Filters start from a search. In Gmail on a computer, click Show search options in the search box, enter what the emails have in common, click Create filter, choose the action you want (label, archive, delete, star or forward) and click Create filter again. You can also start from an email with More, then Filter messages like these.
Once a filter is saved, it manages matching incoming mail for you, so the newsletters, receipts and notifications you'd normally sort by hand land where you want them.
Building a filter from the search box on a computer
- Open Gmail on your computer.
- In the search box at the top, click Show search options.
- Enter your search criteria, and click Search to preview matches.
- At the bottom of the search window, click Create filter.
- Choose what you'd like the filter to do, then click Create filter.
Good criteria are specific. A sender's address, or a word that only ever appears in one kind of email, gives the filter something clear to match on. Vague criteria catch mail you didn't mean to touch, which matters most when the action is delete.
Step 3 is worth the extra click. Running the search first shows you exactly which emails match before you commit, so you can tighten the criteria if the wrong messages turn up. Gmail's help page on filters suggests the same check.
Choosing what a filter does with each email
Step 5 is where you pick the action. These are the options, with the kind of mail each one tends to suit:
- Send to a label: good for anything you want grouped, such as invoices or a client's messages.
- Archive: good for mail you want kept but out of your inbox.
- Delete: for mail you never want to see, so set the criteria tightly first.
- Star: for messages you want to spot quickly.
- Forward: for mail someone else should handle, which comes with the catch below.
If filtered mail keeps needing the same answer, write that answer once as a Gmail template and reuse it. And if you send campaigns from Gmail, a filter that labels the replies keeps them in one place; our notes on running email campaigns from Gmail cover the sending side.
Starting a filter from an email you already have
If the email you want to deal with is sitting in front of you, it's often quicker to start from it. This route suits the moment a particular newsletter or notification lands and you decide you're done sorting it by hand.
- Check the box next to the email.
- Click More.
- Click Filter messages like these.
From there you choose what the filter should do and create it, just as you would from the search box.
Either route ends at the same Create filter button, so the choice is only about where you begin: with criteria you type yourself, or with an email that already shows the kind of mail you want to catch.
Changing or removing a filter you've made
When one catches too much or too little, edit it or delete it here:
- Click Settings.
- Click See all settings.
- Click Filters and Blocked Addresses.
- Find the filter, then edit or delete it.
When a filter misbehaves, run the same search again from the search box to see what it catches today, then come back here and adjust the criteria.
Want AI doing the heavy lifting in your marketing?
I build the systems that handle the boring 80 percent, so you get your week back. Done properly, with the human kept in.
Backing up your filters as an .xml file
If you've built up a set of filters you rely on, you can export them as an .xml file and import them again later. That file can also be edited in a text editor if you'd like to adjust it before importing.
A saved copy means the rules you spent time getting right aren't lost if you delete one by mistake or start again with a fresh set.
The catch: forwarding filters only touch new mail
When you create a filter to forward messages, only new messages are affected. Anything already sitting in your inbox when you make the filter isn't forwarded, so if you're handing a job over to someone, send them the older emails yourself.
The order matters when you hand work over. Make the forwarding filter first, so nothing new slips through, then search for the older emails with the same criteria and pass those on by hand.
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between clicking Search and clicking Create filter?
Search only shows which emails match your criteria. Create filter saves the rule and moves you on to choosing what it does.
Does a forwarding filter send my older emails too?
No. Only messages that arrive after you create it are forwarded.
How do I copy my filters somewhere safe?
Export them as an .xml file, which you can import again later.
Do I have to click Search before I create a filter?
No, it's optional. It's there so you can check which emails match before you save the filter.
Can a filter delete emails automatically?
Yes, delete is one of the actions. Test the search first so it only catches the mail you mean.
