How to automatically move emails to a folder in Gmail

Learn how to automatically move emails to a folder in Gmail.

Steps

1. Open Gmail settings by clicking on the settings icon in the top right corner.

Gmail settings button

2. A “Quick settings” window will open and here you click on See all settings.

See all settings in Gmail

3. Click on Filters and Blocked Addresses.

Filters and Blocked Addresses in Gmail

4. Click on Create a new filter.

Create a new filter in Gmail

5. A window will appear with a few options to filter emails. You will have the following options to filter emails: From, To, Subject, Has the words, Doesn't have, Size, Has attachment, and Don't include chats.

Gmail email filter rules

You can enter an email address in the “From” field, and then all emails you receive from that email address will automatically go into the folder.

Filter rules in Gmail

Or, you can type a word in the “Subject” field, and then all emails that have that word in the subject will automatically go into the folder.

Or, you can type a word in the “Has the words” field, and then all emails that have that word anywhere in the email will automatically go into the folder.

Or, you can type a word in the “Doesn't have” field, and then all emails that don't have that word anywhere in the email will automatically go into the folder.

Or, you can use one of the other filter rules.

6. Click on Create filter at the bottom left corner of the window.

Create filter

7. In the next window, you will have to choose what happens with emails that match your filter rule(s). To automatically move emails to a folder, you check (tick) the box next to Apply the label.

Apply the label option in Gmail

8. Click on the selection menu button next to the Apply the label option.

Choose label selection menu

9. Select a label (folder) that you want the emails to go into or create a new one.

Choose a label or create a new one

10. If you don't want the emails that match your filter rule(s) to also appear in your inbox, then you also need to check (tick) the box next to Skip the Inbox (Archive it).

Skip the Inbox in Gmail

11. Check (tick) the box next to Also apply filter to ... matching conversations. This will move all existing older emails that match your filter rules to the folder.

Also apply filter to ... matching conversations in Gmail

12. Click on Create at the bottom left corner of the window.

Create filter button in Gmail

Any email that matches your filter rule(s) will automatically go into the selected folder.