How to Create and Manage Labels in Gmail to Organise Your Inbox

A cluttered inbox is a major source of stress for many professionals. While archiving and deleting emails are standard practices, relying solely on Google’s default categorisation often results in important messages getting lost. To truly master Gmail, you must utilise “Labels.”

Unlike traditional folders used by Microsoft Outlook (where an email can only exist in one place), Gmail’s Labels act like physical sticky notes. You can apply multiple different labels to a single email. For example, a message from your accountant can be labelled both “Taxes 2024” and “Urgent,” allowing it to appear when searching for either category. This guide explains how to create and manage these powerful organisational tools.

How to Create a New Label

You can create labels from the main Gmail interface on a desktop browser.

1. Log in to your Gmail account on a desktop web browser.
2. Look at the left-hand sidebar (where Inbox, Sent, and Drafts are located). Scroll down to the bottom.
3. If you do not see the bottom of the list, click More to expand the sidebar.
4. Click the + Create new label button.
5. A pop-up window will appear. Type a name for your label (e.g., “Project Alpha” or “Travel Receipts”).
6. (Optional) If you want this label to be a sub-category of an existing label, check the “Nest label under” box and select the parent label.
7. Click Create.

How to Apply Labels to Emails

There are two primary ways to apply a label to an email you have received.

Method 1: From the Inbox List

1. In your main inbox view, click the small square checkbox to the left of the email(s) you want to label.
2. Look at the toolbar above the emails. Click the Labels icon (it looks like a small luggage tag).
3. A dropdown menu will appear showing all your created labels. Check the box next to the label(s) you want to apply.
4. Click Apply.

Method 2: Drag and Drop

For a faster workflow, you can simply click and hold a label from the left-hand sidebar, drag it over to the email in your inbox, and release your mouse button to instantly stick the label onto the message.

How to Colour-Code Your Labels

By default, all labels are grey. Colour-coding them is essential for visual organisation, allowing you to instantly identify priority emails at a glance.

1. Locate the label you wish to colour-code in the left-hand sidebar.
2. Hover your mouse cursor over the label name. A three-dot menu icon will appear on the right side of the name.
3. Click the three dots.
4. Hover over Label colour at the top of the pop-up menu.
5. Select a colour from the palette, or click Add custom colour to create your own.

Any email bearing that label will now display the brightly coloured tag in your main inbox view, significantly speeding up your email triage process.