What's the difference between folders and labels?

A folder files an email in a single place: the email is moved into it. A label lets you attach multiple categories to the same email, which can carry several labels at once (e.g., Urgent, Client). Use folders for your primary sorting, and labels for cross-cutting categories.

Folders

You can create as many folders and subfolders as you need. To move an email, select it, click "Move to", and choose the folder - this also works for multiple selected emails at once. Filing can also be automated with sorting rules, based on sender or content. An email can only be filed in one folder at a time.

Labels

A label is a tag you add to an email to organize it better; a single email can carry several labels. To add one, select the email, click "Labels", then choose or create a label. You can create as many labels as you need, delete one (without deleting the associated emails), and combine them with automatic rules so they're applied without manual action.

Good to know

If an email has disappeared from your inbox, it was probably moved to a folder or filtered by a rule. To find the same email under several categories without duplicating it, use labels rather than folders.