Gmail doesn't have folders — it uses labels instead
Gmail works differently from traditional email programs like Outlook. Instead of moving messages into folders, you create labels and attach them to emails. A single email can have multiple labels at once, which is actually more flexible than folders. When you create a label, Gmail shows it in your sidebar so you can click it to see all tagged messages.
The reason Gmail uses labels instead of folders matters: if you move an email into a folder in Outlook, it leaves your inbox. In Gmail, a labeled email stays in your inbox and also appears under that label. You can search across all your labels at once, and you can undo a label mistake instantly without digging through folder hierarchies.
Key Takeaways
- Gmail labels are created through Settings, not by right-clicking — go to Settings, then Labels, then Create New Label.
- A label appears in your sidebar immediately after creation and you can start using it to tag emails right away.
- You can organize labels into parent and child labels (like "Work" and "Work > Projects") to keep your sidebar from getting cluttered.
- Emails keep their labels even if you archive them, so labels work as a permanent filing system, not a temporary sorting tool.
Creating a label from Settings
Open Gmail in your web browser and click the gear icon in the top right corner. Select See all settings. Click the Labels tab at the top of the page. Scroll down to the section labeled "Create new label" and type the name you want — for example, "Receipts" or "Job Applications".
Click Create. The label now appears in your sidebar under "Labels" on the left side of the screen. If you don't see it immediately, refresh the page. You can now click that label to view all emails tagged with it, and you can tag new emails by clicking the label icon (three horizontal lines) when you have an email open.
Organizing labels into groups with parent labels
If you plan to create many labels, you can nest them under a parent label to keep your sidebar organized. When you create a label, type the parent name, then a forward slash, then the child name. For example, type "Work/Projects" to create a "Projects" label that lives under "Work".
In your sidebar, "Work" will appear as a collapsible section with a small arrow next to it. Click the arrow to show or hide the child labels underneath. This keeps your sidebar clean while still giving you the ability to tag emails with specific categories. You can create as many levels as you need — "Work/Projects/2024" is valid — though more than two or three levels usually becomes hard to navigate.
Tagging emails with your new label
Open an email and look for the label icon (three horizontal lines with a tag symbol) in the toolbar at the top. Click it and a dropdown menu shows all your available labels. Check the box next to the label you want to add. You can add multiple labels to a single email — for instance, an email about a work project deadline could have both "Work" and "Urgent" labels.
You can also tag emails in bulk. Select multiple emails by clicking the checkbox next to each one (or click the checkbox at the top to select all emails on the current page). Then click the label icon and choose which label to add to all selected emails at once. This is faster than opening each email individually.
Removing or renaming a label
Go back to Settings and click the Labels tab. Find the label you want to change. Next to it, you'll see options to Edit, Show, or Hide. Click Edit to rename the label or change its parent label. Click Hide to remove it from your sidebar without deleting the label itself — emails keep the label, but you won't see it in the sidebar unless you search for it.
If you click Delete (which appears when you hover over the label name), Gmail removes the label from all emails but does not delete the emails themselves. They stay in your inbox or archive. There's no way to permanently delete a label and keep the emails — deleting the label just untags them.
Using labels to replace folders
Many people use labels the way they used folders in older email programs. Create labels for categories like "Receipts," "Travel," "Medical," or "Taxes." When an email arrives that belongs in one of those categories, tag it with the label. You can then click the label in your sidebar to see all emails with that tag, just as you would open a folder.
The advantage over folders is that a single email can belong to multiple categories. A receipt for a work trip could have both "Receipts" and "Travel" labels. When you search for "Travel," you see all travel-related emails, including that receipt. In a folder system, you'd have to choose one place to put it.
Archiving emails instead of deleting them
Gmail's archive button (a down arrow in the toolbar) moves emails out of your inbox but keeps them searchable and labeled. Many people use labels plus archiving as their filing system: tag an email with the right label, then archive it. The email disappears from your inbox but stays accessible through the label or through search.
This is different from deleting. Deleted emails go to Trash and are permanently removed after 30 days. Archived emails stay in your account forever (or until you delete them) and keep all their labels. If you're using labels to organize important emails like receipts or contracts, archiving them after labeling keeps your inbox clean while preserving the emails for later reference.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I create a label on my phone?
The Gmail app for iPhone and Android lets you tag emails with existing labels, but you cannot create new labels from the app. You have to create labels on a computer using the web version of Gmail, then you can use them on your phone.
What's the difference between hiding and deleting a label?
Hiding a label removes it from your sidebar but keeps it attached to all your emails. Deleting a label removes it from all emails but does not delete the emails themselves. If you hide a label and later want to see it again, you can show it from Settings. If you delete a label, you cannot get it back.
Can I move an email from one label to another?
Gmail doesn't work that way. Instead, you add a new label and remove the old one. Open the email, click the label icon, uncheck the old label, and check the new one. The email now has only the new label.
Do labels take up storage space?
No. Labels are just tags — they don't create copies of your emails or use extra storage. Your Gmail storage limit is based on the total size of all your emails, not the number of labels you create.
Can I search within a specific label?
Yes. Click the label in your sidebar to see all emails with that label, then use the search box at the top to search within those results. You can also type "label:Receipts" in the main search box to find all emails tagged with the Receipts label.