The Difference Between Sorting and Searching
To get started, it’s important to understand the difference between sorting and searching in your mailbox. Note that this is a general overview of the two actions; not Gmail specific.
Sorting lists your emails in a particular order. It lets you display messages alphabetically or by status, date, size, or another attribute. The sort order you select, for example, sorting by sender, remains until you change it.
Searching finds emails that match one or more conditions. It lets you locate messages using keywords or search operators and displays the results. The emails you find display temporarily for you to view or act on.
If you simply want to locate your unread messages, learn how to find unread emails in Gmail.
Gmail’s Sorting Abilities
When it comes to sorting emails in Gmail, there are limitations. This is because Gmail is built for searching, not sorting. Rather than review a long list of messages and sort by date, subject, or name, Google wants its Gmail users to rely on its powerful search engine to find the necessary emails.
With this in mind, you cannot truly sort emails by Unread in Gmail. Instead, you can use an inbox layout that displays unread messages in a dedicated section at the top with the remaining emails beneath.
For a clear picture of how Gmail’s Search feature compares to the Unread First inbox layout, here’s a quick rundown.
| Gmail Search | Unread First |
|---|---|
| Finds matching emails | Changes inbox layout |
| Temporary search results | Permanent inbox view |
| Uses search operators | Uses Inbox type |
| Shows only matching emails | Shows all emails with unread at the top |
Now, let’s walk through how to enable and use Unread First for your Gmail Inbox on desktop and mobile.
How to Sort Unread Emails in Gmail on the Web
You can change your Inbox Type to Unread First in Gmail on the web in just a few simple steps. As a bonus, you can customize a couple of the settings for this inbox layout.
- Visit Gmail on the web and sign in.
- Click Settings (gear icon) on the top right.
- Choose Unread first in the Inbox Type section of the side panel.
You’ll see your Inbox immediately update to the new layout with Unread at the top and Everything else directly beneath. You can collapse or expand these sections using the arrows to the left.
Along with displaying your unread emails first, you can adjust a couple of settings for this layout. This includes choosing the number of messages to display and hiding the section when you have no unread emails.
- Click Settings and select See all settings.
- Go to the Inbox tab.
- Next to Unread in the Inbox Sections area, choose Options.
- Pick the number of emails to display in the Unread section.
- Optionally, select Hide section when empty.
- Click Save Changes at the bottom.
How to Sort by Unread in the Gmail App on Mobile
If you want to see your unread emails first in Gmail’s mobile app, it’s an easy change on both Android and iPhone.
What to know:
- You can set your Inbox Type to Unread First based on account. This means, if you have more than one connected Gmail account in the mobile app, you can use Unread First for one account and a different Inbox Type for another.
- The Inbox Type you choose for your account does sync between the web and mobile apps. So, if you choose Unread First for your account on the web, you should see Unread First for the same account in the Gmail mobile app and vice versa.
Sort Gmail by Unread on Android
- Launch the Gmail app.
- Open the menu using the hamburger icon (three lines) on the top left and choose Settings.
- Select your email address.
- Choose Inbox type and pick Unread first.
- Use the arrows on the top left to exit the settings.
You’ll then see your updated Inbox with Unread messages at the top.
Sort Gmail by Unread on iPhone
- Launch the Gmail app.
- Tap your profile icon on the top right to select an account if you have more than one.
- Open the menu using the hamburger icon on the top left and choose Settings.
- Choose Inbox type and pick Unread first.
- Tap Done.
You’ll then see your Inbox update to display Unread emails first.
Use Clean Email to Organize and Manage Unread Messages
As you’ve learned, Gmail doesn’t provide traditional sorting methods that most other email providers and apps do. And while the Unread First Inbox Type can be helpful, it’s simply a layout.
Different from Gmail, Clean Email lets you organize your unread messages in various ways instead of just moving them to the top of your Inbox. With bulk management and smart organizational features, you can actually take care of those unread emails.
With Clean Email for Gmail, you can:
- Sort unread messages by newest, oldest, size, or message count.
- Group unread emails by sender, date, subject, recipient, label, or another attribute.
- Perform bulk actions on grouped unread messages such Trash, Delete, or Mark Read.
- Use Smart Folders to sift unread emails into categories like Shopping, Social Notifications, Finance, Job Search, Top Senders, and more.
- Create Auto Clean rules to keep unread emails under control like automatically sorting Gmail messages to apply a label, add a star, or archive the emails.
Clean Email is available for all IMAP accounts on the web and mobile devices with the same feature set across the board.
Read more: How to Sort Emails in Gmail
Troubleshooting the Unread First Inbox Layout
If you run into problems displaying or using the Unread First Inbox Type in Gmail, there are some common issues that users experience.
1. Unread First option missing: When the Unread First option is missing from the Inbox Type list, it’s likely because Smart Features are disabled. This is required for the Unread First layout.
- Web: Settings → See all settings → General and enable Smart features.
- Android: Settings → Email address and enable Smart features in the General section.
- iPhone: Settings → Data privacy and enable Smart features.
2. Inbox still looks unchanged: If you changed the Inbox Type to Unread First and confirmed that Smart Features are enabled, but your inbox looks the same after doing so, this can be caused by browser cache, app cache, or sync delays after the change.
- Web: Clear your web browser’s cache and cookies.
- Mobile: Clear the Gmail app cache per your particular device and restart the app. Also, confirm that Gmail syncing is enabled:
- Android: Settings → Email address and mark Sync Gmail in the Data usage section.
- iPhone: Settings → Data usage → Sync settings and choose the number of days.
3. Conversations instead of individual emails: When you see email threads rather than individual messages, you probably have Conversation View enabled. Luckily, you can turn off this view if you like.
- Web: Settings → See all settings → General and choose Conversation view off.
- Android: Settings → Email address and uncheck Conversation view in the General section.
- iPhone: Settings → Inbox customizations and disable Conversation view.
4. Multiple Inboxes or Priority Inbox overriding the layout: If your previous Inbox Type is overriding your change to Unread First, you can set a section for Unread to mimic that layout.
- Multiple Inboxes: Add a Search Query for is:unread and give it a Section Name.
- Priority Inbox: Open the Options for a section and pick Unread.
5. Too many unread emails reducing usefulness: When you use the Unread First layout, it includes all unread emails, not just new messages. So, if you have hundreds of unread emails, it can diminish the effectiveness of that layout.
- Consider using a Gmail Inbox Type that’s more efficient for your situation and employing Clean Email with its above features for sorting your inbox by Unread.
Learn how to delete all unread emails in Gmail at once in our guide.
FAQ
Can Gmail sort emails by unread?
Unfortunately, Gmail does not provide traditional sorting options. To see unread emails at the top of your Inbox, you can use the Unread First Inbox Type.
How do I put unread emails first in Gmail?
You can enable the Unread First Inbox Type in the Gmail web app by selecting Settings and choosing Unread First in the side panel. On Android, go to Settings → Email address → Inbox type and on iPhone, go to Settings → Inbox type.
Does Unread first work in the Gmail mobile app?
Yes, you can use the Unread First layout in the Gmail mobile app on both Android and iPhone. Access the Settings and choose Unread First for the Inbox Type. Alternatively, you can enable the Unread First layout for your account on the web, and it’ll sync in the Gmail mobile app.
Why isn't Unread first showing my unread emails at the top?
If Unread First isn’t working as expected, it can be due to Smart Features being disabled, browser or app cache issues, or sync delays.
What's the difference between Unread first and Gmail search?
Unread First is an Inbox Type which displays your unread emails at the top of your Inbox with the rest of your messages beneath. Gmail Search is a feature for finding particular emails in your mailbox.
