![](https://help.apple.com/assets/65A8108F6524DBD548085484/65A81090303713255A088515/en_AU/fcdf74cf8457ce188a2aaa7cf1293c83.png)
Filter emails in Mail on Mac
You can use filters to show only certain email messages in a mailbox, such as those with attachments.
![The Mail window showing the toolbar above the message list, where Mail indicates which filters, such as “Only from VIP”, are applied.](https://help.apple.com/assets/65A8108F6524DBD548085484/65A81090303713255A088515/en_AU/201df6bf5e8f334a908853532fde4699.png)
Turn filters on
In the Mail app
on your Mac, click the Filter button
at the top of the message list or choose View > Filter > Enable Message Filter. You can also click and hold the Filter button, then choose Enable Message Filter from the menu that appears.
The Filter button changes colour to indicate that the default filter (Unread) or filters you previously set are applied to the current mailbox. The filters are shown in the toolbar above the message list.
Set filters
In the Mail app
on your Mac, choose View > Filter, or click and hold the Filter button.
Do one of the following:
Set a filter: Choose a filter (such as Only from VIP) from the menu. A tick mark appears next to the filter.
If you use more than one email account in Mail, you can filter a mailbox by account — for example, you can filter the Inbox for just your iCloud account to show unread messages.
Remove a filter: Choose an active filter from the menu. The tick mark next to the filter is removed.
If you have multiple Mail viewer windows open when you set filters, the filters are applied only in the active window. If you open a new Mail viewer window after setting filters, the filters are applied in that window.
Turn filters off
In the Mail app
on your Mac, click the Filter button
at the top of the message list or choose View > Filter > Disable Message Filter. You can also click and hold the Filter button, then choose Disable Message Filter from the menu that appears.
The Filter button changes colour
to indicate that no filters are applied.