Gmail - can I change the filing (labels) system?

[scorecard]

I seem to be losing more and more older mail.

In not a techie but I realize there is a 'labels' system in Gmail and I realize that Gmail automatically tries to file like or connecting things together.

So I have a couple of questions (I've tried to google this but it just leaves me more confused):

- If I 'transfer' incoming mail to a label, can I still also have:

- an 'all mail' list on demand?

- an all 'sent mail' list on demand?

- etc.

Any advice appreciated, thanks.

Edited October 20, 2013 by scorecard

[RichCor]

Ehh, why retype when I can quote from a google search: "I don't understand labels"

Gmail doesn't have folders. All your messages are saved in All Mail. Everything else (Inbox, Sent Mail, Starred, labels, etc) are just "views" into a sub-set of the messages in All Mail. And since there's only one copy of any message, if you delete it from any label, you're deleting the only copy, so it's gone from all of them. If you delete a label you remove that "view", but the messages are still in All Mail.

When you Archive a message, the only thing that does is remove the Inbox label from the message. The original message is still in All Mail along with all your other messages, and you can apply labels to them to make them easier to find later. Remember that Archive is an action, not a location.

See Settings->Labels for creating new labels and setting which ones are visible/hidden.

Labels actually provide a super-set of functionality compared to traditional folders. You can do everything you can with folders, and a number of things that folder do not support. The main difference is that there are not multiple copies of messages when multiple labels are applied so (as described above) deleting a message from one label deletes the only copy so it's deleted from all labels.

Sent Mail is a little different. It could be thought of as a pre-defined filter that shows you all your sent mail rather than a simple label. You can not archive from Sent Mail (it's not the Inbox), and if you are not careful, deleting a conversation from Sent Mail will delete it from everywhere.

For more information see:
Using labels: http://mail.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=118708
Labels vs Folders: http://mail.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=10708
Archiving mail: http://mail.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=6576
Knol on labels and filters: http://knol.google.com/k/gmail-labels-and-filters#

edit /add: another link to google help for Gmail - using labels

Edited October 20, 2013 by RichCor

[robblok]

I have just done some research as long as you don't let it be moved to the label. Then it will be good, just don't let it move. Then it will be in both places. But delete it at one and in both it is gone.

[RichCor]

There isn't actually any moving happening.
Labels in google Gmail are just tags, like #hashtags, that are electronically associated to the emails you select (or auto-tag using filter controls).

The only special containers are Spam and Trash

I Believe everything else is contained in All Mail

[ignis]

Not sure what your trying to do...

Keep emails together by type ?

Myself for years have just added a new Folder, so far left under Inbox have at least 30 extra folders listed...

So an email click on Move to and add to folder or Create New, have mail going back many years....... or in Inbox tick selected email and move to said folder..

so under last of Gmail list Bin starts my folders..... Visa - Work - Flights - Friends and so on etc etc about 30 of them..

As I mostly move them before reading, it then shows x number unread in said folder.. so easy also if reading a email you wish to reply to but later, can click mark as unread, so shows that email in Folder easy to go back to... have mail in Gmail in my folders over 10 years old,

You can do the same in Sent Mail so you have a record for years to come.... No idea about this new label system, just easy for me the way I have done for years

Maybe that is not what your after doing ?

Edit... as a P.S. I have the latest version of Gmail, and 100% can and have just created a new Folder a second ago.............. so at a loss regards 2nd post Gmail doesn't have folders. All your messages are saved in All Mail.

Edited October 21, 2013 by ignis

[RKASA]

Why not switch to imap mode with a mail program like thunderbird and have complete control of all your mail and folders

- an 'all mail' list on demand?

- an all 'sent mail' list on demand?

yes

[RichCor]

Edit... as a P.S. I have the latest version of Gmail, and 100% can and have just created a new Folder a second ago.............. so at a loss regards 2nd post Gmail doesn't have folders. All your messages are saved in All Mail.

From Google: "Actually, Gmail doesn't use folders"

https://support.google.com/mail/answer/10708?hl=en

Ignis, are you using the Gmail Web/Browser interface, or pop3/imap client email software.

When I select an email, and select Move To | Create New, it talks about labels, no mention of folders.

While IMAP clients use the folder hierarchy, google converts it to labels.

[ignis]

Edit... as a P.S. I have the latest version of Gmail, and 100% can and have just created a new Folder a second ago.............. so at a loss regards 2nd post Gmail doesn't have folders. All your messages are saved in All Mail.

From Google: "Actually, Gmail doesn't use folders"

https://support.google.com/mail/answer/10708?hl=en

Ignis, are you using the Gmail Web/Browser interface, or pop3/imap client email software.

When I select an email, and select Move To | Create New, it talks about labels, no mention of folders.

While IMAP clients use the folder hierarchy, google converts it to labels.

Opps, yes so it does, never noticed before, clicking on the Folder icon, states labels....... still saves to same place on left, maybe were always called Labels ? just never noticed until you pointed it out

just checked still have Friends emails from 02-06-2000 in one of my folders Labels..

In 1 x my folders Labels I have 168 Emails going back to 2001........ the only time they vanish is when I delete them, so still a bit lost as to the OP problem.

[RichCor]

just checked still have Friends emails from 02-06-2000 in one of my folders Labels..

In 1 x my folders Labels I have 168 Emails going back to 2001........ the only time they vanish is when I delete them, so still a bit lost as to the OP problem.

Same here. Have emails going back to 2000.

I've only ever had issues with deleted gmail documents twice.

Once was when using an imap client software that would 'move' the emails to a local folder (deleting them from the gmail system in the process).

The second was when I deleted a label category and google refused any viewing of the tagged documents. That was 7-8 years ago and I assume google's updated their code since then.

Outside of going over your storage limit, or a new filter working over your archive, I'd assume the emails will remain searchable.

[scorecard]

Not sure what your trying to do...

Keep emails together by type ?

Myself for years have just added a new Folder, so far left under Inbox have at least 30 extra folders listed...

So an email click on Move to and add to folder or Create New, have mail going back many years....... or in Inbox tick selected email and move to said folder..

so under last of Gmail list Bin starts my folders..... Visa - Work - Flights - Friends and so on etc etc about 30 of them..

As I mostly move them before reading, it then shows x number unread in said folder.. so easy also if reading a email you wish to reply to but later, can click mark as unread, so shows that email in Folder easy to go back to... have mail in Gmail in my folders over 10 years old,

You can do the same in Sent Mail so you have a record for years to come.... No idea about this new label system, just easy for me the way I have done for years

Maybe that is not what your after doing ?

Edit... as a P.S. I have the latest version of Gmail, and 100% can and have just created a new Folder a second ago.............. so at a loss regards 2nd post Gmail doesn't have folders. All your messages are saved in All Mail.

Lots of good information which I appreciate.

I get piles of mail, much of it from the uni students in my classes sending in their numerous assignments, also lots of out mail sending a lot of mails with materials for the uni staff to print and more.

I know that gmail attempts automatically to file like things together but on several occasions I have tried to re-find an important incoming mail but I just can't find it regardless of how many ways I try to search for it.

I believe the answer is for me to file every incoming mail myself using my own labels systems. But my understand in that If I drag a mail to one of my labels it's then deleted from any master listing of all incoming mail.

So my question is this, is there a way to drag the mail to the appropriate labels but still leave an all incoming mail list intact? And the same question for all send mail?

Any comments / advice appreciated

Edited October 29, 2013 by scorecard

[RichCor]

Try an experiment:

Drag an email to one of your labels.

Open that label and make sure the email is there.

Now open All Mail and see if you can find the same email there (should be prefaced with the label)

Also, you might want to go into mail settings and 'Configure Inbox' and uncheck all the unwanted tab checkboxes.

You can also set up filter rules in gmail to help place incoming email into special incoming categories (labels), or tell gmail not to use filtering and deliver everything to the inbox.