Gmail doesn't use folders; it uses labels, which do the same job. On a computer, open Gmail, click Create new label next to Labels on the left, type a name and click Create. To file an email, tick its box, click Labels at the top and pick the label. Tick Nest label under to put one label inside another.
If you've come from another email program, that's the one mental switch to make. A label is the folder you were looking for, and the button you need says label rather than folder.
Before you start making labels
- You'll need Gmail open on a computer. The steps below are the computer steps.
- A label can sit inside another label, so you can build parent and child labels from day one.
- Have a rough list of names ready. You'll type each one at step 3, and they're easier to keep consistent when you've planned them first.
Creating a label and filing your first email
- Go to Gmail on your computer.
- On the left, next to Labels, click Create new label.
- Enter a label name.
- Nesting it? Check the box next to Nest label under.
- Click Create.
- Tick an email, click Labels at the top, choose the label.
Repeat the last step for each email you want under that label. Once a label exists, filing takes three clicks: tick, Labels, pick. Google sets out the same steps on its Gmail help page about labels.
A few naming habits make labels easier to live with. Name them for how you'll look for things later, such as a client, a project or a year, rather than for how the email arrived. Short names are quicker to scan in the list on the left.
It pays to sketch your labels before you make them. Jot down the four or five groups your mail falls into most often, then decide which of them need sub-labels. Creating the parents first makes the nesting step quicker, because the label you want to nest under already exists.
A starter set of nested labels
Nesting is where labels start to behave like folders inside folders. If you're not sure where to begin, a set like this is a sensible place to start, and every child label is made with the Nest label under box at step 4:
- Clients, with one nested label per client, so each conversation sits under the person it belongs to.
- Projects, with one nested label per piece of live work, which you can stop using once it wraps up.
- Admin, with nested labels for receipts and for invoices, split by year if the list grows long.
- Reading, for newsletters and reports you want to keep but don't need to act on.
The list on the left stays short, and you still get to file each email exactly where it belongs.
What happens once an email has a label
Applying a label doesn't send anything anywhere or tell anyone. The people you email don't get your labels, and only you can access them, so you can name them however suits you, including notes to yourself you'd never want a client to read.
If you keep sending the same reply to mail under one label, save yourself the typing with reusable Gmail templates. And if you'd like a different way to work through what arrives, our walkthrough of the Gmail AI inbox is worth a look.
The catch: deleting a labelled email removes it everywhere
This is the part that surprises people who think of labels as separate folders. When you delete an email, it's removed from every label and from your inbox at the same time. A label isn't a spare copy tucked away somewhere safe.
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One email can carry more than one label, which is exactly why this matters. Delete it from one place and it disappears from all of them, not just the label you happened to be looking at.
So before you clear out your inbox, be sure you don't need the email under any of its labels.
There's also a ceiling. You can create up to 5,000 labels, so if you plan to make them in bulk, say one per customer, keep that cap in mind. Grouping customers under a handful of parent labels keeps the list on the left easier to scan.
Frequently asked questions
Why can't I find a Create folder button?
None exists. Gmail calls them labels, so look for Create new label.
How many labels can one account hold?
Up to 5,000.
Can I put a label inside another label?
Yes. When you create it, check the box next to Nest label under and choose where it goes.
Do I have to nest my labels?
No. Nest label under is optional, so leave it unticked for a top-level label.
Can the people I write to see my labels?
No. Only you can access your labels, and recipients don't get them.
