Mystery Solved: Where Does Archived Mail Go in Gmail?

Sometimes the pressure of Inbox Zero makes us click that Archive button in Gmail without really knowing where the mail is going.

Mystery: You hit the 'Archive' button in Gmail, but where has it gone? Let's find out.

First things first, Gmail doesn't have folders; it has labels. You are not filing emails away in a folder; you are tagging them with a label.

So, when you archive an email, you are simply removing the 'Inbox' label, and therefore taking it out of your main view.

The Archive Button

Once the 'Inbox' label is removed, it becomes part of 'All Mail'.

You will see 'All Mail' on the right with your labels; you might have to click 'More' to see it. You can then drag and drop the label nearer the top.

'All Mail' is where everything lives (apart from spam and trash/bin), so it can look quite overwhelming. Therefore, the easiest way to find an archived email is The Search.

Using the Advanced Search box, you can type in anything you remember about the email you are trying to find in 'All Mail'. If you remember who sent it or what it was about, just type their name! Archived emails show up in standard search results just like normal emails.

If you find the email you are looking for and want to restore it to the inbox in Gmail, use the 'Move to Inbox' icon

If you are not sure if you might need an email again but want a clean inbox, then archiving is for you; it sits there in the background until you need it.

Mystery solved by the CloudShed team!

To learn more about Gmail, Tasks or Calendar, book a live training session with Cloudshed.

You can also purchase our on-demand £75 Gmail course to learn more about Gmail at your own pace with videos, guides, a quiz and a certificate!