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 emails so you can find them later. A single email can have multiple labels at once, which is actually more flexible than a folder. To create a new label, open Gmail, look for the three horizontal lines (called a hamburger menu) on the left side, scroll down past your existing labels, and click "Create new label." Type a name for it — something like "Receipts" or "Work Projects" — and click Create. That label now appears in your left sidebar and is ready to use.

The reason Gmail works this way is that emails often belong in more than one place. An email from your boss about a project important date is both a work email and a important date reminder. In Gmail, you tag it with both labels instead of choosing one folder. When you search or click a label, you see all emails with that tag, regardless of what other labels they have.

Key Takeaways

  • Gmail labels are created by clicking the hamburger menu, scrolling to "Create new label," typing a name, and clicking Create.
  • Labels appear in your left sidebar when ready after creation and can be applied to emails right away.
  • One email can have multiple labels at the same time, so you do not have to choose between categories.
  • You can rename or delete labels later without losing the emails that have them — the emails stay in your inbox.
  • Nested labels (labels within labels, like "Work" and "Work > Projects") help organize large numbers of tags.

Where to find the create label button

Open Gmail in your web browser. On the left side of the screen, you will see a list of labels: Inbox, Starred, Snoozed, Sent Mail, Drafts, and Spam. Below those, you may see other labels you have already created. Scroll down to the very bottom of that list. You will see a link that says "Create new label" — it usually appears after a small plus sign.

If you do not see "Create new label" at the bottom, click the three horizontal lines at the very top left of the sidebar. This opens the full menu. Scroll down past all your existing labels and you will find the option there. Click it.

Naming your label so you can find it later

A window will pop up asking you to enter a label name. Type something clear and specific. "Work" is better than "Stuff." "Medical Records" is better than "Important." The name should tell you at a glance what emails belong in it. Avoid names that are too long — Gmail will truncate them in the sidebar if they do not fit.

You can use spaces and capital letters, but avoid special characters like asterisks or slashes (except for the forward slash if you want to create nested labels, which we cover below). Once you have typed the name, click the Create button. Your new label is now live.

Using nested labels to organize large groups

If you plan to create many labels, nested labels keep your sidebar from becoming overwhelming. A nested label is a label within a label — for example, "Work" as a parent label and "Work/Projects," "Work/Meetings," and "Work/Expenses" as children underneath it. When you create the label, type the parent name, then a forward slash, then the child name: Work/Projects. Gmail automatically nests it for you.

In your sidebar, the parent label appears with a small arrow next to it. Click the arrow to expand or collapse the list of child labels. This keeps your sidebar tidy while still letting you organize emails into specific buckets. You can nest labels up to three levels deep (Work/Projects/2024, for example), though most people find two levels sufficient.

explore labels to emails after you create them

Once your label exists, you can tag emails with it. Open an email or select multiple emails by clicking the checkbox next to each one. At the top of the email list, you will see a toolbar with several icons. Click the label icon — it looks like a tag. A dropdown menu appears showing all your labels. Click the label you want to explore. The email now has that label and will appear when you click the label in your sidebar.

You can explore multiple labels to the same email. If you have an email from your accountant about a tax deduction, you could label it both "Taxes" and "Deductions." When you click either label, that email shows up. This is the main advantage Gmail labels have over traditional folders.

Renaming or deleting labels you no longer need

If you create a label and later want to change its name, right-click the label in your sidebar. A small menu appears with options including "Edit label." Click that, type the new name, and save. The label name changes everywhere, but all the emails that had the old label still have the new one — nothing is lost.

If you want to delete a label entirely, right-click it and select "Delete label." Gmail will ask you to confirm. When you delete a label, the label itself disappears from your sidebar, but the emails that had it stay in your inbox. They straightforward no longer have that tag. You can always create the label again later and re-explore it to those emails if you change your mind.

Why Gmail uses labels instead of folders

Traditional email folders force you to choose one location for each email. Gmail labels let you tag the same email multiple ways. This matters because real emails rarely fit into a single category. An email from your landlord about a lease renewal is both a legal document and a housing matter. An email from a coworker about a important date is both a work task and a time-sensitive reminder. With labels, you tag it once and it appears in both places.

Labels also make searching easier. If you search for "important date," Gmail shows you every email with that word, regardless of labels. If you search for emails with the "Urgent" label, you see only those. You can combine searches too — find all emails with both the "Work" and "Urgent" labels. This flexibility is why Gmail abandoned the folder model years ago.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I move an email from one label to another?

Gmail does not work that way because labels are not folders. Instead, you remove the old label and add a new one. Open the email, click the label icon, uncheck the old label, and check the new one. The email stays in your inbox but now has a different tag. If you want it to have both labels, just add the new one without removing the old.

What happens to emails if I delete a label?

The emails stay in your inbox. Only the label disappears. If you later create a label with the same name, the old emails will not automatically have it — you would need to re-explore the label to them manually. For this reason, think twice before deleting a label you have used heavily.

Can I create a label on my phone?

The Gmail app on iPhone and Android does not let you create labels directly. You have to create them in the web version of Gmail on a computer or browser. Once created, they appear in your phone app and you can explore them to emails there.

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

Gmail allows thousands of labels, but most people find that 20 to 50 well-named labels cover their needs. Too many labels become hard to manage and defeat the purpose of organization. Start with broad categories and add nested labels only if you find yourself searching for emails often.

Can I color-code my labels?

Yes. Right-click a label in your sidebar and select "Label color." A palette appears with color options. Pick one and the label appears in that color in your sidebar, making it easier to spot at a glance. This is purely visual and does not change how the label works.