A Gmail filter is a rule that sorts your email for you. You tell Gmail what to look for, such as a certain sender or a word in the subject, and what to do when a message matches. From then on, Gmail does it automatically every time a matching message arrives.
Filters are one of the easiest ways to take back control of a crowded inbox. A filter can:
- Add a label to a message, so it is easy to find later (Gmail uses labels instead of folders).
- Skip the inbox (Gmail calls this archiving), so the message is kept but does not clutter your main list.
- Mark a message as read.
- Star a message, or always mark it as important.
- Forward a message to another email address.
- Delete a message (Gmail moves it to the Trash).
- Make sure a message is never sent to Spam, which is handy for a sender you trust.
This guide shows two ways to make a filter, with screenshots. In each screenshot, the red boxes show exactly what to click and the numbered red circles give the order. No technical knowledge is needed.
What You Need
- A Gmail account and a computer. Google's instructions for filters are written for Gmail on a computer, and the Gmail phone app does not have the screens used below. Once a filter exists, it keeps working on every device.
- A sender or subject you want to deal with. In this guide I use a made-up newsletter at newsletter@example.com. Replace it with a real address of your own.
The screenshots were taken in Gmail in a desktop web browser in October 2026. If something looks slightly different, look for the words shown in the red boxes.
Method 1: Create a Filter from the Search Box
This is the most flexible method, because you can build the rule from scratch.
Step 1: Open the search options
Open Gmail on your computer. At the top of the page you will see the long search box that says "Search mail". At the right end of that box is a small icon with sliders. This is Show search options. Click it.
Step 1: Click the sliders icon (Show search options) at the right end of the search box.
Step 2: Look at the search options box
A box drops down with several empty fields: From, To, Subject, Has the words, Doesn't have, Size, Date within and Search, plus tick boxes for Has attachment and Don't include chats. Fill in only the ones you need.
At the bottom right you will see a Create filter link. It is greyed out while every field is empty, and becomes clickable once you type something.
Step 2: The empty search options box (1). The Create filter link (2) is greyed out until you type something.
Step 3: Fill in what Gmail should look for
Type your details into one or more fields. Here are the most useful ones:
- From: the sender's email address, for example newsletter@example.com.
- To: the address the message was sent to.
- Subject: a word or phrase that appears in the subject line.
- Has the words: a word or phrase that appears anywhere in the message.
- Has attachment: tick it to match only messages that carry an attachment.
When more than one field is filled in, a message has to match all of them. In the picture I filled in From and Subject, so only messages from that address with that subject will match.
Tip: click Search first to check what your rule finds. If the list shows the emails you expected, click Create filter.
Don't worry about the comma Gmail adds after the address in the From box. It is normal.
Step 3: Type in the From (1) and Subject (2) fields, then click Create filter (3).
Step 4: Choose what Gmail should do
A list of actions appears under the heading "When a message is an exact match for your search criteria". Tick the box next to each thing you want Gmail to do. You can tick more than one:
- Skip the Inbox (Archive it): the message goes straight to All Mail and does not appear in your inbox.
- Mark as read: the message arrives already read.
- Star it: adds a star so the message stands out.
- Apply the label: files the message under a label of your choice (see Step 5).
- Forward it: sends a copy to another address. You must add and confirm that address first (see Example 5 below).
- Delete it: moves the message to the Trash. Use with care.
- Never send it to Spam: keeps good mail out of the Spam folder.
- Always mark it as important: helps the message stand out in Gmail's Important view.
In the example I ticked Skip the Inbox (1) and Apply the label (2).
Step 4: Tick the actions you want (1 and 2). The last tick box (3) and the Create filter button (4) are used in Step 6.
Step 5: Pick a label (optional)
If you ticked Apply the label, click the small drop-down that says Choose label... next to it. The list shows your existing labels. You can click one of them, or choose New label... from the same list, type a name such as "Newsletters", and click Create. A filter can add one label, so if you want two labels, make a second filter.
Step 5: Click Choose label... (1) to pick an existing label or create a new one.
Step 6: Create the filter (and clean up old mail, if you like)
Before you finish, look at the last tick box: Also apply filter to matching conversations (3 in the Step 4 picture).
- Leave it unticked and the filter only deals with new messages that arrive from now on.
- Tick it and Gmail also applies your actions to the matching messages that are already in your account. This is a quick way to tidy up an old inbox.
Be careful with this box if you chose Delete it. Then click the blue Create filter button (4). That is all: your filter is now working.
Method 2: Create a Filter from an Email You Already Have
This is the fastest way when you have a message in front of you and think "I never want to see these in my inbox again."
- Step 1: Open the email. At the top right of the message, click the three dots (More).
- Step 2: In the menu, click Filter messages like this. (If you ticked the box next to an email in your inbox list instead of opening it, Google's help names this item Filter messages like these.)
- Step 3: The same search options box opens, filled in with details from that email, usually the sender's address. Change or remove anything you don't want, then continue exactly as in Method 1, from Step 4.
Method 2: In an open email, click the three dots (More), then choose Filter messages like this.
How to See, Edit or Delete Your Filters
You can change your mind at any time. All your filters live on one page in Gmail's settings.
- Step 1: At the top right of Gmail, click the gear icon (Settings), then click See all settings.
- Step 2: Click the Filters and Blocked Addresses tab.
- Step 3: Find your filter in the list. Each one shows what it matches and what it does. Click edit to change it, or delete to remove it.
- Step 4: If you edited it, click Continue, change the actions, then click Update filter. If you deleted it, confirm by clicking OK.
Click the gear icon (1) in the top right corner, then See all settings.
The Filters and Blocked Addresses tab (1) lists every filter, with edit (2) and delete (3) links on the right. The details of my own filters are blurred for privacy.
Deleting a filter stops it from working on new mail. Don't expect it to undo what it already did to old messages.
Five Practical Examples
Example 1: Send a newsletter to its own label and keep it out of your inbox. From: newsletter@example.com. Actions: Skip the Inbox, Apply the label "Newsletters". Read them whenever you like by clicking the Newsletters label on the left of Gmail.
Example 2: Keep bills and receipts together. In the "Has the words" box, type receipt OR invoice OR bill (with the OR in capitals). Actions: Apply the label "Receipts" and Star it. Everything you may need at tax time ends up in one place.
Example 3: Make sure you never miss your boss or a family member. From: boss@example.com. Actions: Always mark it as important and Star it. You could add Never send it to Spam as well.
Example 4: Rescue a trusted sender from Spam. From: friend@example.com. Action: Never send it to Spam. Gmail will stop hiding their mail in the Spam folder.
Example 5: Forward certain work mail to another address. Gmail will only forward to an address you have added and confirmed. In Gmail settings, open the Forwarding and POP/IMAP tab, click Add a forwarding address, and enter the address. Gmail sends a verification message to that address; open it and click the link. After that, make a filter (for example From: client@example.com), tick Forward it, choose the address, and click Create filter. Google notes that a filter like this forwards new messages only.
Search Tips for Better Filters
Gmail's search words, called operators, work inside filter boxes too. You can type them into "Has the words" or into the search box. Here are the ones most useful for filters:
- from: finds mail from a person or address, for example from:amy@example.com.
- to: finds mail sent to an address, for example to:me@example.com.
- subject: finds a word in the subject line, for example subject:invoice. Use brackets for several words: subject:(dinner movie).
- has:attachment finds mail that has an attachment.
- larger: finds big messages, for example larger:10M for messages over 10 megabytes.
- - (a minus sign) leaves a word out, for example dinner -movie.
- OR matches either side, for example from:amy OR from:david. Type OR in capital letters.
Google's list of Gmail search operators has many more.
Common Problems and Questions
My filter did not touch the mail I already had. Filters work on new mail by default. To include older mail, tick "Also apply filter to matching conversations" when you create the filter, or edit the filter and tick it there. Forwarding is the exception: it only ever applies to new messages.
Some replies were not filtered. Google explains that when someone replies to a message you have filtered, the reply is filtered only if it matches the same search rules. If the subject changes or the sender is different, the filter may not catch it.
Can I make a filter in the Gmail app on my phone? Google's filter instructions are written for a computer, and most guides agree that the phone apps cannot create filters. Set the filter up on a computer. After that it works on all your devices, because Gmail applies it when mail arrives.
Can a filter sort the mail I send? Gmail's filters are described by Google as a way to manage incoming mail, so don't rely on them to organize messages you send.
A filter is doing something I did not expect. Edit it on the Filters and Blocked Addresses page. If you chose Delete it, look in the Trash for the missing messages.
Can I back up my filters? Yes. On the Filters and Blocked Addresses page, tick the filters you want and use the Export button at the bottom. The same page can import filters from a saved file.
Wrap-Up
Start with one filter for the sender who clutters your inbox the most, and add more as you go.
Sources: Google's help pages Create rules to filter your emails and Automatically forward Gmail messages to another account, checked on October 25, 2026.
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