Wondering where the junk mail is in Gmail? Find out here how and where to find the spam folder in Gmail (using a browser, an email program, or the Gmail app).
First, Look Ma, No Plates
Most insects have wings cleverly attached to plates and muscles attached to these plates to flap them.
Dragonflies have four wings each smartly attached to powerful muscles to move them independently. So, they can move nimbly, fly farther than most other insects and hover like a helicopter.
With that in mind, do you long to move quickly to the Spam folder in Gmail? Here are a few independent ways, mostly using the tendons attached to the muscles in your forearms:
This Is Where to Find the Gmail Spam Folder
Using a Desktop Browser
Time needed: 2 minutes
To find the spam label when you use Gmail in a desktop browser:
- Expand the Main menu in Gmail.
Here’s how: Click the hamburger menu button in the top left corner.
- Now click Spam in menu that appears.
No Spam. If you do not see Spam, click ⌄ More.
Using a Keyboard Shortcut
To go to the Spam folder fast in Gmail:
- Press G followed by L min Gmail.
- Start typing
spam
to have Gmail auto-complete label:spam. - Press Enter.
Using the Gmail Spam Link Shortcut
You can also use a link to open the spam label in Gmail, of course:
Where to Find the Junk Mail Folder in the Gmail App
To go to the spam label using the Gmail app for Android or iOS:
- Tap the hamburger menu button in, for instance, the Gmail inbox.
- Now select Spam under ALL LABELS.
Search alternative: Searching forlabel:spam
orin:spam
also works, of course.
Where to Find the Spam Folder using Gmail IMAP
To locate the spam folder in an email program that connects to your account using Gmail IMAP:
- Open the [Gmail]/Spam folder.
No Spam folder: Do enable access through IMAP for the Spam folder.
No [Gmail]: Many email programs map [Gmail]/Spam to a different email folder locally, e.g., Spam or Junk.
This Is Where to Find the Gmail Spam Folder: FAQ
How can I access the spam label in Basic HTML Gmail?
In open the spam folder using Gmail’s basic HTML version:
- Click Spam in the left Gmail navigation bar.
How do I use Gmail’s spam folder?
Gmail moves messages its built-in spam filter identifies as junk to the Spam label. You can also
- set up filters for moving mail to Spam,
- mark messages as junk and move them to the spam folder manually, of course, or
- recover emails from Spam.
Gmail will automatically delete mail under Spam after a certain time.
How do emails get to the spam folder?
When you open an email under Spam using Gmail on the desktop or in the Gmail app, Gmail will show you the reason it was moved to spam.
(This is where to find the Gmail spam folder tested in a desktop browser, the Gmail apps for Android and iOS as well as Gmail IMAP; updated January 2024)