How to Mark Messages as Important in Gmail

Tags Gmail

Question

How do I mark messages in my inbox as Important in order to easily filter for important mail?

Environment

  • Gmail

Information

Gmail automatically marks messages as "Important" based on several factors, including how often you email the sender, which messages you open, and keywords within the message content.

Resolution

Identifying and Using Importance Markers

The symbol Gmail uses for importance markers is a small pointer icon located to the left of the sender's name in your inbox.

  • Unmarked: An empty pointer A grey, empty importance marker icon. indicates the message is not currently flagged as important.
  • Marked: Once clicked, the icon turns yellow A yellow, filled importance marker icon. to signify the message is marked as important.

How to Show Importance Markers in Your Inbox

  1. Go to Gmail (opens in a new window).
  2. Click the Settings icon (gear) in the upper right-hand corner.
  3. Click the See all settings button.
  4. Click the Inbox tab.
  5. Find the Importance markers section and select Show markers.
    • You can also choose whether Gmail uses your past actions to predict which messages are important.
  6. Click the Save Changes button at the bottom of the page.

How to Show or Hide the "Important" Label

You can manage whether the "Important" category appears in your left-hand sidebar menu:

  1. Click the Settings icon (gear) and select See all settings.
  2. Click the Labels tab.
  3. Under the System labels section, find Important.
  4. Select either show or hide in the "Show in label list" column.
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