This Is Where to Find the Gmail Spam Folder

Find the Spam Folder in Gmail

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:

  1. Expand the Main menu in Gmail.

    Heres how: Click the hamburger menu button in the top left corner.
    Open the main menu in Gmail

  2. Now click Spam in menu that appears.

    No Spam. If you do not see Spam, click More.
    Find the spam folder in Gmail

Using a Keyboard Shortcut

To go to the Spam folder fast in Gmail:

  1. Press G followed by L min Gmail.
  2. Start typing spam to have Gmail auto-complete label:spam.
  3. 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:

  1. Tap the hamburger menu button in, for instance, the Gmail inbox.
  2. Now select Spam under ALL LABELS.
    Search alternative: Searching for label:spam or in: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

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)

Home » Email Tips and Resources » Gmail Tips and Resources » This Is Where to Find the Gmail Spam Folder