Gmail / Gmail Power User
Create and manage labels
Gmail labels are used to organise messages in your Inbox. You can view content from multiple labels in one screen, and can assign a single message to multiple labels. If, for example, you receive an email that contains important training information, but also has information about the company website. You could add the message to both a Training and Website label so that the message can be viewed when either of these labels are selected.
Although no default labels are created by Gmail, you can use the 4 built-in categories to label messages in your Inbox - these are Social, Promotions, Updates and Forums.
Check the messages you want to assign a label
Click on the Labels button along the top of the screen
Choose the category you want to assign to the selected messages
Click on Apply
Creating Labels
You can create any number of new labels to help to organise your messages.
If you want to label your message but haven't yet created the label, you can create a label and assign a message to it as follows:
Check the messages you wish to add to a label
Click on the Labels button and choose Create New
Type a name for the label
If you wish the new label to be nested under an existing label (so that it becomes a sub-label), check the Nest Label Under box, then choose the label to nest it under
Click on Create
The label will be created and the selected messages assigned that label.
When you assign a message to a label in this way, the message remains in the Inbox with the label name showing in front of the message subject. You can quickly show all messages assigned to a label by clicking on the label name on the left-hand side of the screen. If you have nested a label under another label, click on the arrow symbol to show the nested label.
Moving Messages to Labels
If you no longer need to see a message in the Inbox, you can move it so that it only appears when the label is selected, or when you show all mail in your mailbox.
To move a message to a label:
Check the messages you wish to move
Click on the Move To button, then choose the label you wish to move the message to. Nested labels are shown with the name of the main label first, followed by / and the name of the sub-label.
The message will no longer show in the Inbox, but can be displayed by clicking on the label it has been assigned to.
You can also move a message to a label by clicking on the blue bar to the left of the check box of the message. Drag the message to the required label on the left-hand side of the screen, then release the mouse button.
Managing Labels
To view the Labels list, either:
Select any message(s) in the Inbox, then click on the Labels button along the top of the Inbox and choose Manage Labels or
Click on the Settings cog near the top-right corner of the screen
Choose See all settings
Click on the Labels tab
The following system labels can be shown or hidden using the Show or Hide link as required.
Under the System labels, any custom labels are displayed, which again can be displayed in the navigation pane by clicking on the Show link, or hidden by clicking on Hide.
To add a new label, click in the Create a New Label box and enter a name for the new label. Click on Create
To remove a label you no longer need, click on the Remove link for that label
You can set a colour for a label by clicking on the drop-down arrow to the right of a label name in the navigation pane on the left-hand side of the screen, then choosing a colour from the list displayed. You can also click on this arrow to hide a label from the list on the left-hand side of the screen, or remove a label completely.
