How to set up Gmail filters and labels that sort mail for you

Clearing an inbox once is easy. Keeping it clear means new mail has to sort itself as it arrives. In Gmail, labels act as folders and filters apply them automatically, so receipts, bills and newsletters never land in the inbox at all.

To set up a Gmail filter on a computer: click the sliders icon in the search bar (Show search options), enter a sender, subject or words, click Create filter, tick Apply the label and Skip the Inbox, then tick Also apply filter to matching conversations and click Create filter. The Gmail phone app cannot create filters, but filters made on a computer work everywhere.

Create a label

1. In the left menu, scroll down and click More › Create new label (or the + next to Labels).
2. Name it, such as Receipts, and click Create.

You can also create a label inside the filter steps by choosing Apply the label › New label.

Create a filter

1. In the search bar, click Show search options (the sliders icon on the right).
2. Fill in From, Subject or Has the words. Test it by clicking Search first and reading the results.
3. Click Create filter.
4. Tick the actions you want, such as Skip the Inbox (Archive it), Apply the label, Star it or Delete it.
5. Tick Also apply filter to matching conversations so existing mail is sorted too.
6. Click Create filter.

Shortcut: open an email, click the three-dot menu at the top and choose Filter messages like these. Gmail fills in the sender for you (Google).

Five filters worth setting up

Label	Put this in the filter	Actions
Receipts	Subject: receipt OR order OR invoice	Apply the label, Skip the Inbox
Bills	From: your utility, phone and card senders, joined with OR	Apply the label, Star it
Travel	Has the words: itinerary OR “boarding pass” OR reservation	Apply the label
Newsletters	From: the newsletters you keep reading, joined with OR	Apply the label, Skip the Inbox
Old codes	Subject: “verification code” OR “sign-in code”	Delete it

Write OR in capital letters. Put quotation marks around phrases.

Use filters safely

• Test the search first. A filter that is too broad can hide or delete mail you need.
• Never auto-delete mail from your bank, doctor, school or employer.
• Check labels weekly for a month after setting up Skip the Inbox, so nothing important waits unseen.
• Edit or delete filters in Settings › See all settings › Filters and Blocked Addresses.

Pair filters with a cleanup

Filters handle new mail. For the backlog, use Gmail search to bulk-delete old messages, unsubscribe from senders you never read, and keep the result with a 10-minute weekly email review. Our Gmail search cheat sheet lists the searches that make filters precise. Apple Mail user? See iCloud and Mac Mail rules.

What each filter action does

Action	Effect	Use it for
Skip the Inbox (Archive it)	Mail goes straight to All Mail and its label	Receipts, newsletters
Mark as read	No unread badge	Notifications you only keep for records
Star it	Adds a star so it stands out	Bills you must pay
Apply the label	Files it under that label	Everything you sort
Forward it	Sends a copy to another address	Bills to a partner (needs address verification)
Delete it	Moves it to Trash, gone after 30 days	Old sign-in codes only
Never send it to Spam	Rescues wanted mail from the spam filter	School or club newsletters
Categorize as	Moves it to Promotions, Updates and so on	Keeping the Primary tab clean

Nested labels

You can put one label inside another, such as Receipts inside Money. When you create a label, tick Nest label under and choose the parent. Nested labels keep the left menu short once you have more than about ten.

Questions

Do filters work on old mail? Only if you tick Also apply filter to matching conversations when you create the filter. Otherwise they act on new mail only.

Can I make filters on my phone? No. The Gmail app cannot create filters, but filters made on a computer apply to mail you read on your phone.

What is the difference between a label and a folder? A label works like a folder, but one email can have several labels. Deleting an email removes it from every label.

Can I back up my filters? Yes. In Settings › See all settings › Filters and Blocked Addresses, select filters and click Export to save them as a file you can import later.

Steps checked against Gmail Help and in Gmail on the web in November 2026.

Sources

• Gmail Help: Create rules to filter your emails
• Gmail Help: Create & manage labels in Gmail