How to Move Mail to Different Labels in Gmail

• Labels have a similar function to folders. You can create up to 500 labels.
• On desktop, select the email and click "Move to:" in the top toolbar. Select a label to move your email.
• On mobile, tap the email, then the options icon. Tap "Move", then select a label to move your email.

Creating New Labels on Desktop

Open Gmail in your browser. You'll need to log in. If needed, you can create a Gmail account. You can easily recover your password if you forgot it.

In the left sidebar, click + next to "Labels". A new window will appear.

Enter a new label name. If you have an existing label, you can select Nest label under to select a parent label. This will create a new sublabel.

Click Create. This will be a blue button. Your new label will be created.

Hover your cursor over the new label and click ⋮. A drop-down menu will appear.

Customize your label. To customize the label color, hover over Label color and select a color. You can choose from the list or add a custom color. If you decide you don't want a color anymore, click Remove color. Choose to Show, Show if unread, or Hide the label in label list. Choose to Show or Hide the label in message list. You can also Edit, Remove label, or Add sublabel.

Creating New Labels on Mobile

Open the Gmail app. Gmail is available in Apple's App Store and the Google Play Store.

Tap ☰ to open the menu. This can be found at the top, next to the search bar.

Tap Create new. This will be located underneath Labels.

Name your new label.

Tap Done. The new label will automatically open. To edit your label, go to Settings in the left toolbar. Tap Inbox customizations, then Labels. On mobile, you'll only be able to rename, delete, or add the label to future messages.

Moving Mail to Labels on Desktop

Open Gmail in your browser.

Click the checkbox to select an email. You can use Gmail's filters to find old emails. To select multiple emails, click the box beside each email to check them off. To select all mail in the current inbox, check the box on the toolbar next to Archive. A new prompt will appear. Click Select all conversations in (mailbox).

In the toolbar above the email, click the "Move to" icon. The icon resembles a folder with a right-pointing arrow. You can find this next to the Labels. A drop-down menu will open.

Select the label. This is where your emails will be moved. Your email will be moved from your inbox to your label immediately. To find the email again, select the label from the left sidebar to view its contents. You can also click the All Mail category in the left sidebar.

Moving Mail to Labels on Mobile

Open the Gmail app.

Open a message. If you want to stay in your inbox, you can tap the profile picture of the sender. To select multiple emails, tap the profile images of the senders.

Tap ••• .

Tap Move.

Select the label. This is where your emails will be moved. Your email will be moved from your inbox to your label immediately. To find the email again, select the menu in the search bar. Select your label from the left sidebar to view its contents. You can also tap the All Mail category.

Automatically Apply Labels with Filters

Open Gmail in your browser. This method will only work on desktop.

In the Gmail search bar, click the adjustment icon on the right. This will show your search options in a drop-down menu.

Filter the mail you want to label. You can filter based on: From, To, Subject, Has the words, Doesn't have, Size, Date within, and Search category. You can also check off Has attachment and/or Don't include chats. You can use as many filters as you want to narrow your searches, but you will need at least one.

Click Create filter. This will be to the left of the blue Search button.

Click Apply the label: to open the drop-down menu. You will see a list of your existing labels.

Select a label. You can also choose New label… to create a new label. When a new email is an exact match for your search criteria, it will be moved to this label. To move existing emails that match your search criteria, click Also apply filter to (number) matching conversations.

Click Create filter. This will be inside a blue button. Your emails will be moved to the corresponding label.