How to View Unread Emails in Gmail
To find unread emails in Gmail’s web or mobile application, you can perform a simple search. But depending on where you want to search, for instance, All Mail or your Inbox, you have different ways to do so.
For all unread emails in your entire mailbox, do one of the following:
- Select All Mail in the menu and choose Is unread at the top. If you don’t see this option, then you don’t have any unread messages.
- Enter the search operator is:unread into the search box and press Enter, Return, or Search
To view all unread emails in your Inbox or with a particular label, you’ll use two search operators:
- For unread messages in your inbox, enter in:inbox is:unread.
- For a particular label, use the label name in the first search operator. For example, to search the Work label, enter in:work is:unread. Press Enter, Return, or Search to see the results.
📌 Tip: Wondering how to mark as unread in the Gmail app? Open or select the email and choose Unread in the top toolbar.
Use Clean Email to see unread messages
Clean Email offers a similar feature for finding unread messages in All Mail, and also provides simpler options for locating them in your Inbox or with a label.
- For unread emails in your Inbox, just pick Unread Mail in the menu.
- For unread emails with a label, go to All Mail, choose the label at the top, and pick Unread.
And you can use the same steps on the web and in the mobile app for your Gmail account.
How to Show Only Unread Emails in Gmail
If you want to see only unread emails in your Inbox, you can change the Inbox Type. This then displays all unread messages right at the top. Keep in mind that this option does not include all emails — only those in your Inbox.
Gmail on Desktop
It’s easy to change your Inbox Type in Gmail on the web. And, you can revert it to your preferred view at any time using the same steps.
- Select Settings (gear icon) on the top right.
- In the sidebar that displays, choose Unread first below Inbox type.
- Close the sidebar, and you’ll see your inbox update immediately.
Gmail on Android
You can change your Inbox Type in Gmail on Android as well, although the steps aren’t quite as quick as the web application.
- In the Gmail app, open the left-hand menu and choose Settings.
- Select your email account.
- Tap Inbox type.
- Pick Unread first.
- Use the Arrows on the top left to exit the Settings and you’ll see your Gmail Inbox with unread mail on Android.
Gmail on iPhone
Just like on Android, you can change your Inbox Type in Gmail on iPhone. However, the steps are slightly different.
- In the Gmail app, open the left-hand menu and choose Settings.
- Tap Inbox type.
- Pick Unread first.
- Select Done.
You’ll then automatically return to your updated Inbox in Gmail on iPhone.
📌 Tip: As mentioned earlier, you can use Clean Email to easily see unread Gmail emails. Conveniently, Clean Email’s methods show you only your unread messages, allowing you to skip various steps using Gmail on the web and mobile.
How to Select All Unread Emails in Gmail
While you have various ways to view unread messages in Gmail, if you want to select all of those emails, there are some limitations with certain features on both desktop and mobile. For this reason, we recommend alternative methods, including using Clean Email. Let’s take a look.
Gmail on Desktop
To select all unread emails in your view, which is 50 messages by default, the process is simple. Click the arrow next to the Select checkbox on the top left and pick Unread.
⚠️ Limitation: Using this method only selects the unread emails you can see. If you move to the next page and spot more unread emails, you’ll need to perform the same step to select those as well. This limitation applies to your Inbox, All Mail, labels, and other locations.
Instead, consider the methods below.
To select all unread emails in all locations:
- Enter the search operator is:unread into the Search box.
- Press Enter or Return.
- Mark the Select checkbox on the top left.
To select all unread emails in your Inbox or with a label:
- Enter the search operators in:inbox is:unread or in:work is:unread (using Work as the label).
- Press Enter or Return.
- Mark the Select checkbox on the top left.
Gmail on Mobile
While Gmail on the web offers an Unread option in the Select drop-down box, the mobile app doesn’t provide this. Instead, you can select unread emails with additional steps which are the same on both Android and iPhone.
⚠️ Limitation: When selecting emails in Gmail’s mobile app, you can only select 50 messages at a time. To choose additional emails, you must scroll to load more messages and select them again.
To select all unread emails in all locations:
- Either enter the search operator is:unread into the Search box and press Search or go to All Mail and choose Is unread at the top.
- Long-press the first message you want to select.
- Mark the Select all checkbox on the top left.
- Scroll to the bottom of the screen to load more emails.
- Mark the Select all checkbox again.
- Continue until you’ve selected all unread messages.
To select all unread emails in your Inbox or with a label:
- Enter the search operators in:inbox is:unread or in:work is:unread (using Work as the label).
- Press Search.
- Long-press the first message you want to select.
- Mark the Select all checkbox on the top left.
- Scroll to the bottom of the screen to load more emails.
- Mark the Select all checkbox again.
- Continue until you’ve selected all unread messages.
Use Clean Email to select all unread messages
When selecting emails in Gmail, you have limitations both on the web and in the mobile apps. Luckily, Clean Email bypasses these restrictions, allowing you to more quickly and easily select Gmail messages.
Once you find the emails you want to select, pick Select → Select All at the top. Fortunately, you can use these steps on the web and in the mobile app without workarounds or endless scrolling.
How to Delete Unread Emails in Gmail
If after you find and select unread emails you decide to delete them to perform a fast Gmail cleanup, the process is a quick one. Just make sure to review your selected messages so that you don’t delete an important one by mistake.
With the messages selected, choose Delete (trash can icon) in the top toolbar on the web or in the mobile app. If you’re removing many emails, you may be prompted to confirm.
It’s important to note that when you delete emails in Gmail, they aren’t permanently removed from your mailbox. Instead, they go to the Trash where they remain for 30 days, making them recoverable, before they’re automatically and permanently removed.
💡 This is crucial to keep in mind if you’re deleting the emails to free up storage space because messages in the Trash continue to consume space until they’re permanently removed.
Alternatively, you can use Clean Email’s one-step delete.
Use Clean Email to delete unread messages
While Clean Email does provide a Trash folder if you’re not quite ready to permanently remove emails, it also gives you a one-step Delete option to remove the messages immediately and free up space.
By simply choosing Delete rather than Trash for your selected messages, those emails are permanently removed right away.
⚠️ Warning: When you use this option, the emails are not recoverable. If you think you may need to restore a message later, send it to the Trash instead.
Conclusion
Now that you know how to filter Gmail by unread or how to find unread messages on iPhone and Android, you can get to work cleaning your mailbox or simply seeing which messages you’ve missed.
Keep in mind that Clean Email offers advanced features for viewing, selecting, and deleting unread messages in Gmail, but that’s not all. You can use the entire feature set on any device, including macOS, iOS, Android, and the web, and enjoy additional tools for decluttering Gmail and keeping it clean long-term.
