You can hide all but the most important messages from your default Gmail inbox. Learning from your actions within the app, Gmail can automatically pick out the emails it thinks you need to see and let you browse the rest casually. Here’s how to show only priority emails in Gmail.

What to Know

  • Go to Settings > See all settings > Inbox. In the drop-down menu, choose Priority Inbox.Under Inbox sections, select Add section next to an empty slot, choose Important or Important and Unread. Save your changes.To change the number of important emails shown, in Inbox settings, choose Options. Under Show up to, choose a number.

Make Gmail Priority Inbox Show Only Important (Unread) Emails

To have Gmail show only priority messages (and only unread important mail, if you prefer) in the Priority Inbox:

  • Open Gmail and select the Settings gear icon (⚙) at the top of the screen.
  • Choose See all settings in the drop-down menu.
  • Go to the Inbox tab.
  • Select Priority Inbox in the drop-down menu next to Inbox type.
  • You can also change your Gmail inbox to Priority by selecting the Settings gear icon, scrolling down to Inbox type, and clicking Priority. Then, select Customize to change its settings as outlined below.
  • Next to Inbox sections, find an unused section marked as Empty. Select Add section to reveal the menu of available options.
  • Select Important and unread or Important from the menu.
  • Important and unread means a message must be identified as both unread and important by Gmail to appear in the first section.
  • Optionally, remove the other inbox sections to only see important and unread messages first. Select a section in the drop-down menu and choose Remove section.
  • Scroll to the bottom of the page, and select Save Changes.
  • Back in the Priority Inbox, select the arrow icon to collapse Everything else.

You can always view all your (other) inbox mail under Everything else in your Priority Inbox, or by going to the Inbox label.

On newer Gmail accounts, there’s a good chance you have this configured as soon as you enable your Priority Inbox.

Open Gmail and select the Settings gear icon (⚙) at the top of the screen.

Choose See all settings in the drop-down menu.

Go to the Inbox tab.

Select Priority Inbox in the drop-down menu next to Inbox type.

You can also change your Gmail inbox to Priority by selecting the Settings gear icon, scrolling down to Inbox type, and clicking Priority. Then, select Customize to change its settings as outlined below.

Next to Inbox sections, find an unused section marked as Empty. Select Add section to reveal the menu of available options.

Select Important and unread or Important from the menu.

Important and unread means a message must be identified as both unread and important by Gmail to appear in the first section.

Optionally, remove the other inbox sections to only see important and unread messages first. Select a section in the drop-down menu and choose Remove section.

Scroll to the bottom of the page, and select Save Changes.

Back in the Priority Inbox, select the arrow icon to collapse Everything else.

Change the Number of Important Mails Shown in Your Gmail Inbox

To make Gmail show more messages in the first, Important or Important and unread section than the default 10:

  • Go to your Inbox settings in Gmail. (See above.)
  • Select Options next to the Important and unread section.
  • Select the maximum number of messages for the section under Show up to.
  • Scroll to the bottom and select Save Changes.

Add More Inbox Sections

Do you want other categories broken out from Everything else in your Gmail inbox—for example, messages you starred or mail marked by an email triage service? You can add up to two more sections (or replace Important).

Go to your Inbox settings in Gmail. (See above.)

Select Options next to the Important and unread section.

Select the maximum number of messages for the section under Show up to.

Scroll to the bottom and select Save Changes.

To add an inbox section for any label or starred mail to your Gmail inbox:

  • Open the Inbox settings in Gmail (see above).
  • Select Add section next to one of the Empty sections. To add a section for starred mail, choose Starred from the menu.
  • To add a section for any label, select More options from the menu. Choose the desired label.
  • Select Save Changes at the bottom of the page.

Open the Inbox settings in Gmail (see above).

Select Add section next to one of the Empty sections. To add a section for starred mail, choose Starred from the menu.

To add a section for any label, select More options from the menu. Choose the desired label.

Select Save Changes at the bottom of the page.

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