This guide will teach you everything you need to know about the gmail file.
You accidentally archived an important email and now you can’t find it again. it’s not in the trash and can’t find the “archived” folder. So where do your archived emails go, how do you find them, and what’s the difference between archiving and deleting? These are some of the topics that we will cover in this guide.
in this guide:
- how to find archived emails
- how to specifically search for archived emails
- how to archive your emails
- how to unarchive an email
- what does it mean to archive something
- archive vs. delete
- why isn’t it archived in a separate folder?
- why you should archive your emails
how to find archived emails
in gmail, there is no folder called file. instead, you can find archived emails under all mail.
Step 1: You can access your archived emails by clicking all emails on the left navigation bar:
Step 2: Can’t find the All Mail option? try clicking more for all the options, and you should find it there:
Step 3: You should be able to see all your emails. When you click on all mail, you will see the archived emails and the ones in your inbox.
p.s. this feature shows you all your emails, including those in your inbox and all other labels. If the email you archived is older than the email at the top of your inbox, you may need to search for it.
how to specifically search for archived emails
When you search for an email or a subject, it automatically searches all emails, including those that are archived or tagged.
If you want to see only archived emails, you can type (no label:inbox) along with your search query. remember that it doesn’t have to be uppercase for it to work.
how to archive your emails
There are three ways to archive emails in gmail.
method 1: use the shortcut icons in the email list:
method 2: or you can click the file icon at the top when you open the email:
Method 3: You can bulk archive multiple emails directly from your inbox.
how to unarchive an email
To retrieve an email, you must first find it again.
Step 1: Find the email you archived. you can find it in all mail or by searching.
step 2: after opening, click the icon to move to inbox:
what does it mean to archive something
The first thing you should know before continuing is that gmail sorts everything by tags and not by folders. The main difference between traditional folders and labels is that with a folder structure, an email can only be found in one place. but with labels, on the other hand, you can apply multiple labels to an email. the emails you receive are automatically marked with an inbox label so that they appear in your inbox. you can then choose to mark it with additional tags.
Archiving an email means unlabeling it from your inbox. the meaning of archiving an email in gmail is to tidy up your inbox, without having to delete anything. it’s like marking something done on your to-do list or putting something away for safekeeping. this way you can keep all your relevant emails and avoid cluttering your inbox.
The advantage of organizing your email this way is that if you receive an email from your wife, you can tag the wife email, reply, and then archive it. then it disappears from the inbox, but you can still find it by navigating to the wife tag.
did you know?
Archived email sequences automatically reappear in your inbox when you receive a reply.
archive vs delete
The difference between archiving and deleting is that archiving is like putting something away for safe storage. like your notes, papers, receipts or important files. while moving something to the trash it indicates that this is a file that you no longer need.
so: Archive everything you want to keep. delete everything you want to get rid of.
why not file in a separate folder?
If you’re used to outlook, you may be used to archiving in a separate folder. the downside of doing it this way is that if you archive something you have in a client folder, then it gets moved out of the client folder and into the archive folder. this can be cumbersome if you still want to keep things you file organized.
If you archive an email in gmail, it will still be under the customer tag, but it will be removed from your inbox. you’ll still be able to find it by searching, navigating to the customer tag, or clicking through all emails.
why you should archive your emails
The main benefit of archiving emails is that it leaves your inbox less cluttered. You can think of archiving an email as marking it done.
By archiving all emails that don’t need any further action, you can quickly find the emails you need to reply to yourself. it also reduces your mental clutter.