Why Edit an Email Subject Line?
When you compose an email from scratch, you control the subject line. And when someone replies to or forwards your message, the subject automatically contains an indicator at the beginning such as “Re” or “Fwd”.
While in many cases this is fine, there are other situations when changing the subject, whether slightly or completely, is warranted.
For instance, if the topic of the email changes with each reply or forward, you can end up with a message thread totally unrelated to that original topic.
As another example, the message may take a new direction that makes the original topic obsolete and the new topic the relevant one.
In situations like these, it can become increasingly difficult to organize or find messages based on the subject or even within the conversation. But by editing that line with your reply or forward, you can keep the recipients up to date on a topic change or new path and give everyone an easier way to locate the message they need.
📌 Tip: For the quickest and easiest way to group and sort Gmail, check out details on Clean Email below!
About Changing Subject Lines in Gmail
While making the change is often a smart move, it’s important to keep the following in mind.
Editing subject lines in Gmail:
- Does not change the subject lines displayed in the email body (for the previous messages).
- Can affect automations you’ve set up based on specific keywords in the subject.
- Starts a new email thread when using Conversation View. If you find grouped email threads confusing, you can separate emails and split message threads in Gmail.
Note that the Gmail limits for character counts in subject lines can vary by device and email application. However, you should strive to keep it within 50 characters and the key details at the beginning regardless of where or how you use Gmail.
How to Edit Subject Lines in Gmail on the Web
Whether you use Gmail’s email preview area or a separate pop-up window, you’ll follow the same steps to edit a subject line in Gmail forwarding or replying in the web application.
Select the message and follow these steps:
- Choose Reply, Reply All, or Forward at the bottom or using the More (three-dot menu) on the top right of the email.
- Use the arrow to the left of the To line to display the Type of Response menu.
- Select Edit subject.
- When the email opens in a new window, you’ll see the subject line highlighted for you to make your change to it.
You can then insert your message, attach other items, and send or save the email as normal.
📌 Tip: Curious how to edit a subject line in Gmail after sending a message? You can use Gmail’s Undo feature to quickly stop the sending of the email, follow the above steps to edit the subject, and then send the message.
How to Edit Subject Lines in Gmail on Mobile
If you’re one of the 75% of Gmail users managing email on mobile, you may be wondering, “can you edit a subject line in the Gmail mobile app?” The answer is yes, and fortunately, the process is slightly simpler than Gmail on the web and works the same way on both Android and iOS devices.
Open the message and do the following:
Choose Reply, Reply All, or Forward at the bottom or using the More menu on the top right of the message. Then, tap inside the subject line and make your change.
You can then add your message and any other items as needed and send the email on its way.
💡Tip: For additional information on Gmail and its users, check out these interesting Gmail stats!
Group and Sort by Subject With Clean Email
Along with creating more meaningful subject lines, you can then easily use them to group and sort your messages. With Clean Email for mailbox management, you can enjoy simpler sorting for Gmail messages using the subject line along with many additional features for organizing your inbox.
To sort by subject in Clean Email on any device:
- Select a location in the menu such as Inbox, All Mail, or Unread Mail.
- Open the Group By drop-down box and pick Subject.
- Optionally, open the Sort (Newest on Top) drop-down box to the right to sort by age, size, or number of messages.
You’ll then see your emails grouped and sorted to more quickly find the ones you need.
Additional Clean Email Features
With Clean Email, you can use these additional tools for simpler management and organization of your mailbox, from decluttering your Gmail inbox to helping you stop email overwhelm before it starts.
Auto Clean: Create inbox rules to automatically move, mark, archive, or delete emails as they arrive. Effortlessly manage older emails to keep your inbox organized without the hassle of manual cleanup.
Smart Folders: View related emails with premade folders for online shopping, food delivery, seasonal sales, and more.
Bulk Actions: Act on multiple messages at once, even on mobile, without the need to continue loading more messages continuously—a limitation in the Gmail mobile app.
Unsubscriber: Remove yourself from multiple mailing lists at one time rather than unsubscribing in Gmail one by one.
💡 Clean Email is available on the web, Mac desktop, iOS, and Android mobile devices, works with all IMAP email service providers, and is committed to your privacy and security.
Wrap-Up
There are many people that don’t take the time to edit a subject line when they should. Don’t be one of them! You can make a small change to indicate a topic shift or a complete overhaul to reflect a fresh direction. Not only will it make your own inbox organization more efficient, but keep your email recipients up to date.
