Sort Your Gmail Inbox To Find Unread Emails
Do you have emails scattered throughout your Gmail Inbox that you haven’t read or that you skipped over? When these messages are scattered throughout an inbox with a long list of messages, it can take a long time to scan the list and catch up on your reading.
To make this task go smoothly and quickly, organize your messages so that you see the unread email at the top of your inbox and everything else listed below. This provides a quick way to scan your incoming mail for messages you may have missed or haven’t read yet.
Keep reading to find out how to quickly sort emails in Gmail and Clean Email.
How To Sort Unread Emails in Gmail
Sometimes emails that you’ve missed can be difficult to find, especially when there are a lot of emails in your Gmail inbox. Gmail contains tools to help you quickly rearrange your inbox so that these messages appear at the top of your inbox. When the mail you haven’t read is grouped at the top of your inbox, it’s easy to scan the list and manage those messages.
Here’s how to sort by unread in Gmail using a web browser:
- Select the Settings gear to display the Quick settings pane.
- Scroll to Inbox Type and choose Unread first.
This method displays all the unread emails in your Gmail account, including the Primary, Social, and Promotions inboxes.
If you use the iOS or Android mobile app, here’s how to sort unread emails in Gmail so that those messages appear at the top of your inbox:
- Open the Gmail app and tap Menu.
- Tap Settings and choose your Google account.
- Tap Inbox type and then tap Unread first.
How To Find Unread Emails in Gmail
If you’re familiar with search operators in Gmail, use the is:unread search operator to sort Gmail by unread messages. To see the messages you haven’t read at the top of your inbox, go to the Search bar and enter is:unread.

There are other ways to find your missed emails. If you know some information about the email you need, you can also sort Gmail by date, subject, name, email address, and size. Here are some examples of how to search for unread emails in Gmail using search operators:
- Date: To list unread messages that fall between specified dates, add the before: and after: parameters after is:unread. For example, to see messages after January 1, 2021, but before June 1, 2021, enter is:unread before:6/1/2021 after:1/1/2021 in the Search bar.
- Subject: When you need to find a specific topic, go to the Search bar, select the Show search options button, and fill in the Subject field.
- Email address: If you want to view messages from a specified email address, follow the is:unread operator with the from: operator. For example, enter is:unread from:email@gmail.com to list emails from that email address.
- Sender: When you don’t know a sender’s email address, sort Gmail by sender. Search for their mail using the is:unread operator with the from: operator. For example, enter is:unread from:Amazon to find any receipts you might have missed.
- Size: Maybe you missed an important email that contained an attachment. Instead of browsing through a list of messages, sort Gmail by size.
Follow our guide on how to delete all unread emails in Gmail at once.
Clean Email Finds Missed Emails Quickly And Efficiently
Would you like to know how to sort by unread in Gmail in a simpler way? Instead of using Gmail, search unread emails with an email organizer like Clean Email. This app places all the search functions you’ll need in clear sight on the screen. It includes shortcuts to help you find emails you haven’t read from any person, during any date, and of any size.
To browse your unread Gmail messages:
- Log in to your Clean Email account.
- If you have more than one email address set up in Clean Email, choose your Gmail address by selecting the drop-down menu next to your profile image at the top of the left pane.
- Choose the Unread Mail folder in the left pane.




Now that all your unread Gmail messages are in one place, you may find it challenging to browse through the list. When you want to organize the emails you haven’t read, Clean Email provides convenient sorting options, which you’ll find above the list of unread emails.
- When you select the Group By... drop-down menu, you can organize your emails into groups based on parameters such as sender, recipients, date, subject, labels, and more.
- When you select the Newest on Top drop-down menu, you can sort in several ways and in ascending or descending order. Choose to sort by size, date, and number of emails.




Clean Email offers other tools to help you perfectly organize your mailbox. One of these tools is Smart Folders. Smart Folders organize your mail into categories such as Top senders, Online shopping emails, Social notifications, and more.


Do you receive too many newsletters or belong to too many mailing lists? Unsubscriber will keep those emails out of your inbox by sending unsubscribe requests and completing unsubscribe forms for you.


Do you have certain messages that you’d like to mark as read in Gmail or send to the archive automatically? Use Auto Clean to create automated rules that will be applied to certain incoming emails automatically.


And, best of all, you’ll never need to worry about your personal information while using Clean Email. Clean Email doesn’t read the message text or attachments; only the email headers are analyzed. Plus, your data is stored encrypted, and access details for your information are also encrypted.
How to Sort Gmail by Unread Emails - Frequently Asked Questions
How do I filter unread emails in Gmail primary?
When you only want to see the messages under the Primary tab of your Gmail Inbox and not Social or Promotions, enter label:unread category:primary in the Search bar. The messages you haven’t read appear at the top of the list, and other messages appear below those emails.
Is there an unread folder in Gmail?
Gmail doesn’t use folders. Instead, it uses labels. And there isn’t an unread label in Gmail. However, you can quickly view the mail you haven’t read by opening Settings and selecting the Unread first inbox type.
How do I change the order of emails in Gmail?
The simplest way to change the order of emails in Gmail is to look in the Quick Settings. When you select the Settings gear, you’re presented with a list of Inbox Types. You can organize your messages so that selected messages display first such as important, unread, and starred.
How do I add an unread folder to Gmail?
To add an unread folder to Gmail, you’ll set up a filter that applies a label to those messages. A quick way is to enter is:unread in the Search box, select Show search options (found on the right side of the Search bar), and create a filter that applies a label that you specify.