Instead of folders, Gmail has a "labels" feature. Labels are similar to folders, but are more powerful and flexible, because you can add multiple labels to a message to categorize it in several ways.
Labels help you organize your messages into categories -- work, family, to do, read later, jokes, recipes, any category you want. Labels do all the work that folders do, but with an added bonus: you can add more than one to a message.
Only you can see your labels, so whether you mark a message with "Best friend" or "Read later," the sender will never know.
Create a label
- On the left side of the page, click More at the bottom of your labels list. (If you don't see "More," grab the gray dividing line with your cursor and drag it down to show more labels.)
- Click Create new label.
- Type the name of your new label and click Create.
You can also create a new label for a message in your Inbox by selecting the box next to the message, clicking the Label button above your message list, and then clicking Create new.
Apply your label
You can add a label to your messages in several ways:- When viewing your Inbox, select the checkbox next to those messages, click theLabels
button, and click the label you want. (Or check the boxes next to several labels and click Apply.) - When viewing a message, click the Labels button to add a label to the message. You can also click and drag a label from the left side, and drop it on the message.
- When writing a new message, use that button to add a label before sending your message.