How to Find Archived Email in Gmail (Plus, Unarchiving & Deleting)

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A step-by-step guide to accessing archived mail in Gmail

Written by Nicole Levine, MFA

Last Updated: December 14, 2024 Fact Checked

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Finding Archived Mail on Mobile

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Finding Archived Mail on Desktop

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Unarchiving Mail

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Deleting Archived Mail

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Video

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Q&A

If you're wondering where archived messages go in Gmail, we can help. This guide teaches you how to access archived emails in Gmail on your computer, Android, iPhone, or iPad. We'll also show you how to unarchive Gmail messages to get them back into your inbox, and how to delete archived emails permanently.

Quick Steps

Tap ☰ in the Gmail app.
Tap All Mail to view archived emails.
Use the tabs at the top to sort by date, sender, and more.

Section 1 of 4:

How to Find Archived Emails on Mobile

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It's in the top-left corner of the Gmail app on your Android, iPhone, or iPad. Doing this prompts a pop-out menu.^{[1]
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You may have to scroll down to find it.

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3
View archived mail. The All Mail folder contains all emails in your inbox and every email you've ever archived.
- Any email that doesn't have the "Inbox" tag on the far-right side of the email's subject line is archived email.
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Sort or search your archived mail. You'll see all archived Gmail messages in the order they were received. If you're looking for a particular message, you have several options:
- Use the From and To tabs at the top to view archived mail sent from or to particular addresses.
- Tap Attachment to only view archived mail with attachments, or Exclude calendar updates to omit calendar notification messages.
- Tap the Date tab to select a time period from which you want to display archived emails.
- Tap the Search bar at the top to search all messages on Gmail, including archived email.

Section 2 of 4:

How to Find Archived Emails on a Computer

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1
Click All Mail in the left panel of Gmail. When you're logged in to Gmail on a computer, you can view archived mail by clicking All Mail in the left sidebar.
- If you don't see this option, click the three horizontal lines ☰ at the top-left corner first.
2
Sort or search your archived mail. You'll see all archived Gmail messages in the order they were received. If you're looking for a particular message, you have several options:
- Use the From and To tabs at the top to view archived mail sent from or to particular addresses.
- To view archived mail received during a certain time, use the Any time dropdown to choose a range.
- Select Has attachment to only view archived mail with attachments, or Exclude calendar updates to omit calendar notification messages.
- Use the search bar at the top to search for specific messages. You can search for any word or words in the email, email addresses, names, and more.

Section 3 of 4:

How to Unarchive Emails

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To unarchive a message, you just need to move it back into your inbox. If you archived an email by accident, it's easy to restore it to your inbox so you don't have to search for it in the archives. Here's how:
- On a computer, open the message you want to unarchive, or use the checkboxes to select multiple messages. Then, click the "Move to Inbox" icon (the square with an arrow pointing down) to move it.
- On a phone or tablet, open the message, tap the three dots at the top-right, then select Move to Inbox. To unarchive multiple messages at once, tap and hold any message in All Mail to enter selection mode, tap additional messages, and then use the Move to Inbox option.

Section 4 of 4:

How to Delete Archived Mail in Gmail

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If you want, you can delete archived email permanently. Many people accidentally archive emails in Gmail, thinking this permanently deletes the messages. Because it doesn't, old archived emails are taking up space in your Gmail account. Deleting archived emails is a great way to free up that space. Here's how to remove those messages permanently:
- On a computer, check the box(es) next to the message(s) you want to delete, then click the trash icon.
- On a phone or tablet, tap and hold the message you want to delete, tap to select any additional others you want to delete, and then tap the trash icon to delete them.
- For tips on keeping Gmail organized, check out our guide to cleaning out your Gmail inbox.

Community Q&A

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Question

How do I move email out of the archive in Gmail?

Community Answer

Select the item, then select a different place to send it. Or, click the "delete archive" button.

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Question

If I have a label on an email and I delete it from the inbox will it be deleted from the label too?

Community Answer

Yes. Labels are pretty much like sticky notes, you can add a ton of them to one email but if you throw it out, the sticky notes go with it.

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Question

How do I edit a saved draft in Gmail?

Community Answer

Click on "Drafts" on the left side under Sent Mail. This brings up all mail you haven't sent out. Just click on the draft you want to work on & it will bring it up where you left off.

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