Gmail Archive: Hide, Retrieve, and Delete Your Emails

Publication Date: 2023.12.11

Explore Gmail’s Archive feature in this article. Find out where archived emails are located, learn how to retrieve them, master the process of bulk deletion, and grasp the impact of archiving on your workspace. Enhance your understanding of Gmail’s Archive functions for more efficient use.

What is An Archive?

➤What Does Archive Mean?

Incorporating meanings such as preservation, record-keeping, and document storage, “Archive” signifies a location or system where vital documents and information are collected, preserved, and can be referenced as required. Examples encompass archives in museums or libraries and archives dedicated to documents in businesses and governments.

➤What is an Archive in Gmail

To ‘Archive’ in Gmail signifies moving an email to a designated location for storage, preserving it for future reference instead of permanent deletion.

When you Archive an email from the inbox, it vanishes from the inbox but stays accessible in the Archive folder. This method streamlines the inbox by retaining only important emails for quick access.

➤Archiving does not affect the space it uses

As archiving doesn’t delete emails, it doesn’t free up storage space. To address Gmail’s storage limit, opt to permanently delete large or unwanted emails from the past rather than archiving them. Alternatively, consider upgrading your Google Workspace Plan.

To learn more, check out：How to Solve and Maximise Storage Space Limitations in Gmail.

Steps to Archive in Gmail

• Archive in Gmail
• Viewing Archived Emails
• Sending Archived Emails Back Into Inbox
• Deleting Archived Emails

➤Archive in Gmail

1. Choose the emails you wish to Archive
2. Click on the “Archive” button

➤Viewing Archived Emails

Numerous people find themselves searching for Archived emails by scrolling downwards however, they are not displayed on the initial screen. Please be aware of that.

1. Click on “More” in the sidebar drop-down menu
2. Choose “All Mail”

➤Sending Archived Emails Back Into Inbox

In cases where it is needed to address an email that has been archived and would like to bring it to the inbox. There is a way to do this in bulk.

1. Select “All Mail” from the sidebar drop-down menu
2. Search for and select the emails you would like to return to “Inbox” from “Archives”
3. Click the “Move to Inbox” icon in the top menu bar

➤Deleting Archived Emails

1. Click “All Mail” from the sidebar drop-down menu
2. Search for and select the archived emails you would like to delete. Multiple may be selected
3. Select the “Trash” icon at the top menu to simply delete

If you are deleting archived emails to clear storage space in your Gmail, remember to permanently delete your deleted emails to ensure the space is opened up.

Basic Operations for Gmail Archives (iPhone Version)

• Archiving Emails
• Viewing Archived Emails
• Restoring Archived Emails
• Deleting Archived Emails

Archive the target email by swiping left or right. Currently, it is not possible to Archive in bulk.

➤Viewing Archived Emails

1. Open the sidebar menu on the left
2. Select “All Mail”

➤Restoring Archived Emails

1. Select “Archived Emails”
2. Select Three Dot menu icon
3. Tap “Move to Inbox”

➤Deleting Archived Emails

1. Select emails you would like to delete. Multiple may be selected.
2. Select the “Trash” Icon on the top menu to move emails to the deleted folder. They will be permanently deleted in 30 days.

Display Only Archived Emails (Advanced)

Archived emails may appear under ‘All Mail.’ However, this will show all emails, including those in the inbox and trash. To display only archived emails, enter the following search operator in the search box.

-in:spam -in:trash -is:sent -in:drafts -in:inbox

How to Use Archive-like Functions (Mute, Label, Snooze)

➤Mute: Prevent New Emails from Entering Your Inbox

Gmail’s ‘Mute’ feature helps prevent new messages from specific email threads from showing up in your inbox. New messages in a muted email thread won’t appear in the inbox but will always be visible in ‘All Mail.’ Similar to archived emails, muted emails are not deleted but moved to a different location.

The difference with the Archive feature is that new replies in a muted email thread will not appear in the inbox.

➤Label: Categorise and Organise Emails

In Gmail, the ‘Label’ function classifies and organizes emails. Adding a specific label to an email allows all labelled emails to be displayed in one list. Labels help categorize emails based on clients, projects, importance, and more. Label and Archive can be used together, such as archiving labelled emails.

➤Snooze: Schedule Emails to Return to Your Inbox at a Set Time

Gmail’s Snooze feature lets you bring emails back to your inbox at a specific time. When you snooze an email, it is temporarily stored under ‘Snoozed’ until the scheduled time when it is automatically returned to your inbox. This feature is handy for temporarily clearing emails from your inbox that may require attention later. The key distinction between Snooze and Archive is whether the removal of an email from the inbox is permanent or temporary.

Contact TS Cloud For More Information

Through this article, the features of Archive, Mute, Label, and Snooze in Gmail has been explained with clear instructions on how to use them. Using them, the use of Gmail may be smoother and business efficiency can be enhanced. Using these features is highly recommended. If you are interested in maximising the benefits of not only Gmail but also Google Workspace, please contact TS Cloud for further assistance.

TS Cloud is an authorised reseller of Google Workspace. Here, we provide dedicated support to users and offer prompt, attentive assistance through phone and email. If you are considering cost optimization for Google Workspace or have any other concerns, please do not hesitate to call us by submitting a Quick Call Form.