If you want to clean your Gmail inbox, but don’t want to delete anything permanently, then it’s best to choose the archive option. Whenever you archive an email, it will be deleted from your inbox folder, but it will still be accessible. Here’s how to access all the emails you’ve previously archived and how to move them back to your regular inbox for quick access.
Finding archived emails via the web
If you access Gmail through a web browser, it is a simple process to withdraw all emails you may have archived. For starters, if you choose to use the search bar at the top of the page, the search results will include all archived emails.
Alternatively, you can access all available mail, including archived mail, under the “All Mail” option.
Step 1: Visit the Gmail website and sign in.
Step 2: On the left side of the screen, scroll down and select More.
Step 3: Select the All Mail option.
Step 4: On the right side of the screen, you may now browse your email; it will include all emails in your account, including archived content.
Finding archived emails via mobile apps
If you use the Gmail mobile app on an iOS or Android device, you can also easily access archived content. As on the web, you can initiate a search using the search bar displayed at the top of the message; it will contain archived content. Otherwise, if needed, you can access all available mail, including archived content, under the “All Mail” option.
Step 1: Open the Gmail app on your device.
Step 2: At the top of the screen, tap the Menu button; it is displayed as three horizontal lines.
Step 3: Scroll down if needed and select the All Mail option.
Step 4: Now, you may now browse your emails on-screen; it will include all emails in your account, including archived pieces.
Moving an archived email to the inbox via the web
If you change your mind, you can always move all archived content to your inbox. Please follow the steps below to use the Gmail website to move archived emails to your inbox:
Step 1: Visit the Gmail website and sign in.
Step 2: Locate the email you wish to relocate.
Step 3: To the left of the email, check the small box.
Step 4: At the top of the screen, select Move to Inbox.
Then, your archived emails will be moved to the inbox for regular review. If you want to restore the message to the archived state, hover your mouse over the email again and select the “Archive” button (as shown in the small box with a down arrow).
Moving an archived email to the inbox via mobile apps
You can also change the mail archive when you are out and use the Gmail mobile app for iOS and Android. Please follow the steps below to move archived emails back to the inbox in the official Google Gmail app:
Step 1: Open the Gmail app on your device.
Step 2: Locate the email you wish to relocate and tap on it.
Step 3: Tap the More button in the upper corner (shown as three vertical dots).
Step 4: Tap the Move to Inbox option.
Then, your archived emails will be moved to the inbox for regular review. If you want to return the message to the archive, please reopen the email and click the “Archive” button (as shown in the small box with a downward arrow).
Archiving an email vs. muting an email
You may have heard of the ability to mute emails and archive discussed emails. Both of these features delete messages from your inbox to keep them tidy, but if someone replies, the archived email will be returned to your inbox.
On the other hand, silent messages will remain permanently out of your inbox. If you want to mute emails, follow these steps on the web or mobile app:
Step 1: Access your Gmail account.
Step 2: Open the email you wish to mute.
Step 3: Select the More button (shown as three vertical dots).
Step 4: Select the Mute option.
If you want to unmute the email conversation, follow the steps above, but select the “Unmute” option in step 4. You can also quickly search for all muted conversations by typing is:mute in the Gmail search bar.
