Manage Gmail mailboxes efficiently: a complete guide to creating tags (folders)

We use emails to communicate every day, and it is easy to feel overwhelmed when faced with massive emails. As the preferred service for 1.5 billion users, Gmail allows the creation of folders (or tags) to organize emails, keeping you organized. It should be noted that Gmail calls it a tag, but its functions are the same as folders, and this article will use both terms at the same time.

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Why do you need to create a folder (tag)?

Keeping your inbox in order is the key to managing your emails effectively. The reasons why creating folders (or tags) are so important are as follows:

1. Keep your inbox neat: Group relevant emails together to reduce confusion.
2. Prevent email loss: Avoid losing important emails being lost in numerous emails.
3. Simplify navigation: Use tags and colors to quickly find the email you want.
4. Quick Access: Easily find emails, even from a few weeks ago, without the need to scroll endlessly.

Gmail Tags and Folders: How it works

We are used to creating traditional folders to organize files.

Gmail has changed this way of mail storage - now everything revolves around tags.

To understand how they work, let's take a look at Gmail's standard tags such as inbox, sent mail, spam, and more.

All tag names are self-explanatory – the inbox contains the received mail, and the sent mail contains the mail you sent. That's it. When you click on the standard tag or the tag you created, Gmail performs a search, filters all matching messages, and displays a set of results.

It is important to remember that the system does not create a copy of the tagged mail , so if you decide to delete a message – it will disappear completely from your inbox.

You can create folders to group some similar messages. Tags are like putting colorful stickers in a large worksheet – you just tag the page to distinguish it from the others. You can add two or more tags to a single email to simplify navigation further.

How to create folders (tags) in Gmail on Mac

There are two ways to create folders (tags) in the Gmail browser version.

Let's start with a short approach. You can create folders (tags) directly in your inbox, so open your browser, go to Gmail, log in to your account, and start. This takes only 30 seconds:

1. Go to the sidebar, which displays your inbox, sent mail, spam, and more.
2. Click More and select Create New Tag.
3. Name your tag in the pop-up window.

After you create the first tag, you can add subtags. It works like a folder in a folder. For example, you have a tag called "Work" that collects all business emails. To make the tag more specific, you can create subtitles "College", "Customer", "Partner".

Let's move to a more advanced folder creation method in Settings. Here you will find detailed instructions to customize the tags according to your needs.

1. Click the Settings icon > View All Settings.
2. Select the tag.
3. Scroll to the bottom and select Create new tab. You can also create subtitles here.
4. Click Save.

In settings, you can adjust some preferences such as "Show in Tag List", "Show in Mailing List", and more.

Look, you've created the first tag.

These folders will appear in your sidebar so that you can quickly access classified messages. Just click on a folder and you can get a set of results. Additionally, you can change the color of the label to make certain messages stand out. This is not the end yet – add multiple tags to your conversation and navigation will be easier.

How to organize Gmail into folders on mobile devices

If you prefer using mobile apps over browser versions, the good news – you can also easily create folders (tags) from your iPhone right away. Please note that the tags you added are only visible to you.

1. Download the Gmail app.
2. In the application, select one or more emails.
3. Click the menu icon. You can identify it in the upper left corner of the screen, which consists of 3 horizontal lines.
4. Click "Create a new tab".
5. Name your tag and click Finish.

Yes, this is very similar to creating folders on your Mac, and it's also easy.

You can also edit and delete tags, rename tags, and create subtitles. After such a cleanup, your inbox will never be messy.

How to edit or delete a tag

As you can see, you can easily generate as many tags as you like through the Gmail app or Gmail's web platform. However, I should remind you that there is only one way to edit and delete tags – through the web version of Gmail.

Here is how to edit tags in Gmail:

1. Open Gmail in your browser.
2. Go to the sidebar and hover over the tab.
3. Click on three dots > Edit.
4. Change your tag and click Save.

Here is how to delete tags in Gmail:

1. Open Gmail in your browser.
2. Go to the sidebar and hover over the tab.
3. Click on the three dots > Delete Tag.

How to manage Gmail tags

Now that you know how to create, edit, and delete tags, let's see how to use them.

When you scroll down the Gmail menu, you will see a "Manage Tags" option. Clicking on it will take you to the Tags settings. Here you can customize which tags to display in the tag/mailing list, which tags to permanently hide, and which tags to display when unread.

If you use many tags, it may be useful to hide some of them so that your Gmail menu doesn't expand too much.

You can easily apply tags to emails—just select one or more emails, click the Tags icon in the toolbar, and select the corresponding tag.

How to move email to tags in Gmail

Moving mail from one folder to another just remove the old tag and add new tags.

Fortunately, in practice, it is not as difficult as it sounds. Follow the step-by-step guide and you will understand why:

1. Select the message in your inbox.
2. Click Move to in the toolbar above the message. Or right-click on the email and select Move to.
3. Select the tag to apply.

If you want to move your message from a specific tab, select it and follow the instructions above.

There is also a more straightforward way to move the email – just long press and drag it to the folder you want. Finished, you can now find the moved email in the target tab.

Automatically apply tags using filters

You can apply and delete tags manually, but this will only clean your inbox if the mail arrives in the right folder from the start. Fortunately, Gmail allows you to automate this process by automatically applying tags based on your filters:

1. In the search bar of Gmail, click "Show search options" (the icon to the right).
2. Enter a term that matches a specific email group—the sender’s address, the words mentioned in the subject, the size, etc.
3. Click "Create Filter".
4. Select Apply Tags > Select Tags and click Create Filters.

All messages that match the terms you entered will now be marked separately.

Personal experience

Gmail and its tags can be a bit confusing. I prefer tools like Canary Mail and Spark Mail, which are improved versions of Gmail. They unlock premium features of your inbox and make it look tidy, more personal, and more concise.

The most obvious reason to use alternative mail apps is convenience – you can finally control your mail and organize them correctly. Also, it's all about saving you time, as such apps can help you browse your inbox at the speed of light and find the email you need. Below I will show you how I use Canary Mail and more applications.

My personal favorite is Canary Mail, an inbox organization app that not only manages emails professionally, but also keeps you safe. This mailing app highlights important messages for easy access and reminds you when you need them.

Additionally, with Canary Mail, you can easily create and manage folders:

1. Go to Canary Mail > Preferences.
2. Select the Accounts tab > Folders.
3. Click the plus sign at the bottom of the window.
4. Name your new folder.

You can create as many folders as you want and they will automatically appear in your mail application. This is a time-saving tool and is easier to understand than Gmail tags.

How to integrate all popular communication services

Nonetheless, online communication is not limited to email. If you use many different messengers every day like me, managing them can be a challenge – a lot of notifications, emails, and chats. Spending a lot of time switching between Gmail, Slack, and Telegram can greatly reduce your productivity. As usual, I have a solution.

Know IM, an all-in-one messenger that integrates more than a dozen popular communication services in one convenient window. Imagine that you can easily browse all messengers from one app.

IM is an essential tool when it comes to organizing your workspace, which supports multiple accounts so you can easily switch between home and work. You no longer have to open your browser to check your Gmail, everything is on your desktop.

Final Thought

A messy inbox is a headache for most email users. Gmail solves this problem by introducing tags that quickly organize emails. Tags are versatile – in addition to standard operations such as editing and deletion, you can set any color for tags, move emails between tags, and more.

Although the tags are similar to folders, there are still some slight differences. If you prefer real folder-based features, use inbox management apps like Canary Mail and Spark Mail to enhance your Gmail experience.

Organize your Gmail inbox into convenient folders, use mailing apps like Canary Mail and Spark Mail, and add IM messenger to create a beautiful workspace. You can try all these tools for free using Setapp, a subscription service for Mac and iPhone, for seven days.

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