Is There Such a Thing as too Many Gmail Labels?
If you’ve learned how to customize Gmail, then you probably already use labels and folders in Gmail to organize messages. These tools make it easy to sort and organize your messages, especially if you receive hundreds of emails per day.
Unfortunately, even inbox organization methods can become disorganized at times. As your everyday life evolves and changes, you may find that you don’t need the same Gmail labels you once did. When this happens, you will want to delete the ones that are no longer needed so you can avoid cluttering your messages or misassigning labels.
How to Delete a Label in Gmail
Unlike Gmail categories, you have the option to add or delete Gmail labels as often as you’d like. However, figuring out how to delete labels in Gmail isn’t nearly as easy as adding them. Luckily, you can remove labels both on the web and through the mobile app.
Deleting labels in Gmail web app
If you’re looking for steps on how to delete a label in Gmail without much effort, then you will want to remove it via the web. It involves just these four simple steps:
- Open your mail inbox.
- Hover over the label's name on the left side of the page.
- Click More.
- Now, click Remove Label.
How to delete labels in Gmail on iPhone
If you use an iPhone to check your email, you can also delete labels straight from the Gmail iPhone app.
- Open the Gmail app on your iPhone.
- Tap Menu in the upper left corner.
- Next, tap Settings. Tap Inbox customisations.
- From here, tap Labels.
- Select the label you wish to delete.
- Tap Delete [Your label name].
How to delete labels in Gmail on Android phone
Trying to figure out how to delete labels in Gmail app for Android? Unfortunately, you cannot remove labels through the Android app. Instead, you will have to access Gmail from your phone’s web browser, and delete the label from there.
- Open Gmail in your web browser. (You cannot delete labels from the Gmail app for Android).
- Scroll to Email View at the bottom and select Desktop version.
- Tap Edit Labels on the left side of the page.
- Find the label you wish to delete and press Remove to the right of the label name.
How to delete multiple labels in Gmail
Although you cannot mass delete labels in Gmail without a third-party application, you can access all of your labels and easily delete them from a single page.
- Login to your account.
- Click Settings in the upper right corner.
- Click See All Settings.
- Select Labels from the top menu.
- Scroll down to the section titled Labels. You can now press Remove next to all the labels you wish to delete.
💡 Note: This feature is only available on the web, not the mobile app.
How to Remove Inbox Label in Gmail
Sometimes you may want to rearrange specific emails and remove a label you previously assigned. You can do that by following these steps:
- Open your inbox.
- Check the box on the left side of the message you want to remove the label from.
- Click on the Labels button in the upper menu bar.
- In the drop-down menu, uncheck any labels you wish to remove from the message.
Sort Messages and More With Clean Email
Although Google offers tools that let you filter emails in Gmail, Gmail in and of itself isn’t an all-in-one solution for inbox sorting and organization. Instead, you need a mailbox management app like Clean Email. It’s an alternative solution for managing emails (and labels) to help you declutter your inbox.
Because the app syncs with your inbox, you can create new labels and add or remove labels from your messages within Clean Email.
To remove labels from messages in Clean Email:
- Launch the app and sign in.
- Choose Inbox or All Mail from the left-side panel of the main dashboard
- Mark an empty checkbox near the email group which you want to remove a label from.
Click the Labels... button at the action bar at the bottom of the screen. - Choose Remove label and select the label that was previously applied to these messages.
- Click Confirm.
💡 Note: This message group includes all emails from the same sender. If you want to remove the label from just one message, you will need to click the group, then select the message from the list.
To create a new label in Clean Email:
- Open the app and sign in.
- Choose All Mail from the left-side panel of the main dashboard.
- Click the checkbox near the email group you want to label.
- Choose Labels… from the action bar at the bottom of the screen.
- Type the name of the new label and click Create [Your label name].
- Press Confirm.
Clean Email also offers a wide array of tools that can help you organize Gmail emails and maintain a clean inbox. In fact, Smart Folders offer pre-set labels that Clean Email creates based on commonalities it notices in messages within your inbox. You can simply click the “folder” (like ‘Social notifications’ or ‘Online shopping’) to view the messages in it, then apply actions to these messages such as sort, star, delete, archive, and more.
If you hate performing the same inbox management tasks over and over again, then you can use the Auto Clean feature to automate these routine tasks. All you have to do is perform the task a single time in Clean Email, then select to apply the task to all future emails. The app will start running these automations for you each time a message that matches the rule hits your inbox.
Then, you can use the Unsubscriber feature to cut down on the amount of spam or promotional mailings you receive. This tool lets you remove yourself from mailings from any domain or address, even if the messages don’t include an “unsubscribe” button.
Having a clean inbox has never been easier thanks to Clean Email. It’s a tool designed to help you learn how to use Gmail effectively without all the hassle of manually doing the work. Sign up for the app for free and see for yourself how helpful this mailbox management tool can be.
How to Delete Labels in Gmail - FAQs
What happens if I delete a label in Gmail?
When you delete labels, it only removes the label from your view options. It does not delete any messages that had the label assigned.
How do I delete labels in Gmail?
You can remove them in several ways, depending on how you access your inbox. However, the easiest way to do this is through the web, since you can simply hold down on the label and select Delete from the options menu.
How to undo remove label in Gmail?
If you remove a label from a message but didn’t mean to, you can simply go and reassign the label to the message.
How do I delete a label in Gmail on my iPhone?
To delete a label in Gmail on your iPhone, go to Settings → Inbox Customizations → Labels. You can then delete or edit any labels you have created.
Does deleting label in Gmail delete the messages?
No, deleting a label does not delete the messages with that label assigned. It simply removes the label from those messages.
