Gmail doesn't have folders — it uses labels instead

If you're looking for a folder feature in Gmail, you won't find one. Gmail organizes messages using labels, which work differently from the folder system in Outlook or other email programs. A label is a tag you attach to a message, and one message can have multiple labels at the same time. This is actually more flexible than folders, because a single email can belong to several categories without being copied.

The confusion happens because Gmail's interface looks like it has folders on the left side — you see "Inbox," "Sent Mail," "Drafts," and "All Mail." These are actually system labels that Gmail creates automatically. When you create your own labels, they appear in the same list and work the same way, but you control what goes into them.

Key Takeaways

  • Gmail uses labels instead of folders, and you create them by going to Settings, then Labels, then clicking "Create new label."
  • You can organize labels into groups by using a forward slash in the name — for example, "Projects/Website" creates a label nested under "Projects."
  • To add a label to an email, open the message, click the label icon, and check the box next to the label you want to use.
  • One email can have multiple labels at once, so you can tag a message as both "Urgent" and "Client Work" without duplicating it.
  • You can also create a filter to automatically label incoming emails that match certain words or senders.

How to create a new label in Gmail

Open Gmail in your web browser and click the gear icon in the top right corner. Select "See all settings" from the dropdown menu. Click the "Labels" tab at the top of the settings page. Scroll down to the bottom of the list where you see "Create new label" and click it.

A box will appear asking you to name the label. Type the name you want — for example, "Work Projects" or "Receipts." If you want to nest this label under another label, check the box that says "Nest label under" and choose the parent label from the dropdown. Click "Create" when you're done. The new label now appears in your label list on the left side of Gmail.

Organizing labels with nested folders

Gmail lets you create a folder-like structure by nesting labels inside other labels. This keeps your label list from getting too long and messy. When you create a label, you can choose to nest it under an existing label, which makes it appear indented underneath in your sidebar.

For example, you might create a label called "Clients" and then nest labels like "Clients/Acme Corp," "Clients/Smith Industries," and "Clients/Local Nonprofit" underneath it. In your sidebar, you'll see "Clients" with a small arrow next to it, and clicking the arrow expands or collapses the nested labels. This is the closest Gmail comes to having actual folders.

Adding labels to individual emails

Open any email in Gmail. Look for the label icon — it looks like a tag and sits in the toolbar above the message. Click it to open the label menu. A list of all your labels appears with checkboxes next to each one. Click the checkbox next to any label you want to add to this email. You can select multiple labels at once.

Once you've checked the labels you want, click somewhere outside the menu or press Escape to close it. The labels now appear below the subject line of the email. If you change your mind, open the label menu again and uncheck any label you want to remove. The change happens instantly.

Using filters to label emails automatically

Instead of manually labeling every email, you can set up a filter that automatically adds a label to messages that match certain criteria. This saves time if you receive regular emails from specific people or about specific topics. Open Gmail settings and click the "Filters and Blocked Addresses" tab. Click "Create a new filter" at the bottom.

In the filter box, enter the criteria you want to match. You can filter by sender (type an email address), subject line (type words that appear in the subject), or words that appear anywhere in the message. Click "Create filter" when you've entered your criteria. On the next screen, check the box next to "Apply the label" and choose which label you want to use. Click "Create filter" to save it. From now on, any email matching those criteria will automatically get that label.

Finding and viewing labeled emails

Once you've created labels and added them to emails, finding those messages is straightforward. In the left sidebar of Gmail, click any label to see all emails with that label. If you've nested labels, click the arrow next to the parent label to expand it and see the nested labels underneath.

You can also search for labeled emails using the search box at the top of Gmail. Type "label:" followed by the label name — for example, "label:Work Projects" — and Gmail shows only emails with that label. This is useful if your label list is long and you want to jump directly to a specific category.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I move an email from one label to another?

Gmail doesn't work that way because labels aren't folders. Instead, you remove one label and add a different one. Open the email, click the label icon, uncheck the old label, and check the new one. The email stays in the same place but now appears under a different label in your sidebar.

What's the difference between labels and folders?

Folders hold a message in one place only. Labels are tags that can be attached to the same message multiple times. One email can have five labels at once, but it can only be in one folder. Gmail's system is more flexible because a single email can belong to several categories without being copied.

Can I delete a label?

Yes. Go to Settings, click the Labels tab, find the label you want to remove, and click "Delete" next to it. Gmail will ask whether you want to delete the label and remove it from all emails, or just delete the label while keeping the emails. Choose what you want and confirm.

Do labels work the same way on the Gmail app?

Labels work on the Gmail app for iPhone and Android, but the interface is slightly different. Open an email, tap the three-dot menu, and select "Add label." The process is the same, but you access it through the menu instead of a toolbar icon.

Can I color-code my labels?

Yes. In Gmail's web version, hover over a label in the sidebar and click the three dots that appear. Select "Label color" and choose a color from the palette. This makes it easier to spot certain labels at a glance, though the Gmail app has limited color options.