Automate Your Gmail Inbox with Filters

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It’s very easy to become overwhelmed by the number of emails that hit your inbox every day and the need to sort through them all. What if there was a way to have your inbox automatically do this for you as you see fit? It almost sounds too good to be true, but by using filters in Gmail, this can easily become a reality. Gmail’s filters allow you to:

● Automate various features to incoming and outgoing messages. ● Have emails that you don’t want to see automatically get archived, or even deleted, without ever

hitting your inbox. ● Stay more organized by automatically having labels, important markers and/or stars applied to

emails. ● Have emails automatically be forwarded to other email addresses.

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To set up a new filter in Gmail:1. Click the drop-down arrow in the Search bar OR

2. Click on the gear icon in the upper right area of Gmail. Then, select “Settings” from the drop-down options.

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Set Up a New Filter in Gmail

3. Click on “Filters” tab.

4. Click on “Create new filter” link at the bottom of the page.

5. A window will then appear that allows you to create a filter based on a number of different search topics. You can choose to fill in as many of the fields as necessary to make your filter as specific as you need it to be.

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6. You can filter using any of the following fields:

● From – Filter based on who an email is from.● To – Filter based on who you send an email to.● Subject – Filter based on a specific email subject.● Has the words – Filter based on any specific words in an email.● Doesn’t have – Filter based on any specific words not in an email.● Has attachment – If selected, will only apply the filter to related emails that contain an attachment in it.● Don’t include chats – If selected, will not apply the filter to any related chats in Gmail.● Size – Will filter for emails greater than or less than the file size limit you apply.

7. When you have the filter search topics the way you want them, click the “Create filter with this search” link at the bottom of the window.

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For our example, I am setting up a filter for any emails from varun AT synergyse.com:

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8. The next window allows you to choose what happens to emails that meet the filter search topics you entered in the previous window. The options you have available to choose are:

● Skip the Inbox (Archive it) - Will automatically archive emails related to the filter search to your “All mail” and will not appear in your inbox.

● Mark as read – Will automatically mark emails related to the filter search as being read

without having to open them.

● Star it – Will automatically star emails related to the filter search.● Apply the label – Will automatically add a selected label to emails related to the filter

search.● Forward it – Automatically forward emails related to the filter search to another email

address.● Delete it – Will automatically delete emails related to the filter search before reaching your

inbox, which will go into your Trash label.● Never send it to Spam – Automatically prevent emails related to the filter search from

going into your Spam label. www.synergyse.com

● Always mark it as important – Automatically applies the important marker to emails related to the filter search.

● Never mark it as important – Never applies the important marker to emails related to the filter search.

● Categorize as – Automatically place emails related to the filter search to the Personal, Social, Promotions, Updates or Forums categories.

● Also apply filter to matching conversations – Will apply this filter to any emails you already have that match your filter search.

9. When you have chosen what options you want for your filter search, click the “Create filter” button at the bottom left of the window.

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In our example, I am selecting the “Star it” and “Apply the label: Synergyse” to my filter.

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10. After you click on the “Create filter” button, the window will close and your filter will be created.

In our finished filter example, it will now automatically apply a star and my Synergyse label to any future emails I receive from varun AT synergyse.com:

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Edit or Remove a FilterIf you ever need to edit or remove a filter:

1. Go back to your “Filters” tab in the “Settings” of Gmail. 2. Click the “edit” or “delete” links to the right of the filter that you want to change.

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