How to Find Archived Mail on Gmail

Written by Jack Lloyd

Last Updated: March 4, 2021 Approved

This wikiHow teaches you how to view emails that you've archived in Gmail. Gmail allows you to archive your old email messages so that they stop cluttering up your inbox, which hides them from view but keeps them around in case you need to reference them again.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:
On Mobile

1
Open Gmail. It's the red "M" on a white background that resembles an envelope.
- If you aren't logged into Gmail, enter your Google email address and password and tap Sign in.
2
Tap ☰. It's in the top-left corner of the screen. Doing this prompts a pop-out menu.

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3
Tap All Mail. This option is toward the bottom of the screen.
4
Look for archived mail. The All Mail folder contains all emails that are in your inbox, as well as every email you've ever archived.
- Any email that doesn't have the "Inbox" tag on the far-right side of the email's subject line is archived email.
- You can also tap the magnifying glass icon in the top-right corner of the screen and type in a specific email's sender, subject line, or a keyword to narrow your search.
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Method 2

Method 2 of 2:
On Desktop

1
Go to the Gmail website. It's located at https://www.mail.google.com/. If you're already logged into Gmail, doing so opens your inbox.
- If you aren't logged into Gmail, click SIGN IN in the top-right corner of the page and enter your email address and password.
2
Select the inbox options tree. This is the column of options, starting with Inbox, that's on the left side of the page. Doing so will expand the tree to show additional options.
3
Click More. It's near the bottom of the tree.
4
Click All Mail. This option will be near the bottom of the More menu. Doing so takes you to the All Mail folder.
5
Look for archived mail. The All Mail folder contains all emails that are in your inbox, as well as every email you've ever archived.
- Any email that doesn't have the "Inbox" tag on the far-left side of the email's subject line is archived email.
- If you know a specific archived email's sender, subject line, or a keyword from the body, you can type this information into the search bar at the top of the Gmail page.
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Community Q&A

Question

How do I move email out of the archive in Gmail?

Community Answer

Select the item, then select a different place to send it. Or, click the "delete archive" button.
Question

If I have a label on an email and I delete it from the inbox will it be deleted from the label too?

Community Answer

Yes. Labels are pretty much like sticky notes, you can add a ton of them to one email but if you throw it out, the sticky notes go with it.
Question

How do I edit a saved draft in Gmail?

Community Answer

Click on "Drafts" on the left side under Sent Mail. This brings up all mail you haven't sent out. Just click on the draft you want to work on & it will bring it up where you left off.
Question

How do I archive an email?

Community Answer

On Gmail, in a received mail you can find a button with a box that has a down arrow on it in the toolbar underneath the search bar. Click it to archive the mail.
Question

Can I restore the archive messages?

Community Answer

Yes, first find the email, and then use the same button you used to archive it to unarchive it.
Question

Can I restore a deleted email in Gmail?

Walker Baksa

Community Answer

Yes, if you didn't do it in the last 30 days. After 30 days though, Gmail automatically deletes it.
Question

How can I pull up deleted conversations from Google Hangouts?

Walker Baksa

Community Answer

Go to Trash then tap the email. Then tap move to or labels and go to the place that you moved it to. Then tap on it and you're done!
Question

Is there any way to retrieve a Gmail email from 2018 if I did not archive it at that time?

Community Answer

If it was not deleted, it will still be where it should be, even in archive where you can simply search for it. If you are on a mobile it might only be showing you the last year (or less!) check the sync age in settings, or check on a computer. If it was recently deleted (within the last 30 days) regardless of when it was received. it will be in the bin and can be restored. However, if it was deleted (put in the bin) over 30 days ago, it is gone. The only exception would be if you have a company Google licence of enterprise grade or higher (that must if been in place since the message was deleted), in which case, ask your system Administrator to restore it from the vault.