About Gmail Folders and Labels
Before we get started, it’s important to keep in mind that Gmail uses labels as folders. So, while it may feel like you’re setting up folders and moving messages to them, you’re actually creating labels and applying them to the messages.
📌 For complete details on how this works, look at our guide to Gmail labels.
Create Folders in the Gmail Mobile App
If you’re ready to start better organizing your Gmail inbox on Android and iPhone, we’ll show you how to set up folders in the Gmail mobile app.
To create folders in Gmail mobile on iPhone, follow these steps:
- Tap the menu icon on the top left.
- Select + Create new in the Labels section.
- Enter a name for the label.
- Tap Save.
📌 Tip: Learn how to delete folders in Gmail if you decide later that you no longer want or need a folder.
⚠️ As of this writing, you cannot create folders in Gmail’s app on Android. Instead, consider using Clean Email for Gmail on your Android device. You can set up folders and automatically move messages or use the built-in Smart Folders to manage messages on-the-go.
Move Emails to Folders in Gmail Mobile
While you may not be able to create folders in Gmail on Android, you can move messages to folders. And of course, you can do this on iPhone as well.
Move Emails on Android
- Open the message and do one of the following:
- Tap the three dots on the top right and pick Change labels.
- Tap the current label at the top of the email.
- Check the boxes for all labels you want to apply.
- Select OK to finish.
Move Emails on iPhone
- Open the message and tap the three dots on the top right.
- Select Label.
- Check the boxes for all labels you want to apply.
- Tap the checkmark to finish.
Keep in mind that moving an email to a folder (assigning a label) only applies to the current message on Android and iPhone.
Fortunately, you can create a folder and automatically move an email to it at the same time using Auto Clean in the Clean Email app.
Create Folders and Move Messages in the Clean Email Mobile App
Because you can create folders in the Clean Email mobile app, this is a great solution for Android users who want to use Gmail labels. Plus, it’s a convenient way to manage your inbox on Android or iPhone because you can automatically move incoming emails to the new folder with the Auto Clean feature.
Select an email or message group and follow these steps:
- Tap More in the action bar at the bottom.
- Pick Create Rule.
- Open the Choose action menu and pick Move to.
- In the Choose or create folder menu, type the folder name and tap Create [name].
- Optionally, apply the rule to existing messages and select Create Rule.
📌 Tip: You can also set up an Auto Clean rule to apply existing Gmail labels to your messages.
Moving forward, all emails you receive from that sender are automatically moved to the new folder you create. This makes it easy to find those messages with a tap. But Clean Email offers another tool for quickly finding messages that the Gmail app doesn’t provide called Smart Folders.
Quickly Find Emails With Smart Folders in Clean Email
Smart Folders are automatically set up for you and help you quickly spot messages and even act on them in bulk. Clean Email places emails in these folders but doesn’t actually move them there; Smart Folders work more like tags or labels.
For instance, you’ll find Smart Folders for things like Online Shopping, Social Notifications, Productivity Tools, Food Delivery, and more. You’ll then see messages that the app identifies as these types inside the corresponding folder.
- Open the menu and expand the Smart Folders section.
- Choose a folder to see its contents and review the emails.
- You can also mark messages as read or unread, send them to the Trash, create a rule as described above, and more. Simply select the email(s) and choose an option in the action bar.
Smart Folders are a favorite feature because they make fast work of both locating and performing actions on messages!
Better Organization With Clean Email
As you can see, the Clean Email app for Android and iPhone provides a wider feature set than that of Gmail. But it doesn’t stop at folders and rules. Check out these additional tools for a more organized Gmail account.
Unsubscriber: Remove yourself from multiple mailing lists at once, resubscribe if you change your mind, and pause subscriptions temporarily.
Screener: View messages from unknown senders in one spot and then block, unsubscribe, or allow the emails.
Cleaning Suggestions: See recommendations for helpful ways to clean your mailbox like archive, trash, or mark groups of messages as read.
Best of all, you can use all features the same way in Clean Email on the web, desktop, and mobile app. There are no limits for certain tools or different steps to perform depending on where you use it like Gmail and similar apps. Give Clean Email a try and see for yourself!
