How to automate your Gmail inbox — without AI

Gmail, a widely used email service, offers a range of hidden features and add-ons. One of its most powerful organizational tools is filters. These filters, which are part of Gmail's regular settings, can automate your inbox with custom rules. At first glance, filters might appear complex, yet they can significantly reshape your inbox and how incoming messages are handled.

One advantage of using Gmail filters over Google's AI Inbox option is that they don't require your personal messages to be processed by AI systems. Moreover, filters give you complete control over how your email is managed, rather than relying on potentially unreliable technology.

To start using Gmail filters, first, familiarize yourself with the various possibilities. For instance, you could ensure messages from specific high-priority senders go directly to the Primary tab or sort specific lower-priority messages into an out-of-the-way location. You could also keep messages from annoying people archived, forward messages to other team members, instantly respond with prewritten templates, label specific variations of your Gmail address, mark messages from yourself as reminders, or even receive snickerdoodles every time your boss emails you.

To create a filter, click the control panel icon within the search box on Gmail's website. This will open a form where you can set the basis for your filter using words, phases, addresses, or any other variables. You can employ various operators, like quotation marks for multi-word terms and "AND" or "OR" between terms. Remember to keep the "Search" option as "All Mail" to avoid any errors and allow the filter to work properly.

The final step is deciding the actions to be taken once a message meets your conditions. You can select multiple actions and configure them as needed. You can even apply the filter retroactively to already existing messages in your account using the "Also apply filter to matching conversations" option.