If you’re looking to clean upyour Gmail inbox, but you don’t want to delete anything permanently, then choosing the archive option is your best bet. Whenever you archive an email, it is removed from your inbox folder while still remaining accessible. Here’s how to access any emails you have archived previously, as well as how to move such messages back to your regular inbox for fast access.
Difficulty
What You Need
A PC or mobile device
An internet connection
A Gmail account
Finding archived Gmails on the web
If you access Gmail via a web browser, it is a straightforward process to recall any emails you may have archived. For starters, if you choose to use the search bar at the top of the page, search results will include any archived emails. Alternatively, you can access all of your available mail, including archived pieces, under theAll mailoption.
Step 1:Visitthe Gmail websiteand sign in.
Step 2:On the left side of the screen, selectMore.
Step 3:Select theAll mailoption.
Step 4:On the right side of the screen, you may now browse your email; it will include all emails in your account, including archived content.
Finding archived Gmails on an Android phone
If you use Gmail from one of thebest Android phones, you may also access archived content easily. As on the web, you can use the search bar displayed above your mail to initiate a search that will include archived content. Otherwise, if you wish, you can access all of your available mail, including archived content, under theAll mailoption.
Step 1:Open the Gmail app on your device.
Step 2:At the top of the screen, select theMenubutton; it is displayed as three horizontal lines.
Step 3:Select theAll mailoption from the menu that appears.
Step 4:You may now browse your emails on-screen. This will include all emails in your account, including archived messages.
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Moving an archived Gmail to your inbox via the web
If you change your mind, you may always move any archived content back to your inbox. Follow these steps to move archived emails back into your inbox using the Gmail website:
Step 2:Locate the email you wish to relocate.
Step 3:To the left of the email, check theSmall boxicon.
Step 4:At the top of the screen, select theMove to inboxicon. It looks like an inbox tray with a downward arrow inside of it.
Your archived email will then be moved back to the inbox for regular viewing. If you wish to return the piece of mail to the archive, hover over the email once again and select theArchivebutton (pictured as a small box with a down arrow).
Moving an archived Gmail to the inbox on Android
You can also change your mind about archived emails while you are out and about using Gmail’s available mobile apps for iOS and Android. Follow these steps to move the archived email back into your inbox within Google’s official Gmail app for Android:
Step 2:Locate the email you wish to relocate and select it.
Step 3:Select theMorebutton in the upper-right corner of your screen (shown as three vertical dots), not the message.
Step 4:Choose theMove to inboxoption from the menu that appears.
Your archived email will then be moved back to the inbox for regular viewing. If you wish to return the piece of mail to Archived, reopen the email and select theArchivebutton (pictured as a small box with a down arrow).
Archiving Gmails on iPhones, MacBooks, and other iOS devices
For iOS devices, the process is a bit different. Here’s how to do it:
Step 1:Find the email you want inAll mail.
Step 2:Select the sender’s profile icon on the left of the screen.
Step 3:Select theMoreicon (three dots).
Step 4:Select whether you want toMove to inboxorMove to > Primary.
Archiving an email vs. muting an email
You may have heard of the ability to mute an email and archive an email discussed in the same breath. Both features will remove messages from your inbox to keep things tidy, but archived emails will return to your inbox if someone replies to them. On the other hand, muted messages will stay out of your inbox permanently. Follow these steps on either the web or a mobile app if you wish to mute an email:
Step 1:Access your Gmail account.
Step 2:Open the email you wish to mute.
Step 3:Select theMorebutton (shown as three vertical dots). For the web, it is important that you select theMorebutton that is located toward the top of your screen, just under the search box.
Step 4:Select theMuteoption.
you’re able to follow these steps on both iOS and Android phones and tablets. The only minor difference with iOS devices is that theMoreicon for iOS is not three vertical dots, but instead is three horizontal dots.
If you wish to unmute an email conversation, you can do so on the web by following the steps given above, but you’ll need to select theUnmuteoption in step 4. You’ll still need to selectMove to inboxif you want the email to return to your inbox. Unmuting an email doesn’t move it to a different folder in Gmail, so it will remain inAll Mailif you don’t move it yourself.
You can also unmute an email in the Gmail app for Android, but you won’t find anUnmuteoption. You’ll have to select theMoreicon and thenMove to inboxinstead. Doing so effectively unmutes the message and moves it back to the inbox.
All of your muted conversations are grouped so that you can easily access them by searching for them under the name “is:mute” in the Gmail search box.
