If your Gmail inbox is a mess but you’re not quite ready to delete anything, archiving is usually the better move. It clears emails out of your main inbox without actually getting rid of them, which makes it a handy middle ground between keeping everything visible and sending messages to the trash.
The confusing part is that Gmail doesn’t really give archived emails a dedicated home the way some other mail apps do. Instead, archived messages simply disappear from your inbox and remain tucked inside All Mail, where they can still be searched, reopened, and moved back whenever you need them. That means an archived email is never really gone—it’s just out of the way.
The good news is that finding those emails again is pretty easy once you know where Gmail hides them. Whether you’re using Gmail on the web, on Android, or on an iPhone, you can pull up archived messages in just a few taps. And if you decide you want one of those emails back in your inbox, Gmail lets you do that too.
Here’s how to find archived emails in Gmail, and how to move them back to your inbox when needed.
What You Need
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A PC or mobile device
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An internet connection
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A Gmail account
Finding archived Gmails on the web
If you’re accessing Gmail through a web browser, it is a straightforward process to recall any emails you may have archived. For starters, if you choose to use the search bar at the top of the page, search results will include any archived emails. Alternatively, you can access all of your available mail, including archived pieces, under the All mail option.
Step 1: Visit the Gmail website and sign in.
Step 2: On the left side of the screen, select More.
Step 3: Select the All Mail option.
Step 4: On the right side of the screen, you may now browse your email; it will include all emails in your account, including archived content.
Finding archived Gmails on an Android phone
If you use Gmail from one of the best Android phones, you can also access archived content easily. Similar to the web, you can use the search bar displayed above your mail to initiate a search that will include archived content. Otherwise, if you wish, you can access all of your available mail, including archived content, under the All Mail option.
Step 1: Open the Gmail app on your device.
Step 2: At the top of the screen, select the Menu button; it is displayed as three horizontal lines.
Step 3: Select the All Mail option from the menu that appears.
Step 4: You may now browse your emails on-screen. This will include all emails in your account, including archived messages.
iOS
Android
Moving an archived Gmail to your inbox via the web
If you happen to change your mind, you can always move any archived content back to your inbox. Follow these steps to move archived emails back into your inbox using the Gmail website:
Step 1: Visit the Gmail website and sign in.
Step 2: Locate the email you wish to relocate.
Step 3: To the left of the email, check the Small box icon.
Step 4: At the top of the screen, select the Move to inbox icon. It looks like an inbox tray with a downward arrow inside of it.
Your archived email will then be moved back to the inbox for regular viewing. If you wish to return the piece of mail to the archive, hover over the email once again and select the Archive button, pictured as a small box with a down arrow.
Moving an archived Gmail to the inbox on Android
You can also change your mind about archived emails while you are out and about using Gmail’s available mobile apps for iOS and Android. Follow these steps to move the archived email back into your inbox within Google’s official Gmail app for Android:
Step 1: Open the Gmail app on your device.
Step 2: Locate the email you wish to relocate and select it.
Step 3: Select the More button in the upper-right corner of your screen, shown as three vertical dots.
Step 4: Choose the Move to inbox option from the menu that appears.
Your archived email will then be moved back to the inbox for regular viewing. If you wish to return the piece of mail to Archived, reopen the email and select the Archive button, pictured as a small box with a down arrow.
Archiving Gmails on iPhones, MacBooks, and other iOS devices
For iOS devices, the process is a bit different. Here’s how to do it:
Step 1: Find the email you want in All Mail.
Step 2: Select the sender’s profile icon on the left side of the screen.
Step 3: Select the More icon, shown as three dots.
Step 4: Select whether you want to Move to inbox or Move to > Primary.
Archiving an email vs. muting an email
Archived emails and muted conversations might sound similar, but Gmail handles them differently. Both can help reduce inbox clutter, but an archived email can pop back into your inbox when someone replies to it. A muted conversation, meanwhile, stays tucked away even if new replies keep coming in.
Follow these steps on either the web or a mobile app if you wish to mute an email:
Step 1: Access your Gmail account.
Step 2: Open the email you wish to mute.
Step 3: Select the More button, shown as three vertical dots. On the web, make sure you select the More button located near the top of the screen, just under the search box.
Step 4: Select the Mute option.
You can follow these steps on both iOS and Android phones and tablets. The only minor difference on iOS devices is that the More icon is shown as three horizontal dots instead of vertical ones.
If you wish to unmute an email conversation, you can do so on the web by following the steps above, but you’ll need to select the Unmute option in step 4. You’ll still need to select Move to inbox if you want the email to return to your inbox. Unmuting an email doesn’t move it to a different folder in Gmail, so it will remain in All Mail if you don’t move it yourself.
You can also unmute an email in the Gmail app for Android, but you won’t find a dedicated Unmute option. Instead, select the More icon and then choose Move to inbox. Doing so effectively unmutes the message and returns it to your inbox.
