring an email?

A star marks a single email as important to you. A label groups related emails together. You can star an email and also label it — they work together. Stars are quick flags; labels are for organization.

Can I search for emails by label?

Yes. Type "label:rent" in the Gmail search box (replace "rent" with your label name) to see all emails with that label. You can also just click the label name in the sidebar, which does the same thing.

Do labels work the same way on my phone as on a computer?

Mostly yes. On a phone, tap the three-dot menu on an email to find the label option. The process is the same, but the icons are smaller and the menu is accessed differently. Labels you create on your computer appear on your phone automatically.

What happens if I create a label but never use it?

Nothing. Unused labels just sit in your sidebar. You can delete them anytime by right-clicking and selecting "Delete label". Deleting an unused label doesn't affect any emails.