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Keep messages organized and get your email working for you.
Search this topicSearch has:attachment larger:10M to find messages with attachments and a total message size above roughly ten megabytes. Add filename:pdf if you want a particular file type. The size filter concerns the message, not necessarily one attached file. Inspect results before deletion so a useful conversation is not removed just to reclaim space.
Read receipts require an eligible work or school account; personal @gmail.com accounts do not include them. In a new message on a computer, open More options and choose Request read receipt if available. Your administrator may restrict the feature, and the recipient may need to approve it. A receipt does not prove someone understood or even read the message.
While composing on a computer, select the confidential-mode control at the bottom. Set an expiration and choose whether to require an SMS passcode, using the recipient's phone number if you do. Save and send. You can later open the message in Sent and remove access early. Recipients can still photograph or screenshot confidential messages.
On a computer, open Settings, See all settings, then Accounts and Import or Accounts. Under Grant access to your account, add the person's email address and send the invitation. A delegate can read, send and delete mail but cannot change your password. The invitation expires after a week, and access may take up to 24 hours.
Accept the delegation invitation within a week, then sign in to your own Gmail account on a computer. Click your profile picture and select the account marked Delegated. It opens in a separate tab; check its address before sending. Use the account switcher each time rather than bookmarking the delegated inbox, because its access link can change.
Use Google's data-download service, Google Takeout, and select Gmail for an archive. The export can include message contents, headers, attachments and labels, making it useful for keeping records outside the inbox. It does not recover permanently deleted mail, and organization policies may limit work or school exports. Store the downloaded archive securely because it contains private correspondence.
On a computer, open Settings, See all settings and General. Find Autocorrect and turn it off; spelling and grammar suggestions have separate controls, so you can keep suggestions without automatic replacements. To reverse a recent correction while writing, use Ctrl+Z on Windows or Command+Z on Mac. Availability varies by language.
Open Settings, See all settings and find Conversation View. Choose Conversation view off, then save changes. Messages appear separately instead of being combined into threads. This can make individual replies easier to label or review, but it also changes how much of a conversation you see at once in the inbox.
Click Settings in desktop Gmail and find Density in Quick settings. Choose Compact to reduce the space around messages, or Comfortable if you want more breathing room. This is a display preference and does not archive or remove emails. Try both with your normal browser zoom before deciding which layout is easier to scan.
In Gmail's Default inbox on a computer, drag the message from Promotions onto the Primary tab. Gmail uses these corrections to learn your preferences, though it may not classify every future message exactly as you expect. Check the confirmation after moving it. Categories are available with the Default layout; other inbox types organize mail differently.
Gmail's category tabs are predefined, so you cannot add a custom tab alongside Primary, Social or Promotions. Use a custom label for your own grouping instead. To choose which existing tabs appear, open Settings, select Default under Inbox type and click Customize. Hiding a category changes the layout rather than deleting its messages.
The yellow importance marker indicates that Gmail considers a message important. Hover over it to see a reason, and click the marker if the classification is wrong. Your interactions help influence future predictions. To review marked messages together, search is:important. Importance markers are separate from stars that you deliberately add for follow-up.
In desktop Gmail, open Settings, See all settings and Inbox. Under Importance markers, choose Don't use my past actions to predict which messages are important, then save. If you only want to hide the symbols, choose No markers instead. These settings affect prediction or display; they do not remove emails from your account.
While online, open Gmail's Offline settings in a regular Chrome window, enable offline mail and choose how many days to sync. Save and allow synchronization to finish. Later, open Gmail in that same browser account. Messages sent while offline wait in Outbox and send when connectivity returns; private browsing is not supported.
Offline Gmail depends on storage available to the browser, which may be smaller than the computer's free disk space. Reduce the number of days synced or stop downloading attachments. Use a normal Chrome profile rather than Guest or Incognito, and check whether Chrome deletes Gmail's site data when closing. Keep Chrome open while mail synchronizes.
Open Spam from Gmail's left menu, select the valid message and choose Not spam. Check that you have not blocked the sender; a block can keep sending their future mail there. Adding a trusted sender to contacts can also help. For work or school mail marked by an organization policy, ask the administrator to review it.
Open Settings, See all settings and find Stars. Move the symbols you want into In use, then save changes. Click a message's star repeatedly to cycle through your enabled choices. To find a particular symbol later, search its operator, such as has:blue-star. Decide what each color means for your own workflow so the system stays consistent.
Source checks for these answers: September 21, 2026. Product instructions and local requirements can vary.