Right now, I’m sitting here beaming because my inbox is empty. Really! Have I read and responded to every single message? Well, no. I’m not an “Inbox Zero” person. Watch this short video if you have no idea what that means.
Before I took back control, I had 409 unread emails. But I have a trick to start over every year. You can do it too!
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Clean up your inbox
You could try sorting your email into a maze of folders, but who has time for that? Here’s a surprisingly simple solution to get you started New Year right: archive your inbox. It’s like a magic wand for your digital clutter!
What is email archiving, you ask? Imagine this: a digital vault where every email you’ve ever sent or received is safely stored, complete with attachments. No more endless scrolling through a cluttered inbox!
So, are you ready to beat email clutter? This is your quick guide to mastering your inbox with the power of archiving.
Archiving your inbox is the fastest way to lighten your email load in the new year. (Photo illustration by Thomas Trutschel/Photothek via Getty Images)
Steps to archive emails on Gmail
- Open yours Gmail account on your computer and click on Inbox folder on the left side.
- There is an empty checkbox above your email. Click on small arrow next to it and select All to make conversations visible on your screen.
- Click to select all emails Select all [number] conversations in Inboxthen press Archive icon. (It looks like a folder with an arrow pointing down.)
Gmail will take some time to process your request, so please be patient. You may have to do this step several times to get everything.
After you archive a message, you can click All Mail on the left, under “Inbox” and other email folders, to find it. Search by a term you know was in the email or by sender.
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Do you use Apple Mail? Here’s what to do
- Open the Mail app on your Mac. Browse your inbox or other folders and find those emails you want to hide. Click on an email to select it, or if you have a bunch of them, hold Cmd and click each one you want to archive.
- Got an Archive button (looks like a little box) on your toolbar? Click that and you’re golden. No buttons? Click Message at the top, then select Archives from the drop-down menu. For a shortcut, hit Ctrl + Cmd + A to send these emails directly to your archive.
- To view your archived emails, go to Archive folder in the sidebar under “Mailboxes”. Have more than one email account? Each has its own “Archives” folder.
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How to archive email in Microsoft Outlook
Outlook does not place archived messages in a separate folder. Instead, it will go straight to a data file that you can access whenever you want.
- Choose Tenderloin > Cleaning tools > Archivesthen hit Archive this folder and all subfolders. Select the folder you want to archive (in this case, your inbox).
- In the Archive items older than section, enter a date. For example, you might want to archive everything from before 2012. Then, check the box which says Include items with “Do not automatically archive.” Click ALL RIGHTand you are ready.
You will see the emails disappear from your inbox and subfolders. Find them again under the heading “Archives”.
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You can archive email in GMail, Outlook, and even Yahoo. (Photo: Peter Dazeley/Getty Images)
Have a Yahoo email? Here’s what to do
- Hover your mouse over the Inbox in the left panel and click falling arrow which appears. Choose from the options Clean out your inbox.
- A pop-up window will appear. Choose Archive email. Be warned, this could take a while.
Do you want to extract a message from the archive? Open the “Archives” folder, tap the email you want, and select Return to Inbox.
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Worried you missed something?
Archiving is not the same as deletion. It’s like putting things in a storage box. Even if you archive your emails, you can get a subpoena for them legal cases. I am not giving legal advice, so please consult an attorney if you have any questions.
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