Sometimes you can get so many messages in your Gmail inbox that it’s absolutely overwhelming. But here’s a trick that can help you organize and keep track of them, color coding certain messages! Here’s how to do it.
We’ll start by opening Gmail in a browser.
In this case, let’s say we’re going to code all messages from a certain sender one color. Let’s start by scrolling down at the left until you see Create new label or More. Click on More if you don’t see the label option.
Now we can either create a label or apply color to an existing one. In Gmail, labels work like folders do in other inboxes. Let’s click on Create new label.
Name your label. Make sure not to tick the box next to Nest. Then click on Create.
Your new label will now appear with other labels on the left side of your inbox.
Hover over it and click the three-dot menu icon.
Click on Label color and then pick your color. You can also create a custom color if you have a specific need for a certain shade. If you’d prefer not to have your label list cluttered with names, you can click on Hide in the drop-down menu and it won’t show.
Now, you can just assign the label to messages when they pop into your inbox. It’s easy. Select the message and click on the label icon at the top of your inbox.
Then choose the label you want and select Apply.
But, there’s a better way that will automatically color-code items from a particular sender or with a particular subject line. Let’s set that up. Select a message and then click the three-dot menu icon at the top of your inbox. Select Filter messages like these from the menu that pops up.
You can choose parameters such as who sent the message, what the subject is, words that are contained in it, attachments, or size. For this demo, we’re just using an email address. When you have everything in place, click on Create Filter.
We’ll choose Apply label from the drop-down list.
Then select the label we created.
Here’s my inbox after I applied additional labels. It’s much easier to pick out emails from certain senders.
