How to Select Multiple Emails in Gmail

Gmail is one of the most widely used email clients in the world, with more than one billion users. To make email management more straightforward, they’ve recently introduced keyboard shortcuts that help you delete, label, or move your emails in just a few simple clicks.

If you’re wondering how to use the shortcuts in the best possible way, keep reading. In this article, we’ll show you numerous ways to select multiple emails and organize your Gmail quickly and efficiently.

How to Select Multiple Emails in Gmail in a Web Browser

Selecting multiple emails is a simple action in Gmail, and you can do so in a few different ways. Since every email has a small square to its left, you can use your cursor to mark the emails you want and then decide how you would like to manage them. Here’s how to do this:

1. Open your Gmail Inbox.
   
2. Click on the checkbox in front of the first message in your Inbox.
   
3. Hold down the Shift key.
   
4. Now, click on the last message, and all the others will be selected.
   
5. Release Shift and decide what you want to do with the emails.

If you want to select specific emails, hold the Alt key (for PC users) or the Command key (for Mac users) and click the box to the left of each email you’d like to choose.

Another way to do this is to type a name or email address into the search bar and select the emails you want to remove. This way, you’ll avoid endless scrolling through your Inbox and find precisely which emails you need. If all the emails you wish to view came from the same email address, you can select all and then add a label, move, or delete them from your Inbox. Here’s how it works:

1. Type a name or email address into the search box.
   
2. When you see all the emails listed, you can decide how to manage them.
   
3. Once you finish, click on “Inbox” and repeat the process.
   

If you want to declutter your Inbox, you’ll have to select many emails based on a specific criterion. This approach might do the trick nicely:

1. Open your Gmail account.
   
2. Open a label or any other folder with emails.
   
3. Click on the down arrow next to the main checkbox and choose which category you want to select. You can choose Select All or a specific type like Unread or Starred.
   
4. Decide what you want to do with the selected emails.

How to Select Multiple Emails in Gmail on a Mac

Gmail is one of the most commonly used email services. However, it doesn’t come with a desktop email client, so you can’t download the Gmail app on a Mac. But, you can connect your Gmail account and access it from your desktop using Mac’s Mail app. Here’s what you need to do:

1. Open the Mail app and click on Add Account.
   
2. Go to Choose a Mail Account Provider and select Google from the menu.
   
3. Click on Continue and Open Safari.
   
4. Go to your Gmail account and log in with your credentials.
   
5. When asked about permissions, click Allow.
   
6. You can decide to synchronize your notes, contacts, and calendar if you want.
   
7. In the end, you’ll see Gmail in the sidebar of your Mail app.
   

Now that you know how to use Gmail on your desktop, you can select multiple emails the same way you would on any other device. You can select messages based on message criteria and search filters or use manual methods to manage emails. Depending on the number of emails you need to organize, you can choose one of these approaches.

• Click on the top email. Hold the Shift key and select the last email. This is the fastest method if you want to select multiple emails that are listed consecutively.
  
• Select an email, hold the Command key, and select multiple emails. Use this method when the emails you’re working with aren’t consecutive.
  
• Use the Magnifying glass icon in the upper right corner to search by Subject or Sender. Then, use one of the keyboard shortcuts listed above to select multiple emails with those parameters.
  
• If you want to select all emails easily use the Command + A keyboard shortcut.

How to Select Multiple Emails in Gmail on Windows 10

If you decide to use Gmail via the Windows Mail desktop app, you should ensure they’re synchronized. Once you finish the process, you can start taking care of your emails and organizing them to suit your needs. Here’s how you can connect your Google Account to Windows Mail:

1. Open the Windows Mail app.
   
2. Click on Add Account and select Google from the list of accounts.
   
3. Type in your Gmail address and password, and click Next.
   
4. Click Allow to enable Windows to access your Google account.
   
5. Write the name you wish to use in your emails.
   
6. Click Done.
   

Selecting emails is very straightforward when it comes to Windows Mail. You have to hold the Ctrl key and click on the messages you want to select or use Shift + Click to select several in a row.

How to Select Multiple Emails in Gmail on an iPhone or iPad

The Gmail app offers the same functionality on your phone, tablet, or computer. Unfortunately, there’s only one way to select all your emails when selecting multiple emails. You’ll have to tap each and every one of them and then decide on your further actions.

However, if you’re accessing your Gmail through the Mail app for iPhone and iPad, there’s a faster way to select your mail. Here’s what you need to do:

1. Open the Mail app.
   
2. Select one folder.
   
3. Click on the Edit button located in the upper right corner.
   
4. Start selecting emails by tapping on the circle on the left.
5. Once you have selected all your emails, decide whether you want to archive, delete, or mark them as read/unread.

How to Select Multiple Emails in Gmail on Android

Here is how you select emails in bulk on your Android phone.

1. Open the folder with the emails you want to delete.
   
2. Double-tap on email icons to select emails.
   
3. Once you select all your emails, decide whether you want to archive, delete, or mark them as read/unread.
   

Frequently Asked Questions

Selecting multiple emails shouldn’t be a complicated process. If you have more questions, keep reading for the answers.

How do I select all emails in my inbox?

Over time the number of emails in your inbox can grow substantially. If you have too many to work with using the methods mentioned above, Google gives us a helpful option using a web browser.

To select every email associated with your Gmail account, click the Mark All box in the upper right-hand corner. Then, click Select all [number] conversations in inbox.

Can I select only the emails that have attachments?

Yes! But, you’ll need to perform a few steps to do it. It’s worth mentioning that this is much easier on a web browser than on other platforms. To select multiple emails filtered by those containing attachments, do this:

1. Open Gmail on a web browser and log into your account. Then type has:attachment in the search bar.

2. Use the Shift+Click or Alt (Command if you’re using a Mac) + Click keyboard command to quickly select the emails with attachments that you’d like to work with.

Conclusion

Selecting e-mails from your Gmail account is far from complicated. You can efficiently remove old messages with a few simple tricks like using Shift or a master checkbox. Even if it’s necessary to delete the whole inbox, it won’t take up much of your time.

Now that you know all about deleting emails on various platforms and devices, you can start cleaning out your inbox. What’s more, you can even export all your data and use it on a new platform. How often do you purge your Inbox? Did you have any problems while doing it before?

Tell us more about it in the comments section.