You heard that Gmail is faster with fewer labels? A folder’s utility has run its course? Find out here how to delete email folders (i.e. labels) in Gmail.
First, Thelonious Monk Sees Keys on a Piano
Looking at a piano, inventive jazz pianist Thelonious Monk saw some eighty-eight keys and notes. He made good use of them and their wildest combinations. There were eighty-eight keys, after all, and none of them out of place.
“The piano ain’t got no wrong notes,”
he, quite naturally, is said to have said.
Now, looking at your folders in Gmail, do you see some eighty-eight as well—and some wrong ones?
How to Delete Folders in Gmail
In a Desktop Browser
Time needed: 2 minutes
To remove a folder (and label) from Gmail using a desktop browser:
- Click the three dots menu next to the folder you want to delete in Gmail.
See the folder list: If you do not see the list of folders (I.e. Gmail labels), hover the mouse cursor over the left toolbar and, if necessary, click ˅ More to see all folders.
- Select Remove label from the menu that has appeared.
- Now click Delete.
Folder hierarchy: If other folders are located nested in the folder you are deleting, these will also be removed.
No emails will be deleted: Deleting a folder in Gmail does not remove any emails; see below.
In the Gmail App for iPhone
To remove a Gmail folder using the app for iOS:
- Tap the hamburger menu button in the Gmail app.
- Select Settings.
- Now select the account from which you want to delete the folder.
- Select Label settings under Labels.
- Now choose the folder you want to remove.
- Tap Delete <label>.
- Now choose Delete to confirm.
How to Delete Email Folders in Gmail: FAQ
What happens when I delete a folder in Gmail
When you remove a folder in Gmail, you lose the label and organization but never messages:
- The label that corresponds to the folder disappears from Gmail.
- The label is deleted from all messages.
- The corresponding IMAP folders disappear from email programs.
- All emails remain in Gmail.
When you delete a folder in an email program using Gmail IMAP, the corresponding label typically does not disappear but moves:
- The label is renamed to [Gmail]/Trash/<label>.
- It’s best to delete the label in Gmail on the web afterwards. (See above.)
Can I remove a folder using Gmail Basic HTML?
Yes.
To delete a label in Basic HTML Gmail:
- Click Edit labels under the list of Gmail labels.
- Now click Remove next to the label you want to delete.
Important: Gmail will not wait for confirmation but delete without asking again.
Can I delete folders in the Gmail app for Android?
No, the Gmail app for Android currently does not allow you to remove labels.
You can edit labels using the Gmail desktop version in a mobile browser.
(How to delete folders (labels) in Gmail tested in a desktop browser and the Gmail app for iOS; updated February 2024)