While most e-mail systems use folders to organize e-mails, Gmail (CNU’s e-mail provider) uses labels. Labels provide one key advantage over folders. While you can only move an e-mail into one folder, you can apply multiple labels to a particular e-mail.

Creating Labels

To create a label, click on the “More” link on the left side of your e-mail.

Google Labels Menu More

Then, click “Create new label”. If you don’t see it, hover your mouse over the list of labels and it will appear.

Gmail Create New Label

In the window that pops up, enter a name for the label. You can create labels “nested” inside other labels.

Gmail Label Name and Location

Your label will then appear in the menu at the left.

Assigning a Label to an E-mail

There are several ways to assign an e-mail a label. While viewing the e-mail, click on the labels icon and choose a label.

Gmail Labeling Email

Then choose “Apply” from the menu. This will add the label(s) to your e-mail, but will not remove any existing ones.

If you click on the Move To icon, it will add the selected label to your e-mail and remove all others, similar to moving an e-mail to a folder on most other e-mail systems.

Gmail Move To

You can also drag an e-mail from your inbox to a label. This will remove the existing labels from the e-mail

Gmail Drag Email to Label

How can I access labeled e-mails?

Simply click on the label at the left. The current label is in highlighted in gray by default.

Gmail Access Labeled Emails

How can I tell what labels an e-mail has?

When an e-mail has more than one label, any label except the current one will be displayed in the e-mail’s entry in the e-mail list.

Gmail Label Location 1

When viewing an e-mail, all associated labels will appear by the title.

Gmail Locating Label 2

How can I learn more about labels?

Google has an excellent guide to using labels at: https://support.google.com/mail/answer/118708?hl=en&ref_topic=3394658