How to Find Archived Emails in Gmail

Using the archive option in Gmail, you can save important emails and remove them from your inbox. It’s an excellent way to ensure you don’t delete them by accident. Although it’s easy to archive emails, finding them afterward isn’t as straightforward since they don’t get their own separate folder.

If you’re looking to learn how to find archived emails in Gmail, you’ve come to the right place. This article will provide a step-by-step guide on how to locate them using different platforms.

How to Find Archived Emails in Gmail on an iPhone

There are several ways to locate archived emails in Gmail on an iPhone. Let’s check them out:

Find the Archived Emails Using “All Mail” Label

When you archive an email, you remove it from your inbox. But it remains under the “All Mail” label until you decide to delete it. Here’s how to find an archived email:

1. Open Gmail on your iPhone.
   
2. Press the three lines icon in the top-left corner.
   
3. Select “All Mail.
   

That way, you’ll see all your emails in one list, including the archived ones. If you have a lot of emails and archived one a long time ago, you’ll need to scroll until you find it.

Tip: Archived emails won’t have the “Inbox” label next to them.

Find the Archived Emails Using the Search Bar

Another way to locate archived emails is to use the Gmail search bar. For this to work, you need to know the sender or the subject. This option enables you to find the email you’re looking for much more quickly.

Follow the steps below to find an archived email using the search bar:

1. Open Gmail on your iPhone.
   
2. Type the sender’s name or the email’s subject in the search bar at the top of the screen.
   
3. Find the email you’re looking for.
   

Although this method isn’t perfect, it can help you narrow down the list of emails.

In addition to using the sender’s name or the email’s subject, you can also apply different search filters such as:

• “has:attachment” – Only emails with attachments will appear in results.
  
• “from:emailaddress” – See only the emails from a specific email address.
  
• “filename:example” – If you know the name of the attachment but can’t remember the sender or the subject, use this filter.
  

How to Find Archived Emails in Gmail on an Android Device

Many Android users love Gmail. But finding archived emails can be challenging since there isn’t a separate folder for them. Fortunately, there are a few methods you can use to make the search easier:

Find the Archived Emails Using “All Mail” Label

All archived emails get removed from your inbox and transferred to an “invisible” folder. However, they still have the “All Mail” label. You can take advantage of this to find the archived email:

1. Open the Gmail app on your phone.
   
2. Tap the three lines icon in the top-left corner.
   
3. Select “All Mail.”
   

Gmail will display all your emails in chronological order. This can come in handy if you know when the archived email was sent, but it can also be a downside. If you have hundreds of emails, you’ll need to scroll for a while until you find the one. To make scrolling faster and easier, look only for emails without the “Inbox” label.

Find the Archived Emails Using the Search Bar

If you remember the sender’s name or the email’s subject, you can use the Gmail search bar to locate the archived email. Here’s how to do it:

1. Launch the Gmail app on your Android device.
   
2. Enter the sender’s name or the email’s subject in the search bar.
   
3. Find the email you’re looking for.
   

This method assists you in narrowing down your search.

Gmail also has different search filters you can use:

• “has:attachment” – Use this filter to only see emails with attachments.
  
• “from:name OR from:name” – If you’re not sure who sent the archived email, use this filter. For example, if you can’t remember whether Amy or John sent the email, enter “from:amy OR from:john” into the search bar.
  
•  “filename:example” – If you remember the attachment’s name, apply this filter.
  

How to Find Archived Emails in Gmail on a PC

Many find Gmail easier to navigate on their computer. As simple as archiving emails can be, it’s not as easy to find them. Here’s how you can do it:

Find the Archived Emails Using “All Mail” Label

Once you archive an email, it gets removed from your inbox. You can find it by using the “All Mail” label that shows every email you have except for spam and those in the trash.

Follow the steps below to find the archived emails using this method:

1. Open your browser and go to Gmail. Log in if necessary.
   
2. Hover over the menu on the left side, scroll down, and press “More.”
   
3. Select “All Mail.”
   

You’ll see all your emails in chronological order. Scan through them and look for those without the “Inbox” label.

Find the Archived Emails Using the Search Bar

You can find the archived email by entering the sender’s name or the email’s subject in the search bar:

1. Launch your browser and go to Gmail. Log in to your account if prompted.
   
2. Type the sender’s name or the email’s subject in the search bar at the top.
   
3. Locate the email you’re looking for.
   

By using the sender’s name or the email’s subject, you’ll significantly narrow down your search.

Additionally, you can use some of Gmail’s search filters:

• “has:attachment” – The results will display only emails with attachments.
  
• “has:youtube” – The results will show only the emails that contain YouTube links.
  
•  “filename:example” – Use this filter if you know the attachment’s title.
  

How to Find Archived Emails in Gmail on an iPad

iPad users who can’t seem to find archived emails in Gmail should check out the methods below:

Find the Archived Emails Using “All Mail” Label

Although archived emails aren’t in your inbox, they still carry the “All Mail” label. You can use this to find the archived email you’re looking for:

1. Launch the Gmail app on your iPad.
   
2. Tap the three lines at the top-left corner.
   
3. Press “All Mail.”
   

You’ll see all your emails, except for spam and the ones you’ve deleted. Archived emails won’t have the “Inbox” label next to them, making them easier to find.

Find the Archived Emails Using the Search Bar

You can also use Gmail’s search bar to find archived emails. If you know the sender’s name or the email’s subject, use that information to narrow down your search:

1. Open Gmail on your iPad.
   
2. Enter the sender’s name or the email’s subject in the search bar.
   
3. Locate the archived email.
   

Gmail also offers search filters to help you with your search:

• “after:date” – If you can’t pinpoint the exact date when you received the archived email but have a rough estimation, this filter can be incredibly useful. For example, if you know you received the email after March 2, 2021, type “after:03/02/2021” into the search bar.
  
• “filename:example” – Knowing the attachment’s name can help you find the email faster.
  

Archived Emails Are Hiding in Gmail

Gmail doesn’t feature an “Archived” folder that will make locating emails you’ve archived easy. Instead, you need to use different methods to find them. Fortunately, these techniques aren’t complicated and require only a few minutes of your time.

Have you ever had trouble finding archived emails in Gmail? What method did you use to locate them? Tell us in the comments section below.