Email filters organize new incoming messages automatically, even when Email is closed. They do not change messages already in your mailbox.
Create a filter
- Open Filters & blocked senders in the Email sidebar above Settings and Help.
- Create a filter and give it a name that describes its purpose, such as “Receipts”.
- Choose conditions for the sender, sender domain, recipient, or subject. Choose All conditions when every condition must match, or Any condition when one match is enough.
- Choose an action: move to a folder, keep in the Inbox, or forward to another email address. You can also mark matching mail as read or star it.
- Read What will happen, then save the filter.
For example, match a sender and a subject containing “receipt”, then move those messages to a Receipts folder. Create the destination folder first if it is not already listed.
Create a filter from a message
Open a received message, or select exactly one received message in the list. In its More menu, choose Create a filter from this message. The sender is filled in for you. Choose the action and destination, review the conditions, and save. Opening the editor does not save a filter or move the selected message.
Order and enable filters
Filters run from top to bottom. Use the up and down buttons to change their order. Stop after this filter matches prevents later email filters from running for that message. Leave it off only when you want later filters to apply too.
A checked box and On mean a filter is enabled. Uncheck it to turn it Off without deleting it. Editing, enabling, disabling, or deleting a filter affects future incoming mail.
Forward only matching mail
Choose the forwarding action and enter a different email address. Review whether to keep a local copy. If you keep a copy, later filters can still organize it when you allow processing to continue. Avoid overlapping forwarding rules that would send unwanted extra copies.
Email forwarding controls forwarding of all incoming mail separately. Turning that off does not disable forwarding actions in Email filters. All-message forwarding without a local copy skips ordinary filters. Sender blocking is always checked first.
Block or unblock a sender
Open a received message, or select exactly one message in the list. In its More menu, choose Block sender. A highlighted Sender blocked notice confirms the saved change and shows the sender’s address. The message stays open; Email filters does not open. A successful confirmation disappears after about seven seconds. If a change cannot be confirmed, the error stays visible with an Open Filters & blocked senders button so you can check the current list.
If that address is already blocked, the same menu shows Unblock sender, including on old messages. The menu checks the current blocked list when it opens. A Sender unblocked notice confirms the change. Unblocking restores normal processing for future messages; it does not move messages out of Spam.
You can also open Filters & blocked senders → Blocked senders to add an exact email address or unblock one. Up to 200 addresses can be blocked. Blocking matches the sender’s email address, not the display name or every address at that domain. If Spam is unavailable, choose the Spam folder in Settings and reload Email filters.
New mail from blocked senders goes to Spam before forwarding, automatic replies, or ordinary filters run. It is not forwarded and receives no automatic reply. Blocking works on the mail server while the browser is closed and also affects delivery seen in other mail apps. Existing messages stay where they are. Blocking does not train spam detection or permanently delete messages.
Test a filter
Send a new message that meets the conditions, then another that does not. Check the destination folder or forwarding mailbox. If the filter marks mail as read, the folder may be hidden while Only folders with unread mail is checked.