Think of a label as a Post-it note tacked on to a paper file. The same goes with storing emails in multiple Outlook folders – you’ll have to make multiple copies of the said email. Getting back to the paper file analogy, the only way this file can be stored in multiple drawers of this filing cabinet is if several photocopies existed of it. This would make it particularly difficult for other users to spot the email as it wouldn’t appear in their default inbox view. Let’s say you are using Outlook as a collaborative inbox, and a user moves an email into a folder. And just like how a file can exist only inside a particular drawer at any given point in time, an email can be stored only in one folder, which can be a bit of a downer if you are using email for team collaboration. When you add an email to a folder, it is like stashing away let’s say, a paper file inside the drawer.

Upping the inbox organization game: Adding color to your inboxĪs explained via this neat analogy presented by Laura Earnest, a folder can be compared to a drawer in a filing cabinet.

Is there a way to automate label creation in Gmail?.

What is the difference between adding a label to an email and moving an email to a Gmail label?.

That said, how do you create a new label in Gmail?.

Labels vs folders – A paper file analogy.

Trying to wrap your head around that? Don’t fret because we’re here to help. The way Gmail’s organization works is that a label can be a label, but it can also be a folder. Google’s Help Center and Reddit have countless threads running rife with discussions on Gmail’s labels versus Outlook folders. Labels can be particularly confusing if you are migrating from Outlook, primarily because Outlook is a folder-based email client. While you can use Gmail labels and folders to categorize and organize emails, they have certain specific differences. In 2004, Gmail came along and introduced the concept of labels effectively putting an end to the days of going down the rabbit hole of email folders inside folders (at least for Gmail users). This was a relatively frictionless method to organize emails because we’re habituated to organizing our files stored locally on our computers or cloud drives into folders and sub-folders.

An Outlook inbox with folders | GCF Global

Email clients like Outlook have supported folders for eons to help users organize their emails. In other words, they are the Marie Kondo to your Gmail inbox if you will.īefore we go further, let’s take a quick stroll down memory lane. These labels can be used to keep your inbox organized. Before we begin, a quick primer on Gmail labels: A Gmail label is a tag that can be added to every email you receive or send.

Make a fmail folder