/ How to

How to Make, Organize and Manage Folders in Gmail Inbox

Introduction

Keeping your Gmail inbox organized is crucial for productivity and efficiency. With the high volume of emails most people receive daily, it’s easy for important messages to get buried and overlooked. Creating a folder system in Gmail allows you to categorize and file emails so you can quickly find what you need.

In this article, we will cover everything you need to know about making, organizing and managing folders in Gmail, including:

Creating Folders

  • How to make new folders on desktop and mobile
  • Making nested subfolders
  • Naming tips

Organizing Folders

  • Setting up an effective folder structure
  • Color coding folders
  • Moving emails into folders

Managing Folders

  • Editing and deleting folders
  • Keyboard shortcuts
  • Automatic filtering

Follow these tips and you’ll be well on your way to an organized, stress-free inbox!

Creating Folders in Gmail

The first step to organizing your emails is creating a folder system. Here’s how to make new folders on desktop and mobile:

On Desktop

  1. Click the gear icon ⚙️ > Settings
  2. Select Labels from the menu
  3. Click Create New Label
  4. Enter folder name > Create

You can make subfolders by checking “Nest label under” and selecting a parent folder.

On Mobile

  1. Open Gmail app
  2. Tap ≡ Menu icon
  3. Tap Labels
  4. Tap Create new
  5. Enter label name > Save

That’s all there is to creating new folders!

Naming Tips

  • Keep names short, simple and descriptive
  • Use underscores instead of spaces (e.g. “Personal_Emails”)
  • Avoid special characters
  • Capitalize first letter of each word

Organizing Your Folders

Once you’ve created folders, it’s time to organize them into an effective system. Here are some tips:

Folder Structure

Group similar topics and use subfolders for specificity:

  • Personal
    • Family
    • Friends
    • Shopping
  • Work
    • Clients
      • Client 1
      • Client 2
    • Projects
      • Project 1
      • Project 2

Color Coding

Color code important folders for quick visual identification:

  • Red – Urgent
  • Orange – Priority
  • Blue – Travel
  • Green – Finance

In Settings > Labels, click the color next to folder names.

Moving Emails

To file emails properly:

  • Open message
  • Click Move To
  • Select destination folder

Bulk move multiple emails at once by checking boxes and selecting Move.

Managing Folders

Maintaining your folder structure over time ensures it stays optimized. Here’s how:

Editing

To rename or re-color folders:

Desktop: Settings > Labels > Click folder > Edit

Mobile: Menu > Labels > Tap folder > Edit

Deleting

To remove unnecessary folders:

Desktop: Settings > Labels > Click trash can icon

Mobile: Menu > Labels > Tap folder > Delete

Keyboard Shortcuts

Master shortcuts like c to compose and e to archive for quick email processing.

Automatic Filtering

Set up filters so new emails automatically go into folders based on sender, subject keywords or other criteria.

So there you have it – everything you need to make, organize and manage an efficient folder structure for your Gmail inbox! With this system in place, you’ll gain back a ton of productivity and have the tools to keep your email nice and tidy.

Related Posts