How to Filter Emails in Gmail

Using Gmail Filters is Easy

Filters in Gmail are powerful tools that automate how your emails are organized. When you set them up, you can automatically label, archive, delete, star, or forward your emails based on criteria you define.

If you're looking to run a Gmail filter on the inbox based on certain conditions (and without creating complex rules,) you can use any of the below options:

As you'll find shortly, these options to apply a Gmail filter to the inbox allow you to view emails with a single click.

If you prefer to create customized email filter rules, keep reading for the step-by-step guide.

Creating Gmail Filters: A Step-by-Step Guide

You can create a filter in Gmail on the web. However, you'll find that doing this using Gmail's mobile app isn't possible. But there's a way to do it with Clean Email.

How to create a Gmail filter on the web

There are three ways to create a filter in Gmail on your computer:

Method 1: From the Gmail search bar

1. Look for the search bar at the top of your Gmail inbox.
2. Click the filter icon at the end of the search bar.
3. Type in a keyword, sender's email address, or any other criteria that you want to use as a filter in the pop-up window.
4. Click on Create filter located at the bottom of the window. This will open up a new window where you can choose what actions to take.
5. Once you're done defining the actions, click Create filter at the bottom of the window.
6. You'll find the new filter in the Settings (refer to Method 2 to find out how).

Method 2: Using Gmail settings

1. Click on the gear icon located at the top right corner of Gmail.
2. Click the See all settings button on top of the pop-up window.
3. Go to the Filters and Blocked Addresses tab.
4. Click on Create a new filter.
5. In this window, you can input your desired criteria for the filter, such as sender's email address or specific keywords. Click Create filter.
6. Define the actions you want to happen when the email meets your criteria.
7. Click on Create Filter.
8. You can view new filters (along with your other filters) under the Filters and Blocked Addresses tab.

Method 3: From an email

1. Open an email from the sender for which you want to create a filter.
2. Click on the three dots in the email's top right corner.
3. Select Filter messages like this from the drop-down menu.
4. This will open a new window with the sender's email address already filled in as a filter condition.
5. You can add more criteria by clicking Create Filter and selecting the desired options.

How to create filters in Gmail mobile app

Tidying up your Gmail inbox when you set up filters on your mobile isn't as easy as doing it on a desktop.

The not-so-good news is you can't create a filter in Gmail on the go. You can't do it natively through the mobile app; not even in your device's web browser either!

This sounds strange, especially since most people these days use their Gmail on their iOS or Android devices.

The good news is there's a workaround—the inbox sorter app Clean Email can make this as easy as creating filters on the web.

Maintaining Your Gmail Filters

Once you create filters in Gmail, reviewing them regularly is key—especially as your email usage changes. Some of them may no longer be necessary. Or you may find new senders or keywords that must be added to existing ones. Hence, there is a need to manage filters in Gmail periodically.

Editing Existing Filters

Here's how you can edit the filters you already have in Gmail:

1. Click on the gear icon in the top right corner and select See all settings.
2. Click on the Filters and Blocked Addresses tab.
3. Find the filter you want to modify and click edit.
4. Make necessary changes in the criteria and actions.
5. Save your changes by clicking on Update Filter.

Deleting Unnecessary Filters

If you decide to get rid of existing ones, the steps are similar to editing them:

1. Perform steps 1 to 3 from the above to find the filter you want to delete.
2. Instead of clicking edit, go to delete.
3. Click the OK button to confirm the action.

5 Common Gmail Filters for Effective Email Management

Gmail filters help you stay organized and efficient when managing your inbox. Here are some common types.

Filter 1: Separate unread emails in Gmail

One of the quickest ways to filter unread emails is by using the search bar at the top of your Gmail page.

Simply type "is:unread" (without the quotes) and press Enter. This command screens your inbox to show only the emails that are marked as unread.

Filter 2: Move to a folder and remove from Inbox

Here's how to direct a message to a folder or label from your inbox.

1. Click the Show search options icon in the search box at the top of the Gmail interface or through Settings to open the advanced search options.
2. Define the criteria for the emails you want to screen. You can do this by sender, subject, keywords within the email, and more. For example, to screen all emails from "example@example.com," enter this email address in the From field.
3. After entering your criteria, click the Create filter button at the bottom right of the search window.
4. Choose actions:
   • Apply a label: Check the Apply the label option. If you haven't created a label (folder) yet, select New label from the dropdown menu and name your label. This is where your filtered emails will go.
   • Archive: Check the Skip the Inbox (Archive it) option. This action removes the message from your inbox so it only appears under the label you've assigned.

1. Click on Create filter to finalize your settings.

Filter 3: Apply the same action on emails from multiple addresses

Here's how to set up a filter from multiple addresses in Gmail:

1. Open the advanced search options.
2. In the From field, you can specify multiple email addresses separated by commas.
3. Click the Create filter button.
4. Select the actions you want Gmail to take with emails that match this rule or condition. Common actions include:
   • Apply the label: Choose an existing label or create a new one to organize these emails.

1. If you want to apply this filter to existing emails in your inbox that match the criteria, also check the box for Also apply filter to matching conversations.
2. Click Create filter to save your new settings.

Any current or future emails from the specified addresses will automatically be processed according to the actions you selected, such as being labeled and removed from the inbox. This method is particularly useful for managing newsletters, notifications, or emails from specific groups of people.

Check out our guide on how to sort Gmail by sender.

Filter 4: Highlight or star important emails

Here's how to automatically highlight or star important emails:

1. Open the advanced search options.
2. Specify the criteria for emails you consider important. This could be based on the sender's email address, keywords in the subject line or email body, etc. For instance, to easily find all emails from your boss, enter their email address in the From field. If you want to mark emails with specific subjects as important, use the Subject field.
3. After setting your criteria, click the Create filter button at the bottom right of the search window.
4. Select the actions:
   • Check the "Star it" option. This action automatically highlights the email by adding a star, making it stand out in your inbox.

   Alternatively, you may also want to:

   • Check the "Always mark it as important" option. This ensures that emails meeting your criteria are classified as important by Gmail.

1. If you wish to apply this to existing emails in your inbox given they meet your specified criteria, check the box for Also apply filter to matching conversations.
2. Click Create filter to save your settings.

Filter 5: Set up a rule by subject

Here's how to create a rule based on the keywords a subject contains in Gmail:

1. Open the advanced search options.
2. In the Subject field, enter the specific words or phrases that commonly appear in the subject lines of the emails you want to screen. For instance, if you're setting up a rule for emails with the phrase "Weekly Report," you would type "Weekly Report" in the Subject field.
3. Click the Create filter button at the bottom right of the search options box after entering your subject criteria.
4. Now, decide what you want Gmail to do with emails that match the condition. You have several options, such as:
   • Skip the Inbox (Archive it): This action moves the email out of your inbox and into the archives.
   • Mark as read: Automatically marks these emails as read.
   • Star it: Highlights the email by marking it with a star.
   • Apply the label: Categorizes these emails under a specific label (folder). You can select an existing label or create a new one specifically for these types of messages.
   • Forward it: Automatically forwards these emails to another email address (you'll need to set up forwarding first).

Other actions are also available, depending on how you want to manage these emails.

1. If you want to apply this new one to emails already in your inbox that meet the criteria, check the box for Also apply filter to matching conversations.
2. Click Create filter to save and activate your new filter.

Related Posts:

• How To Automatically Sort Emails In Gmail
• How to Delete Old Emails in Gmail
• Gmail Search Operators
• How to Organize Gmail Like a Pro