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Gmail does not use folders in the conventional sense. You create a label instead. On a computer, click Create new label beside Labels in the left navigation, enter a name, and click Create. The Gmail app works the same way in principle on Android and iPhone or iPad, but the menu wording differs, so the exact steps for each platform are listed below.
Labels are Gmail’s version of folders
Google’s help pages state the distinction directly: “Labels are different from folders.” (Create & manage labels in Gmail, computer help; the same wording appears in the Android help page.)
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The practical difference is that a message can carry more than one label. If an email belongs in both a “Receipts” category and a “Travel 2026” category, you add both labels to it rather than choosing one location. Google’s Organize & archive email help page describes this multi-label behavior on desktop.
Create a label
The steps differ by platform. Gmail’s computer and mobile apps place the create option in different menus, so follow the set for the device you are using.
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On a computer
- Open Gmail in a web browser and sign in.
- In the left navigation, beside Labels, click Create new label.
- Enter the label name.
- To make the label a sublabel, select Nest label under and choose its parent label.
- Click Create.
Google’s computer help page states a limit of 5,000 labels. The page does not display a publication date for that figure, so check the live page if you are working near that number.
On Android
- Open the Gmail app and tap the menu at the top left.
- Under All labels, tap Create label.
- Enter a name and tap Save.
On iPhone and iPad
- Open the Gmail app and tap the menu at the top left.
- Under Labels, tap Create new.
- Enter a name and tap Save.
The cited mobile instructions do not describe a nesting option, so create sublabels on a computer if you need that structure.
Apply a label to messages
Applying a label is a separate step from creating one. The table shows how each platform’s cited instructions handle applying labels and moving messages.
| Task | Computer | Android | iPhone and iPad |
|---|---|---|---|
| Select the message | Select the message or messages | Select the message or messages | Select the message or messages |
| Open the label control | Click the Labels control | Tap More, then Label as | Tap More, then Labels |
| Choose and confirm | Choose a label | Select the labels, then confirm | Select the labels, then tap Done |
| Move action | Not stated in the cited desktop instructions | Move to | Change labels |
Cited pages for these steps: computer, Android, and iPhone and iPad.
Add a label or move a message
These two actions produce different results, and the choice depends on whether you want the message to stay where it is.
- Adding a label attaches a category to the message. Its existing labels, including Inbox, are kept.
- Moving or changing labels can remove other labels, such as Inbox, so the message leaves its previous view.
If you want a message to remain in your inbox and also appear under a category, use the label-applying steps above. Use Move to on Android or Change labels on iPhone and iPad only when you want the message to leave its current labels.
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Nested labels and automatic labeling
Nesting is a desktop option in the cited instructions: choose Nest label under when you create the label. A nested label sits beneath its parent in the label list, which helps when you have many related categories.
Gmail filters can also apply a label to future messages that match criteria you set. The Google help pages linked here confirm that filters can label messages automatically, but they do not establish one filter setup flow for every platform. For exact filter steps, use the platform-specific page for your device, starting from the iPhone and iPad help page, which includes filter guidance.
What labels do to your messages
- Labels are private to your account. Other people do not see your labels.
- Removing a label does not delete the message. Deleting a message removes it from all of its labels and from the inbox.
- Applying labels does not create a separate copy of the message; the one message simply carries more categories.
The label behavior described here is documented in Google’s Use Gmail with a screen reader help page and the Android help page linked above.
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