Mastering Gmail Rules: A Complete Guide To Organizing Your Inbox

Some of the reasons behind Gmail’s popularity are that it caters to all types of users and brings many features that help users manage emails with ease. Features such as Filters, Labels, Spam Filtering, and Categories are great, but there’s another neat feature that not many people use. It’s called Rules and does exactly what its name suggests. Here’s how to create rules in Gmail.

Rules can only be created using Gmail web, and they’re pretty easy to create. There are plenty of rules like applying a label, deleting, forwarding, starring, and many more when you receive an email.

Create a Rule from Gmail Search Bar

The only way to create a rule in Gmail is from the web. You cannot create rules on the Gmail app on Android or iOS. This limitation means that you have to utilize the desktop version of Gmail, which offers a more comprehensive interface for managing your email efficiently.

To create a rule, follow these simple steps:

1. Go to Gmail (website) and, in the search bar, click on the Settings icon.
2. Add a From or To address for which you want to create the Rule/Filter.
3. Specify the criteria to apply a rule — options include Subject, Has the words, Doesn’t have, Size, and Date within.
4. Click the Search dropdown menu to choose where you want Gmail to look.
5. Finally, click on Create filter to proceed.
6. Depending on the type, the rule should apply to existing or upcoming emails.

Create a Rule From a Particular Email

You can also create a rule from an email message, which auto-fills the From address with the sender’s email address. This feature makes it easier to filter emails based on specific senders.

To set up a rule from a particular email, follow these steps:

1. Open an email on Gmail (website) and click the 3-dots icon from the top row.
2. Select Filter messages like these from the overflow menu.
3. Fill in the fields that appear, choose your options, and click Create filter.
4. Select the tasks you want Gmail to perform when it finds emails that meet your criteria and check the boxes you want to activate.
5. Click Create filter to finalize your settings.

Edit or Delete Rules on Gmail

Once you’ve created rules in Gmail, it’s important to manage them effectively. If a rule is no longer needed, you can easily edit or delete it, ensuring your inbox remains organized according to your current preferences.

Here’s how to edit or delete a rule:

1. Go to Gmail (website) and click on the cogwheel icon at the top right.
2. Click on See all settings.
3. Navigate to the Filters and Blocked Addresses tab.
4. Locate the existing rule you want to modify, and click edit or delete.

And that’s how you can create a Rule in Gmail! Rules should help tidy up your Inbox, eliminating the need for manual clean-ups. Speaking of clean-up, you can recover an email if you accidentally deleted it from both Inbox and Trash. I’m curious about your thoughts on Gmail as a platform; feel free to share in the comments!