Get started with Gmail for Google Workspace
On this page
On this page- Switch to labels from folders
- Create rules to filter your email
- Star important email
- Search for messages
- Archive email instead of deleting
- Delete email permanently
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Switch to labels from folders
In other email programs, you might have stored email in folders. In Gmail, you use labels to categorize your email. Labels are like folders, but with a twist—you can apply several labels to an email, then later find the email by clicking any of its labels from the left panel. You can also search by label.
Uselabels to...
- Track the status of people's tasks. For example,create the labels Laura: In Progress and Laura: Done to indicate email thatLaura is working on or has completed.
- Organize email by nesting labels like subfolders. For example, create the label Tasks. Under Tasks, create nested labels by person.
- Identify email that needsfollow-up.
- Identify email that can be read later.
Create a label
- On your computer, go to Gmail.
- On the left, scroll down, then click More.
- Click Create new label.
- Name your label.
- Click Create.
Label messages in your inbox
- On your computer, go toGmail.
- Select the messages.
- At the top, click Labels.
- Select a label, or create a new one.
Create rules to filter your email
You can manage yourincoming mail using Gmail’s filtersfor example, to send email to a label, or automatically archive, delete, or star incoming mail.
- Open Gmail.
- In the search box at the top, click Show search options .
- Enter your search criteria. If you want to check that your search worked correctly, see what emails show up by clicking Search.
- At the bottom of the search window, click Create filter.
- Choose what you’d like the filter to do.
- Click Create filter.
.Note:When you create a filter to forward messages, only new messages will be affected.Additionally, whensomeone replies to a message you've filtered, the reply will only be filteredif itmeets the samesearchcriteria.
Tip: Try theseGmail filters for work or school.
Learn more at the Gmail Help Center
Star important email
When you star email in Gmail, you mark them as important. This helps you remember to look at them later.
Star an email
- On your computer, open Gmail.
- From your inbox, go to the left of the message, then click Star . If the message is open, click More Add Star.
- If you have multiple stars, keep clicking the star icon until you see the one you want to use.
. If the message is open, click More 
Add Star.See your starred messages
- On your computer, open Gmail.
- On the left side of the page, clickStarred. You may need to clickMorefirst.
You can also use shortcuts to find starred messages by searching is:starred or has: with the star's name, like has:yellow-star.
Learn more at the Gmail Help Center
Search for messages
Search your email, chats, or spaces
- Open Gmail.
- At the top, in the search box, enter your search criteria.
- PressEnter.
- (Chat in Gmail enabled only) Choose where to search by clickingMail, Conversations, or Spaces:
- Mail searches your email.
- Conversationssearchesexisting messages in chats and spaces.
- Spaces searchesthe names of spaces that you have joined and spaces that youcan join.
Narrow your email search
At the top of your inbox, search for one or more keywords that appear anywhere in the email—in the subject, body, or sender name.
If you’re looking for something specific, click Show search options 
to use advanced search.
Example: Search for:
- Senders—Example: From:(sam@your-company.com)
- Date ranges—Example: after:2019/3/29 before:2019/4/5
- Keywords—Example: Company confidential
- Message attributes, such as attachments—Example: has:attachment
Learn more at the Gmail Help Center
Archive email instead of deleting
Archived email messagesmove out of your inbox but stay underAll Mail, so that you can find them later.
Archive an email
- On your computer, open Gmail.
- Open the message you want to archive.
- At the top, click Archive .
.Tips:
- To archive multiple messages, click the box next to each message Archive .
- To archive a message with keyboard shortcuts, press E. Learn more about keyboard shortcuts.
Find archived messages
Important: When you search in Gmail, your results include archived messages. Learn more about search in Gmail.
- On your computer, open Gmail.
- On the left, click More.
- Click All Mail.
Learn more at the Gmail Help Center
Delete email permanently
When you delete a message, it stays in your trash for 30 days. After 30 days, the message is permanently deleted from your account and can't be recovered.
- On your computer, go to Gmail.
- On the left of each message you want to delete, check the box.
- At the top, click Delete .
.Learn more at the Gmail Help Center
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