Definition

💡 The term “Priority Inbox” is popularly used by Gmail as a way to prioritize the emails you receive. This inbox type displays what the email provider believes to be your most important messages — those that you’ll likely perform actions on based on your history.

Example

If you always want to see both your important and unread messages at the top of your inbox, the Priority Inbox in Gmail is ideal.

What is the Priority Inbox in Gmail?

The Priority Inbox in Gmail places your important and unread messages at the top of your inbox with those that are starred beneath and everything else below that. You can customize the Priority Inbox in Gmail to include another message type such as emails with certain labels or sent messages.

How do you stop Gmail from separating the inbox into Regular vs. Priority Inbox mail?

You can opt to turn off Priority Inbox in Gmail and use a different option such as the default view, with categories, or multiple inboxes with specific sections you customize.

In Gmail, open the Settings (gear icon) and choose See all settings.
Go to the Inbox tab and choose the Inbox type at the top. Any available customizations for that inbox type appear directly beneath.