5 effective ways to stop spam mails on your Gmail inbox

Looking for important communication on Gmail can seem especially challenging if it is buried under a pile of promotional and spam emails. Unfortunately, whether we’re using a laptop version of the app or are tied to our smartphones, there isn’t much we can do unless we manually sort through the flurry of emails. However, don’t let your procrastination win over you because we have a few hacks with which you can do away with spam altogether. Here’s how to get started.

5 ways to stop spam mails on Gmail

While most of your emails will automatically move to your Junk and Spam folder, there’s still a good chance you have emails from institutions that you will most likely skim through.

These could include e-commerce promotions, bank loans and schemes, and job search emails, among others. We show you how to get past these to only have what’s important for you in your inbox.

Unsubscribe: Most emails that are no longer useful can be unsubscribed at the click of a button. It could seem like a tedious task, but this button can be easily located at the bottom of the page. On clicking, most institutions will ask you for a reason and proceed to remove you from their mailing list. 

Filter messages: If you don’t want to get rid of these messages completely, there’s always the option of filtering them out of sight. On your Gmail desktop app, click on the search bar and type ‘unsubscribe’. Once you do, click on the search button or press enter to get results. Gmail will locate emails with the search term ‘unsubscribe’ and show you a list of emails existing in your inbox. Then, select all by checking the box on the top of your screen. Once you’re through, you can click on the three-dot menu on the top and select Filter Messages Like These. You can either choose to move them to a new folder or to the Spam tab that exists on Gmail. 

ALSO READ: Types of communication you should never click on

Delete emails in bulk: If you want to keep email communication coming in but want to get rid of the pile-up, you can delete what is no longer important. Search for a brand or institution in the search bar; once the emails load, you can click on Select All and delete them. You can further classify them by selecting only unread or read emails before moving them to the delete folder. However, it is important to note that emails in your deleted folder are permanently trashed after 30 days. 

Star important emails: As a practice, ensure you star your important emails to be able to locate them easily in your Starred tab. Once you do, you will be able to differentiate between what is important and do away with what is not. As and when you add or remove stars, Gmail will easily be able to modify the algorithm to identify important emails. 

Create labels: Gmail gives you an option to create labels for your emails to categorise and organise your inbox. These are especially helpful if you want to demarcate what is important for you and what is not. However, note that when you delete an email from the label, it automatically deletes it from your inbox as well. 

While there is no one way to get rid of your spam emails all at once, Gmail has plenty of organisation methods to help you differentiate when needed.