- Archiving an email on Gmail removes it from your main inbox.
- Archived messages can still be accessed via search or the "All mail" folder.
- You can also unarchive emails if you want to put them back into your inbox.
If you're looking for a way to clean up your Gmail inbox, archiving could be the way to go.
Archiving a message moves it out of your main inbox, but keeps it accessible. So it's a good option if you want to clean up your inbox without deleting everything and starting from scratch.
Setting up auto-archiving can help keep future conversations from clogging up your inbox. You can always unarchive emails, and if someone replies to an archived message, it will show up in your unread messages again.
Here's what you should know about the archive feature in Gmail.
Deleting versus Archiving
Before getting into how to actually archive emails, here's a quick look at the difference between the two.
When you delete an email, it goes to your Trash folder, where it will remain for 30 days. After 30 days, messages in trash are permanently deleted. If you know you won't need an email's contents or attachments ever again, delete it.
When you archive an email, it moves out of your main inbox. Unlike deleted emails, archived emails are stored indefinitely. If you accidentally archive an email, it can be unarchived. You can access archived emails at any time via the All Mail folder and search bar––more on that later.
How to archive an email in Gmail
The method you'll use will depend on your device.
On desktop
1. Log in to your Gmail.
2. Hover over the message you want to archive.
3. Click the Archive icon, which looks like a box with a down arrow, and appears to the right of the email's sender information and description.
On iPhone or iPad
1. Open the Gmail app.
2. Tap to open the message or tap to select the sender's profile image. If you're selecting the email profile image, you can select multiple profile images to archive all of the selected messages at once.
3. Select the Archive icon at the top of the screen.
On Android
1. Open the Gmail app.
2. Open the message you want to archive, or select multiple messages that you want to archive.
3. Tap the Archive icon.
How to find archived emails on desktop
Once a message is archived, you can find it either via the All Mail folder or using the search bar.
Using the 'All Mail' folder
1. Hover your cursor over the left edge of the Gmail window. A sidebar will expand.
2. Click All Mail from within that sidebar. If you don't see that, click More and then scroll down to All Mail.
3. Any archived messages, as well as other non-deleted emails, will appear there.
Using the search bar
Unfortunately, you can't simply search for the Archive label in the search bar to find those emails.
1. If you know keywords for the email you're looking for — for example, the topic, sender, or subject of the message — type those into the search bar and hit Enter.
2. Go through the results to find the email in question.
How to find archived emails on the mobile app
These processes are the same regardless of whether you're using an iPhone or an Android.
Using the 'All Mail' folder
1. Open your Gmail app and log in to your account, if needed.
2. Tap the three-line icon, located in the top-left corner of the screen.
3. Select All mail.
Using the search bar
1. Open the Gmail app.
2. Tap the search bar at the top of the screen and enter your keywords.
3. Go through the results to find the email in question.
How to unarchive emails in Gmail
If you decide you don't want an email to be archived anymore, you have the option to unarchive it.
On desktop
1. Open Gmail on your Mac or PC.
2. Find the email you wish to unarchive.
3. Once you've found it, right-click the email and select Move to inbox.
On the mobile app
1. Open the Gmail app on your iPhone or Android device.
2. Find the email you wish to unarchive.
3. Tap to open the message or tap to select the sender's profile image.
4. Tap the three-dot icon in the upper-right corner.
5. Select Move to Inbox.
How to automatically archive emails in Gmail
You can set up emails to archive automatically when you hit send.
1. Open Gmail.
2. Click the gear icon on the top-right side of the screen, then See all settings.
3. In the General tab, find the Send and Archive section.
4. Select Show "Send & Archive" button in reply.
5. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click Save Changes.
What is Google Takeout?
Google Takeout is a service offered by Google that backs up all of your Google account's data into one file, which you can then download. This includes emails, YouTube videos and comments, Google Drive files, and more.
For a deeper dive into this service, check out our Google Takeout help article.
FAQs
Can archiving emails be automated?
Yes, this process can be automated using a third-party app or browser extension. Some popular options on the market include Clean Email and Mailstrom.
How long are archived emails kept in Gmail?
Indefinitely. Unlike deleted messages, archived emails remain in your inbox.
How do I use Gmail's advanced search filters?
Type in -in:Sent -in:Draft -in:Inbox has:nouserlabels into the search bar. This will pull up emails that aren't in your sent, draft, or inbox folders. This can help narrow down the search for an archived email.
Is there a Gmail archive folder or shortcut?
Unfortunately, no. The best way to find an archived email is to type keywords into the search bar.