Archive and Delete Messages in Gmail

When you open or select a message, you can use these icons to remove it from your Inbox:

     Archive  /     Delete

What happens when I archive or delete a message?

Archive removes the message from your Inbox but keeps it in your account so that you can find it later.

Delete moves the message to the Trash where it will be permanently deleted from your account after 30 days. Messages deleted from Trash can’t be recovered.

Gmail gives you plenty of storage space, so if you think there’s a chance you’ll need the message later, just archive it.

FIND AND MOVE ARCHIVED MESSAGES

Find Archived Messages

• Search: Touch the  Search icon while viewing your inbox or other list of conversations.
• Labels: If you previously applied a label to a message, you can find it by touching the  Gmail icon and selecting the label.
• All Mail: All archived messages are in All Mail. Touch the Gmail icon and select All Mail.

Moving archived messages back to your Inbox

1. Find the archived message.
2. Open or select the message.
3. Touch the  label icon.
4. Choose a label (inbox)
   

Note: You can select multiple emails to Delete Move or Archive by tapping on additional Sender Images

Find Deleted Messages

1. In the Gmail app, touch the   Gmail icon.
2. Select Trash.

Move Messages out of the Trash

1. In the Gmail app, touch the   Gmail icon.
2. Select Trash.
3. Select or open a message.
4. Touch the  "Move to" icon.
5. Choose a label.

Note: You can select multiple emails to Delete Move or Archive by tapping on additional Sender Images

Empty Trash

1. In the Gmail app, touch the Gmail icon.
2. Select Trash.
3. Touch the Menu icon, then Empty Trash.

Warning: When you empty the Trash, messages are permanently deleted from your Gmail account and cannot be recovered.

SETTINGS

Archive & delete actions
If you are more likely to archive or delete a message, these settings make your preferred remove action visible while viewing messages and notifications.

1. In the Gmail app, touch the Menu icon, then Settings.
2. Select General settings.
3. Touch Archive & delete actions.

Learn more about the options:

• Show archive only
  See the archive icon when you view messages.
  
  Archive from interactive notifications (Android 4.1+).
  
• Show delete only
  See the delete icon when you view messages.
  
  Delete from interactive notifications (Android 4.1+).
  
• Show archive & delete
  
  Archive from interactive notifications (Android 4.1+).

Tip: Additional actions are in the  Menu, so you can always delete or archive messages.


Swipe to archive or delete while viewing your inbox
Quickly archive or delete by swiping a conversation left or right while viewing your inbox or other list of conversations. Follow these steps to enable this feature:

Note: Whether you archive or delete with swipe depends on the “Archive & delete actions” setting above. To delete instead of archive, choose Show delete only.

1. In the  Gmail app, touch the Menu icon, then Settings.
2. Select General settings.
3. Check Swipe to archive or Swipe to delete.

Tip: You can swipe in either direction. If you accidentally swipe away a conversation, touch Undo to bring it back.