How To Create New Labels In Gmail On Mac?

If there are too many emails, the inbox can get cluttered, making finding emails difficult and, worse, hindering productivity. And while it’s easy to delete items in Gmail, not all emails are meant to be removed, and many messages still arrive daily.

Thankfully, Google knows this, so it offers a way for users to organize emails using the “labels” feature. And this article will discuss the steps to create new labels in Gmail on Mac, so please read on.

Labels In Gmail

On Gmail, labels are what people use to organize or group emails. These things appear like tags in both the inbox and email content view. Despite the difference in names, labels still function like folders of other email services in most cases. However, unlike folders, one can assign multiple labels to an email.

Emails categorized under a label are still available in the inbox. On the other hand, emails inside a folder are only accessible inside that folder. Accordingly, if a label is removed, emails under it will remain, whereas messages in a deleted folder will also disappear.

Create A Label In Gmail On Mac

The “labels” feature of Gmail is indeed useful in many ways. Thankfully, Google allows its users to create unique labels for different purposes. And there are three ways to create one, all of which will be discussed below.

Create a label from the main menu pane

Google knows that many people use and rely on labels to organize emails. Accordingly, it makes it easy to create one by simply going to the left main menu pane:

1. Visit the official Gmail website and wait for the inbox to load.

2. Go to the left main menu pane and click the “+” symbol next to the “Labels” text.

2. Go to the left main menu pane and click the  symbol next to the Labels text.

3. Type the desired name for the label in the first input field.

3. Type the desired name for the label in the first input field.

4. Click the “Create” button to create the label.

4. Click the Create button to create the label.

5. Go back to the main menu pane and see if the label shows up.

5. Go back to the main menu pane and see if the label shows up.

Create a label from the settings section

Aside from the main menu shortcut, the settings section also allows users to create labels. And one can try this alternative method by following these steps:

1. Launch the Gmail website and wait for the inbox to load.

2. Click the “Settings” icon on top of the inbox.

2. Click the Settings icon on top of the inbox.

3. Press the “See all settings” button on the left side.

3. Press the See all settings button on the left side.

4. Go to the “Labels” section.

4. Go to the Labels section.

5. Scroll all the way down and click the “Create new label” button.

5. Scroll all the way down and click the Create new label button.

6. Type the desired name for the label in the first input field.

6. Type the desired name for the label in the first input field.

7. Click the “Create” button to create the label.

7. Click the Create button to create the label.

8. Go back to the main menu pane and see if the label shows up.

8. Go back to the main menu pane and see if the label shows up.

Create a nested label

Like folders of other email services, it’s also possible to nest a label under another label. Aside from further organizing emails, it will also make labels easy to find and manage. Nevertheless, the process of nesting labels goes like this:

1. Visit the official Gmail website and wait for the inbox to load.

2. Go to the left main menu pane and click the “+” symbol next to the “Labels” text.

2. Go to the left main menu pane and click the + symbol next to the Labels text.

3. Type the desired name for the label in the first input field.

3. Type the desired name for the label in the first input field._

4. Check the corresponding box of the “Nest label under:” text.

5. Click the dropdown icon and choose a parent label from the pop-up.

5. Click the dropdown icon and choose a parent label from the pop-up.

6. Click the “Create” button to create the new label.

7. Go back to the main menu pane and see if the label shows up and is nested under a label.

7. Go back to the main menu pane and see if the label shows up and is nested under a label.

Edit Labels

When creating a label, the user might make a mistake in the name input or parent label selection. Besides that, there might come a time when editing a label’s name or its other properties is necessary. Thankfully, Gmail allows modifying any already created label’s details:

Edit a label’s name

Writing the name is the part where users typically make mistakes when creating labels. As Google knows this, it makes it easy to edit a label’s name afterward:

1. Visit the official Gmail website and wait for the inbox to load.

2. Hover the cursor over a label in the main menu and click its three dots menu icon.

2. Hover the cursor over a label in the main menu and click its three dots menu icon.

3. Click the “Edit” text in the pop-up.

3. Click the Edit text in the pop-up.

4. Edit the label name in the first input field.

4. Edit the label name in the first input field.

5. Press the “Save” button to save the changes.

6. Go back to the main menu pane and see if the changes have been reflected.

Change a label’s color

One reason for using labels is to find particular types of emails in the inbox quickly. And aside from a label’s name, its color helps it stand out from the rest. The only problem is that when not changed, all labels will have the same default gray shade. But luckily, Gmail also allows assigning a different color for a label:

1. Open the Gmail site and go to the left main menu pane.

2. Hover the cursor over a label and click its corresponding three dots menu icon.

2. Hover the cursor over a label and click its corresponding three dots menu icon.

3. Click the “Label color” text in the pop-up.

3. Click the Label color text in the pop-up.

4. Choose a color from the preset list in the pop-up.

4. Choose a color from the preset list in the pop-up.

5. If no color preset is desirable, press the “Add custom color” text.

6. Choose the label’s “Background color” and “Text color” and then click the “Apply” button.

6. Choose the label's Background color and Text color and then click the Apply button.

7. Go back to the main menu pane and see if the color changes have been reflected.

Even if the label’s color has been changed, it’s still possible to revert it back to the default gray shade. Simply repeat steps 2 to 3 and then click the “Remove color” text in the pop-up.

Change a label’s parent label

If two or more labels already exist in the inbox, one might make a mistake when choosing the parent label of a new label. But since Gmail allows users to edit these things, it’s still possible to change the parent label later on:

1. Launch the Gmail site and go to the left main menu pane.

2. Hover the cursor over a nested label and then click its corresponding three dots menu icon.

2. Hover the cursor over a nested label and then click its corresponding three dots menu icon.

3. Click the “Edit” text in the pop-up.

3. Click the Edit text in the pop-up.

4. Press the dropdown icon and then choose a new parent label.

4. Press the dropdown icon and then choose a new parent label.

5. Click the “Save” button to save changes.

5. Click the Save button to save changes.

6. Go back to the main menu pane and see if the label is now nested under the correct parent label.

Add a sublabel to a label

Adding a sublabel to a label is technically considered editing, and this can be done by following these simple steps:

1. On the Gmail website, go to the left main menu pane.

2. Hover the cursor over an individual label and then click its corresponding three dots menu icon.

2. Hover the cursor over an individual label and then click its corresponding three dots menu icon.

3. Click the “Add sublabel” text in the pop-up.

3. Click the Add sublabel text in the pop-up.

4. Type the desired name of the new sublabel in the first input field.

4. Type the desired name of the new sublabel in the first input field.

5. Press the “Create” button to save the sublabel.

5. Press the Create button to save the sublabel.

6. Go back to the main menu pane to see if the new sublabel shows up.

Show Or Hide Labels

All created labels, by default, will show up in the left main menu pane or the “Labels” list. These labels will also appear in the email previews in the inbox. However, Gmail also offers several options to hide or show these things from different places in the interface:

Show or hide labels in the label list

If unfamiliar, the “label list” is the lower part of the left main menu pane that displays all created labels. And Gmail allows users to show or hide labels from this list:

1. Launch the Gmail website and go to the left main menu pane.

2. Hover the cursor over a label and click its corresponding three dots menu icon.

2. Hover the cursor over a label and click its corresponding three dots menu icon.3

3. Under the “In label list” section, click “Hide” to hide the label in the list and press “Show” to make it reappear.

3. Under the In label list section, click Hide to hide the label in the list and press Show to make it reappear.

4. Press the “Show if unread” text to show the label only if there is an unopened email under it.

4. Press the Show if unread text to show the label only if there is an unopened email under it.

Show or hide labels in the message list

On Gmail, the inbox is also called the “message list.” And by default, a label will appear on the email previews in the message list that are under it. However, while this is useful, it’s still possible to hide specific labels in the message list:

1. Open the Gmail website and go to the left main menu pane.

2. Hover the cursor over a label and click its corresponding three dots menu icon.

3. Under the “In message list” section, click “Show” or “Hide” to make the label visible or hidden from the inbox.

3. Under the In message list section, click Show or Hide to make the label visible or hidden from the inbox.

Final Words

Creating new labels in Gmail is indeed easy to do, so you’re likely now ready to make one. However, if what you want to do is improve your Gmail workflow, then you should take a look at Boxysuite.

Boxysuite is the first and only native Gmail macOS app. It offers clean and productive spaces not just for Gmail but for Google Calendar, Contacts, and Keep as well. With it, you can easily create, edit, customize, and hide labels in the inbox. On top of that, you’ll have access to useful and exclusive features like Email Tracking Detection, Reader Mode, Desktop Alerts, Task Managers Integration, and many more.

Boxysuite is hands down the best Gmail app for the Mac, and it will surely improve your Gmail workflow. Try Boxysuite for free today!

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