How to Use Gmail Filters and Rules

Automatically label, file, or delete certain emails with Gmail filters — stop inbox overload without reading every message.

In this guide (5 steps):

1.Open Gmail on a computer
2.Click the search filter icon
3.Set the matching criteria
4.Click Create filter
5.Apply to existing messages

Open Gmail on a computer

~15s

Go to gmail.com and sign in. Filters have to be created from the web version — the phone app cannot make them.

Click the search filter icon

~15s

In the search bar at the top, click the sliders icon on the right side. A search form appears where you can set criteria.

Set the matching criteria

~15s

Fill in any fields you want: From (for a specific sender), Subject (for keywords in the subject), Has the words (anywhere in the email). You can use multiple fields together.

Click Create filter

~15s

Below the form, click Create filter. On the next screen, pick what Gmail should do: Skip the Inbox, Apply a label, Mark as read, Star, Delete, or Forward.

Apply to existing messages

~15s

Check the box that says Also apply filter to matching conversations. This runs the filter backwards on every email you have ever received that matches, not just new ones.

You Did It!

You've completed: How to Use Gmail Filters and Rules

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Gmail filters (sometimes called rules) are instructions Gmail follows automatically when a new email arrives. You can tell Gmail to skip the inbox for newsletters, label all bank messages as "Finance," or delete spammy senders without ever seeing them.

Filters work best on a computer — mobile apps do not let you create them, though they honor any you set up. Once created, a filter runs on every future email and can also apply to existing messages.

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