How to Organize Emails in Gmail: Tips and Tricks

Victor Dobre avatar
Victor Dobre
Updated on Feb 05

Find out the best hacks on how to organize emails in Gmail.

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If you are overwhelmed by your inbox, you have come to the right place to learn how to organize emails in Gmail. Between different work messages and inquiries, promotional emails, personal messages and more, it can become difficult to manage your mailbox. Read our blog post and find out the best tips and tricks to email management.

Tips on How to Organize Emails in Gmail

Organizing emails in Gmail can be done in various ways. Here are a few hacks you can follow to clean up your inbox.

Create Labels

Labels are a great way to categorize your emails. Check out this step-by-step on how to organize emails in Gmail by creating labels:

You can also assign multiple labels to a single email.

Set Up Gmail Filters

Filters allow you to create rules for incoming emails, helping you sort your inbox and learn how to organize emails in Gmail effectively. By setting up filters, you choose to automatically send a message to labels, or to archive, delete, star, or forward an email.

Read our guide on how to create filters in Gmail to make the most of your email management.

Pro Tip: Combine labels and filters to sort your emails more effectively.

When creating a new filter, you can apply it to the relevant label.

Change Inbox Density

Experiment with different inbox densities to find out how to organize emails in Gmail.

Gmail lets you view your inbox in various ways. You can choose the density in your emails to determine how much space is used to display your messages and elements.

Step 1: Login to your Gmail account

Step 2: Click on the settings gear.

Step 3: Go to the “Density” Section.

Step 4: Choose between “Default”, "Comfortable" or “Compact” views, depending on your preferences.

Choose Your Inbox Type

Wondering how to organize emails in Gmail with Inbox Types?

On your Gmail account, you can choose to sort your emails by inbox type. Here is everything you need to know:

Steps to Set Up Inbox Types

Step 1: Once logged into your Gmail account, click on the settings gear.

Step 2: Select “See all settings”.

Step 3: Go to the “Inbox” tab.

Step 4: Choose between the displayed “Inbox types”.

Inbox Types Explained

Discover how to organize emails in Gmail by choosing the right inbox type:

  • Default: Emails are displayed in a chronological order. This inbox type allows you to add Categories to your emails (Primary, Promotions, Social, Updates, Forums).

  • Important first: Emails are sorted per importance, based on Gmail’s predictive algorithm. The most important emails will appear at the top of your inbox.

  • Unread first: Unread emails are displayed first, followed by Read emails. This allows you to make unread messages more visible.

  • Starred first: Starred emails are displayed first, followed by the rest of messages.

  • Priority inbox: Priority emails are displayed first, based on Gmail’s understanding of your usage behavior.

  • Multiple inboxes: Allows you to create multi[le sections to view alongside each other within your inbox.

Star Emails

Starring emails will help you highlight the important messages that you might need to revisit. Starring an email adds a star icon to it, making it easier to spot later on.

Read this guide by Google to find out how to star your Gmail messages.

Delete Emails to Declutter Inbox

One effective tip on how to organize emails in Gmail is to delete emails you no longer need to keep your inbox tidy.

How to Delete Emails on Desktop

Sign into your Gmail account and delete emails by following these steps:

  • To delete a single email: Hover over the message > Click on the Trash icon.

  • To delete multiple emails: Click on the checkbox next to the emails you want to delete > Click on the Trash icon at the top of the page.

  • To delete all emails on a page: Click on the select box at the top of the page > Click on the Trash icon.

How to Delete Emails on Mobile

Open the Gmail app on your mobile device to delete the messages you want to get rid of.

  • To delete a single email: Select the message you want to delete > Tap the Trash icon.

  • To delete multiple emails: Tap and hold an email you wish to delete > Select the other messages > Tap the Trash icon.

How to Delete Emails Permanently

Once your emails are deleted, they will go to the Bin folder and will remain there for 30 days until removed automatically.

To delete emails permanently right away: Go to the Bin folder > Select the email(s) > Choose “Delete forever”.

How to Bulk Delete Emails

Deleting emails manually can be time consuming, especially if your inbox is filled with messages you no longer need. That’s why we’ve come up with the perfect solution for you.

Find out how to organize emails in Gmail with our email cleaner app, AgainstData, which can bulk delete emails in under 5 minutes.

Mass deleting emails is simple and incredibly effective, enabling you to quickly achieve a clutter-free inbox.

Archive Emails

You may have some less important emails in your inbox that you wish to hide, but not necessarily delete.

Archiving emails is a great way to clean your inbox without having to delete messages.

Simply locate the email you want to archive and select the Archive button.

Unsubscribe From Emails

If you’re looking for further hacks on how to organize emails in Gmail, take a look at your email subscriptions.

Being subscribed to many mailing lists can add a lot of clutter to your inbox. To keep your inbox organized, consider unsubscribing from newsletters you no longer need.

This can be a very time consuming task, and might not always work. The AgainstData app can help you unsubscribe from promotional emails with one click!

How AgainstData Enhances Email Organization

Mastering how to organize emails in Gmail is simpler with the right tools. Our app can help clean your inbox in under five minutes!

By using AgainstData, you ensure that: