Define which messages should match
Choose a reliable sender, domain, subject phrase, recipient, category, attachment, or other condition. Avoid adding uncertain details only to make the rule look precise.
Gmail Rules: Create Filters That Organize Email
Build the search criteria for a Gmail rule, test which messages match, and then create a filter in Gmail without guessing at operator syntax.
Interactive Gmail search builder
Private · runs in your browser
Build criteria for a Gmail rule
Choose the messages a filter should match. The builder creates a testable Gmail query before you apply labels, archive, mark, forward, or delete anything.
Start with a recipe:
Direct answer
Create Gmail rules by testing the filter criteria first
Gmail calls inbox rules filters. Every filter starts with search criteria: a sender, recipient, subject, phrase, date, category, attachment, size, or a combination of those conditions. Use the builder above to create that criteria as a visible Gmail query.
Test the query in Gmail before creating the rule. When the results contain only the messages you intend to automate, open Gmail's advanced search, use the same criteria, select Create filter, and choose the action. This test-first workflow reduces accidental archiving, labeling, forwarding, or deletion.
Step by step
How to create rules in Gmail safely
Test the generated Gmail search
Open the query in Gmail and inspect several results. If unrelated mail appears, add one condition. If expected mail is missing, remove the least reliable condition.
Create the filter and choose actions
Open Gmail's search options, enter or paste the tested criteria, select Create filter, choose the actions, and decide whether the rule should also apply to matching conversations already in the mailbox.
Working examples
Gmail rule examples you can adapt
Each example begins with criteria that can be tested as an ordinary search before any automatic action is enabled.
Gmail rules and filters mean the same workflow
People often search for Gmail rules because Outlook and other email services use the word rule. In Gmail, the equivalent feature is called a filter. A filter checks incoming mail against search criteria and then performs one or more selected actions.
The search query is the matching layer, not the action itself. InboxQuery helps build that matching layer. Gmail remains the place where you choose whether to apply a label, skip the Inbox, mark as read, star, forward, delete, categorize, or avoid Spam classification.
- Use a tested query as the filter criteria.
- Choose actions only inside Gmail.
- Keep the first version narrow enough to review.
- Create separate rules when different messages need different actions.
Useful Gmail filter actions and when to use them
Apply a label when messages need a visible category. Skip the Inbox when mail should remain searchable but does not need immediate attention. Mark as read is useful for predictable automated notices, while Star can highlight a narrow set of important messages.
Forwarding, deletion, and Never send it to Spam have larger consequences. Confirm the sender and recipient conditions carefully. Forwarding must use an address configured and verified in Gmail, and a deletion rule should be tested with representative messages before it is allowed to process future mail.
- Labels organize mail without moving it out of All Mail.
- Skip the Inbox archives matching incoming messages.
- Multiple actions can run from one filter.
- Actions can be changed later in Gmail settings.
How to make Gmail rules move email to a folder
Gmail uses labels rather than traditional folders. To reproduce a folder-style rule, create or select a label and combine Apply the label with Skip the Inbox. The message will leave the Inbox view while remaining available under the label and in All Mail.
If a message needs to remain visible in the Inbox, apply the label without Skip the Inbox. A message can have several labels at once, which is different from systems where one message can occupy only one folder.
- Apply a label for classification.
- Add Skip the Inbox for folder-like routing.
- Do not add Skip the Inbox when immediate visibility matters.
Why a Gmail filter is not working
First, copy the filter criteria into Gmail search. If the search does not return the expected message, the criteria—not the selected action—is the likely problem. Check the actual sender address, aliases, plus-addressing, subject wording, categories, date boundaries, and whether separate conditions accidentally require all values to match.
If the search works but new mail is not processed, review Settings, See all settings, Filters and Blocked Addresses. Confirm that the filter exists, its actions are enabled, forwarding is verified when used, and another filter is not producing a confusing result. Filters normally act on incoming messages; older mail changes only when you select the option to apply the filter to matching conversations during setup or run an equivalent manual action.
- Test the exact saved criteria as a search.
- Edit or delete filters from Gmail settings.
- Review overlapping filters separately.
- Use Apply to matching conversations only after checking the result set.
Inputs and output
What this Gmail search tool supports
Search inputs
Use sender and recipient addresses, subject text, included words, an exact phrase, and comma-separated exclusions. Blank fields remain outside the query, so you can work with incomplete information.
Mailbox filters
Combine a fixed date range or rolling message age with read status, mailbox location, Gmail category, attachment presence, filename, and complete-message size limits.
Readable output
The result is standard query text for Gmail’s search box. InboxQuery also describes each fragment, flags conflicting boundaries, offers one-click copying, and creates a direct Gmail search link.
How to refine a Gmail search without losing the target
Begin with the condition you know is true. That may be a sender address, a broad date window, an attachment type, or a mailbox location. Run that simple query first. When the result contains the target but is too large, add one more condition. This incremental method is easier to debug than starting with a long query made from several uncertain memories.
If a query returns nothing, remove the condition you trust least. Display names can hide a different sender address, subject wording may not be exact, categories can be assigned unexpectedly, and date boundaries can exclude messages near midnight. Switching to in:anywhere is useful when Spam or Trash may contain the message, but it does not search another account or restore permanently deleted mail.
The builder handles empty, valid, and invalid states without contacting Gmail. A blank form shows a clear empty result. A valid combination enables copy and search actions. Reversed date boundaries, non-positive age values, and an impossible size band display an error and disable the actions until the input is corrected. Gmail—not InboxQuery—decides which existing messages match the finished query.
Copying the query is useful when you want to inspect or edit it in Gmail before searching. The direct link is faster when the generated text already matches your intent. Both actions use the same visible query, and neither grants InboxQuery permission to your account. Rolling age filters change over time, while fixed dates continue to describe the same period.
Limits and troubleshooting
Limits and risks of Gmail rules
- InboxQuery builds matching criteria but cannot create, edit, or run a Gmail filter for you.
- A filter can affect future incoming mail differently from conversations already in the mailbox.
- Broad delete, forward, or archive actions can hide or remove important messages.
- Gmail's indexing, aliases, categories, conversation view, and account settings affect which messages match.
Document important Gmail rules before relying on them
Record what each filter should match, which actions it performs, and how it was tested. Review rules that forward mail, delete messages, bypass Spam, or route account and billing notices. Sender domains, aliases, and filing needs change, so an old rule may become too broad or too narrow. Re-test the criteria as a normal search before editing a high-impact action.
Related tools
Continue refining your Gmail search
FAQ
Gmail rules and filters FAQ
Does Gmail have rules like Outlook?
Yes. Gmail calls them filters. Filters match messages using search criteria and then apply actions such as labels, archiving, marking as read, starring, forwarding, or deletion.
How do I create a rule in Gmail?
Build and test the matching search, open Gmail's advanced search options, choose Create filter, select the actions, and save the filter.
Where can I view or edit Gmail filters?
In desktop Gmail, open Settings, choose See all settings, and select Filters and Blocked Addresses. From there you can edit, delete, import, or export filters.
Can I create Gmail rules on mobile?
The Gmail mobile apps can run searches, but full filter creation and management is generally handled in desktop Gmail or a desktop browser view. Test the query on mobile, then configure the filter in the full settings interface.
Why is my Gmail rule not working?
Test its criteria as a Gmail search. Then check sender aliases, AND conditions, filter actions, verified forwarding, overlapping filters, and whether the rule was expected to affect older conversations.
Can a Gmail rule move messages to a folder?
Gmail uses labels. Apply a label and select Skip the Inbox to create folder-like routing while keeping the message available under the label and in All Mail.
Operator syntax is based on Google's official guide to creating Gmail filters. InboxQuery is independent and does not access your account.