How to Find Unread Emails in Gmail (2024)

Unread emails in your Gmail account can sometimes get buried under the pile of other messages. As a result, every time you open your Inbox, there will be a message saying you have some unread emails, but you can’t locate them. So, how do you find unread emails in Gmail?

In this article, we’ll give you several ways to reveal your unread emails in Gmail.

How to Find Unread Emails in Gmail in the Browser

You can find your unread emails using your browser with just a few clicks:

1. Go to your Gmail account and click on Settings, represented by the gear icon.
   
2. Now, choose See all settings.
   
3. Next, select the Inbox section.
   
4. Then, in the Inbox type drop-down menu, select Unread First.
   
5. Select the Save Changes button at the bottom of the page, and you’re all done.
   

How to Find Unread Emails in the Gmail App

Most people use Gmail on their phones, which is why it’s useful to know how to find unread emails in the Gmail app:

1. Open the Gmail app and go to the menu represented by the three horizontal lines in the top-left corner.
   
2. Keep scrolling to the bottom of the menu until you locate Settings and select it.
   
3. Now, choose the account you want to manage.
   
4. This will open another list of settings, scroll down to access the Inbox section, and select Inbox Type.
   
5. Choose the Unread first radio button. As a result, your unread messages will be displayed first in your Inbox.
   

How to Find Unread Emails in Gmail on an iPhone

Reaching your unread emails on an iPhone is also quite simple:

1. Open your Mail app and press the Mailboxes button.
   
2. You’ll see all the accounts to which you’re signed in. If the Unread option isn’t shown, press the Edit button. This should bring the option to the screen.
   
3. Now, tap the empty circle next to the Unread button to enable the unread view. You can also drag the button with the handle on the right edge and bring it near the top of the list to make it more accessible.
   
4. Then, hit the Done button, and you’ll now be able to see all unread emails from your account.
   

How to Find Unread Emails in Gmail on Android

We’ve already mentioned one way you can check your unread emails in the Gmail app, but here’s another method for your Android device:

1. Open your Gmail app.
   
2. Tap the section that says Search in emails at the top of the screen.
   
3. Type in “is:unread in:inbox” and press Search.
   
4. All your unread emails will appear in the display.

How to Find Unread Emails in Gmail in a Folder

Folders in Gmail are also known as labels. To find your unread emails under a label, you’ll first need to create one. Here’s how to do it:

1. Log in to your Gmail account.
   
2. Type in “is:unread” into the search box and hit Enter. This will reveal all your unread messages or threads with unread emails.
   
3. Now, choose the Create filter option from the search box menu.
   
4. Next, check the Apply the label function and choose New label…
   
5. Type in the name of your label, in this case, you can enter Unread and then press the Create button.
   
6. Finally, hit Create filter to save your changes and apply your filter. To finish, check the tick box to the right to set the filter to your unread messages.
   

How to Find Unread Emails in Gmail in the Primary Tab

Using the Primary tab to find your unread emails can also be done with the help of the Search bar.

1. Enter your account and navigate to the Search bar.
   
2. Next, type in the following line: “label:unread category:primary”, without quotes.
   
3. Then, hit Enter and you’ll now see your unread emails in the Primary tab.
   

How to Refine Your Search on Gmail

There are several methods of refining your search on Gmail. You can set the program to find emails from certain people, dates, or set other parameters. Here are some examples:

1. To make Gmail show unread messages between, say, December 28, 2019, and January 1, 2020, type in the following command in the search box: “is:unread before:2020/1/1 after:2019/12/28”.
   
2. To check out unread messages from a specific email address, enter this line: “is:unread from:theemailaddress@gmail.com”.
   
3. You can also search your emails by a certain name using: “is:unread from:Mark”.
   

Additional FAQs

Here are some more useful details about managing your unread emails in Gmail:

How do You Mark Something as “Unread” in Gmail?

There are multiple ways of marking a message as unread in Gmail:

1. Open the email you wish to mark as unread. You can select several messages at once. To do so, tap the symbol in front of the message or press and hold the email until it’s checked. Then, choose more emails to include in the collection.
   
2. Hit the Mark Unread button in the Toolbar. If you mark an email as unread while reading it, the app will go back to the email list with the email marked as new.
   

How Do I Get My Unread Emails in Gmail at the Top?

Here’s how to show your emails at the top of the Inbox:

1. Go to the Gmail page and select Settings, the gear-shaped icon in the top-right corner.
   
2. Now, press See all settings.
   
3. Click on the Inbox type drop-down menu and choose Unread first.
   
4. Return to your Inbox and access the options represented by the three vertical dots. A list of options will appear. To select the number of items you want to appear on the page, choose either 50 items, 25 items, 10 items, or 5 items.
   

How Do I Read Emails on Gmail?

This is how you can read your Gmail messages:

1. Go to your Inbox and select the tab that holds the type of message you wish to see. You should find the most important messages on the Primary tab.
   
2. Choose the message you wish to read and click anywhere on the email’s line. The entire text of the message will now appear.
   
3. To return to your Inbox, hit the Back to Inbox option above the email.
   

How Do I Unsend Emails with Gmail?

The unsend option is automatically enabled on Gmail, but it gives you a very small timeframe to reverse your decision. To make the process more practical, you need to adjust the timeframe:

1. Hit the Settings button and press the See all settings tab.
   
2. Find the Undo Send section and select your ideal timeframe. Choose between 30, 20, 10, or 5 seconds.
   
3. When you wish to unsend an email, find the Undo option in the Message Sent window and press it.
   

Track Them All Down

You finally know how to locate all your unread Gmail messages in one place. Regardless of your device, you’ll have an easier time managing your Inbox and minimizing the chances of missing a crucial email. So, get to work and see if any important emails may have skipped your attention.

Did you succeed in finding your unread emails in Gmail? Let us know in the comments below!