How do I search my Gmail mailbox?

Alright, Dave, you've convinced me to sign up and use Google's Gmail Service and I now have an ever-growing pile of archived messages. I know that I can just type in a word or two to the search engine and find messages, but being Google, I'm wondering if there are more sophisticated searches I can use?

Dave's Answer:

Glad you're enjoying Gmail! If anyone wants an invite to get a Gmail account of their own, please read my article on how to get a Gmail account.

I did some digging around and was rather pleased to find out that the Gmail search system has lots and lots of what we search engine folk call predicates, specific tags you can apply to a word so that it matches a specific type of data. It's like the powerful site: predicate in the regular Google search system (and you know about that, right?)

The easiest search predicates to learn for Gmail are from:, to: and subject:. For example, want to find a message from me? Look for from:taylor in your Gmail archive. Want to find all messages from me that mention blogging? Try from:taylor subject:blog.

You can also use some of the standard Google search modifiers too. Add an OR (must be capitalized!) and you'll change the logic of your search, allowing you to search for all messages from me or my buddy Dan: from:taylor OR from:dan. Additionally a "-" excludes matches, so a search for messages from me that aren't about blogging could be from:taylor -blogging

You can also search for a specific label with label:, search for messages that have attachment with has:attachment (which means that -has:attachment will match messages that don't have attachments, of course), and you can look for the message or messages that have a specified file as an attachment with filename:.

Here's a cool one to know too: messages that are in your Spam or Trash folders won't automatically match your searches, but you can add them to the search pool with in:anywhere or, if you must, specify an exact location with in:inbox, in:trash, or in:spam.

If you can search the to: it should be no surprise that you can also search cc and bcc:, though the latter is of limited use because you should never receive a message with an explicitly Bcc list, as that'd defeat the purpose of a "blind" carbon copy.

Finally, you can also constrain your searches by date. Use before: or after: with dates in the format "yyyy/mm/dd" format. To search for messages I sent you that had JPG attachments prior to Feb 14, 2005, for example, you could use:

in:anywhere from:taylor filename:JPG before:2005/02/14

As always, the Google tool is very nice and very powerful.

More Useful Computer and Internet Basics Articles:

✔ How do I blur my house on Google Maps Street View?

I was poking around on Google Maps looking at satellite views of my neighborhood and when I switched to street view, was upset...

✔ Create a custom vanity URL for Kickstarter?

I was reading some updates on Twitter and saw someone had posted a URL that would let me see what projects they'd backed...

✔ Export or Save Subscription List from Google Reader?

Just heard that Google Reader is going away this summer. That stinks! How am I supposed to read my RSS feeds? More importantly,...

✔ Shrink or Reduce a Photo File Size on Mac?

I'm trying to upload some photos to a social media site and it's complaining that they're too big. They are, as they come...

✔ Can I organize my Yahoo Mail with folders?

I've been on Yahoo Mail for years and while most of my friends are now on Gmail or their own Web-based email programs,...

Let's stay in touch!

Sign up for my weekly AskDaveTaylor Newsletter and you'll receive even more tech and gadget help right to your inbox, along with exclusive news and industry updates. It's good stuff. I promise!

Categorized: Computer and Internet Basics (Article 3979, Written by Dave Taylor)
Tagged:
Previous: Weird leaping mouse problems?
Next: Windows display driver glitch?

Reader Comments To Date: 78

Allen said, on April 30, 2005 9:19 PM:

You can take it a step further and make a firefox search shortcut or add bookmarks to frequent searches or labels, if you'd like. Appending your search query to this string:

For instance, in Firefox, if you make a bookmark with the following:
http://gmail.google.com/gmail?search=query&view=tl&fs=1&q=%s
and assign it a shortcut (say you use gm), then you can type 'gm johnny' in your location box to have it search gmail for "johnny". If you just want to make a bookmark, replace %s with your query.

DeXTroZ said, on October 29, 2005 9:45 PM:

Thanks for the tips on searching in trash/spam!

laurie boyhuk said, on April 21, 2006 8:33 AM:

can you help me find my gmail Icon?

laurieboychuk@gmail.com

Max Heeb said, on November 17, 2006 7:35 AM:

when i click on welcome to gmail to access my g mail I get thevnptice this page can not bebprovided I am not able to access my gmail. My server is aol and aol address is maxheeb27 @aol.com

Dave Kent said, on February 15, 2007 9:10 PM:

REAL basic question, how do I access gmail when I turn on computer? I use firefox 2.0. There is no icon. I have to go to history to access gmail.

Opal H. Green or Patricia Sobrero said, on February 23, 2007 2:16 PM:

cannopt access my Gmail

KRISHNA KUMAR said, on April 2, 2007 11:49 PM:

Hi ! I am looking for a solution on previewing gmail attachments. I receive email attachments in bulk from my office. The subject column always has the following:... Acknowledging a copy of your file..." with an attachment of the original file send by me.

Now, is there a way I can preview the attachment (Like in Yahoo message search) for that is where my data is stored. I have to constantly refer archives and hence would be happy to have a preview. I have over 3000 emails with attachments and finding the right one is a major problem. Hope you can help.

tom maguire said, on April 21, 2007 2:44 PM:

gmail wont accept my password which iknow is correct nearly a week without any help from gmail this is my third submission
ive put my name and email address in
what does url stand for
dont brag about gmail it is absolute rubbish

Dimitris said, on April 29, 2007 2:59 PM:

I use POP forwarding to read my mail from Gmail using Outlook. However, recently my hdd crashed and lost my mail. Fortunately it is still in gmail. I would like to receive it again at Outlook but gmail won't let me. It is archived in 'All Mail'. I tried marking them as unread and moving to Inbox, but it didn't work. I hope there is a solution. Thanks for your help.

Sheila said, on May 14, 2007 7:29 PM:

Hi, Dave,

When visiting my daughter, who also has a gmail account, I'm unable to access my gmail account on her computer. When I log on to gmail it opens directly into her inbox. How to get around this, please?

Dave Taylor said, on May 14, 2007 10:20 PM:

Easy one, Sheila! On the top right there's a "Sign Out" link. Click on it, then log in as you. Log out when you're done and your daughter will just have to log in again to be back to where she was. Or, plan b, download Firefox onto her computer and use that browser for your Gmail, and let her stick with IE/Safari/whatever for her own Gmail! :-)

sharon said, on May 21, 2007 6:31 AM:

How can I go to the gmail mail box from my google account? There is no option in the page (inbox or something else)

yvonne said, on July 11, 2007 5:36 PM:

The only thing that I.m liking about g-mail is that it is fast... One problem that upsets me is it is like my address book is out in the back 40. I like to have my address book beside me when I am writing a letter. I put one name on the top line and the rest of my friends name on the bc.
I was thinking of changing to yahoo, would that be any better.
hope you can help me

Re:yvonne said, on August 16, 2007 2:15 PM:

i have the same problem i always wished to have my contacts beside me when i was writing an e-mail i just signed up for g-mail but i was using hotmail but the new version windows live mail and for there i could get my contacts all you have to do is click on to: and it will show you your list of contacts!

MYO HTUT HLAING said, on August 25, 2007 7:43 AM:

MY FRIEND NAME IS SU MYAT NWAY.ILIKE TO KNOW HER GMAIL ADDRESS.COULD YOU SEARCH IT?

patricia garcia said, on February 20, 2008 10:04 AM:

i cant see my mail

patricia g said, on February 20, 2008 10:08 AM:

How can i go to the gmail mail box from my google account

naomiw08 said, on April 20, 2008 4:51 PM:

cant enter my e-mail box

willard Hellwig said, on May 3, 2008 1:26 PM:

Cannot get my gmail or send it either.
Please help.

elsie hemming said, on September 21, 2008 11:19 PM:

I have received an email from my sister which I wish to forward to my daughter. How do I do this.

Connie said, on November 12, 2008 5:55 PM:

I cannot get into my gmail to read my email.
I have entered my gmail address and my password, which I know is correct, but, it won't open my mailbox. please help me
Thank you,
Connie

tubeyare said, on November 16, 2008 3:07 PM:

i donot now my username an my password

Min Chit Thu said, on January 30, 2009 1:07 AM:

i want to know the name of pwintthandarsoe and shamin gamil

dayna masullo said, on March 20, 2009 1:57 PM:

how do i shorten my email as others did in the ubove paragraphs?

nathanjones said, on April 1, 2009 10:25 AM:

i am trying to sign up and i am not getting logged on!!

josephine pellegrino said, on April 19, 2009 7:27 AM:

I cannot access my gmail. please advise as to
what I should do.

HOWARD CARPENTER said, on May 3, 2009 11:06 AM:

I CANT ENTER MY GMAIL BOX. IT SAYS MY PASSWORD IE WRONG

bonnie flowers said, on June 24, 2009 8:00 AM:

i use google for most everything but now i cant even get to read my daily gmail and google disappeared from my tool bar to even punch in google,its a mess

daniel stevens said, on July 26, 2009 1:16 PM:

i have a g-mail but i don't know how to access it

Deborah Wilkerson said, on October 1, 2009 7:21 PM:

Every time I try to get into my GMail, I alway's have problems.It's like I have to go thru Hell and back to pull up my EMail! What do I need to do to Keep Google as my Home page, so I can read my EMail.

Ellsie Go said, on October 21, 2009 12:44 AM:

I forgot my gmail (email address being registered last Jan. 2009), please help me.

Elsie Go

XOCHITL@G-MAIL.COM said, on October 28, 2009 6:56 PM:

PLEASE HELP ME I CAN NOT ACCESS MY G-MAIL ACCOUNT ... WHAT DO I DO

Thomas L. Haney said, on January 4, 2010 12:39 PM:

I'm having trouble logging in to my email site.

Guru Bob's Blog said, on January 21, 2010 7:19 PM:

Funny how this is about searching in Gmail but most of the comments are about people having trouble accessing Gmail :)

Leroy Dickerson said, on January 30, 2010 12:20 PM:

Using HP Pavilion my search indicates that my gmail is not available.

mitranki said, on March 5, 2010 10:06 PM:

how can i see the email & messages which were sent to me ?

master said, on March 13, 2010 11:37 AM:

hy i need to hack my own mail id bez i forgotten my password and help me for hacking mail .

william Bodish said, on April 3, 2010 7:09 AM:

sir i cannot get in to my G Mailaccount

Barbara Jane Gardner said, on April 21, 2010 8:20 PM:

Someone else used my computer,Now I cant get back to gmail???????????????????

morris bevan said, on June 27, 2010 4:41 AM:

4 days ago lost my telephone line with telefonica in Spain.

Small problem fixed immediately, however I am not able to recover my emails.

ANY ADVICE:

star said, on June 29, 2010 3:38 PM:

i send emails with attachments ,now searching in sent mail history ,i no longer find the attachments ?

jim martin said, on August 18, 2010 2:54 PM:

ok- i just signed up for google chrome. how do i get my g mail messages?

dorothy couch said, on October 8, 2010 5:05 PM:

needs to accept my gmail password

jackie said, on January 1, 2011 6:56 PM:

why can i not sign in my gmail account

dabir said, on April 9, 2011 2:42 PM:

Hi i need info that for mobail g mail

osuman shamsiya said, on June 11, 2011 12:02 PM:

Want to remove my friends username from my phone but how

steven dale said, on August 23, 2011 4:52 AM:

First of all, my gratitudz floodng your way for the services renderd.
Perhaps, how can i get personal web site/URL into my mobile?
And since my handset keypad is not working, can you please set the mailbox configurations into my mobile in order to send n recieve e-mail. The problem is tht, i'm unable to set mail box set up or else pocket data is active and is accesible.

Jana Terry said, on August 30, 2011 12:42 PM:

Yesterday my friend used my Mac to get her gmail and now I can't get into my email. HELP! Jana

viji said, on August 31, 2011 6:49 AM:

i dont know how to see my gmail messages

ranjeet said, on August 31, 2011 10:20 PM:

hi ,how are you man

Simranpreet kaur said, on September 19, 2011 9:38 AM:

How i make my account on gmail.

olagbenro oyenike said, on January 7, 2012 1:03 PM:

Gud evening sir I can't open gmail account on my phone and the first day I open it open and I did the registeration onbecause is a student email and school expect every student to use the is dlc.ui.edu.ng I will be glad if u can help me with this issue I use blackberry bold4 9780 it

Chandru said, on January 13, 2012 7:06 AM:

Sir icant in to my gmail account password

Glory said, on January 23, 2012 2:14 PM:

Sam problem wit me

Lauree said, on February 8, 2012 7:50 AM:

I am so tired of trying 2 get into my gmail! Everything else pops up but the box to sign into. If this keeps happening I will get rid of gmail altogether! What an annoying & assinine thing 2 do to subscribers!

kaniz fatima togor said, on February 12, 2012 12:06 AM:

how do i open my mailbox?

William Sivusia said, on February 16, 2012 5:35 PM:

I am having problems trying to open my gmail account. How do I clear other obstacles to access this account to read my mails.

sebastian Langua said, on February 23, 2012 7:14 PM:

I cannot access my gmail account,please, help me access to my email account

June said, on May 3, 2012 6:20 AM:

Why do i have to sign in every time i want to access my mail ? and yes i did tick the keep me signed in box It does not work....

andy said, on May 27, 2012 10:48 AM:

please help me find my gmail anything as im waiting for important news

bashiriar said, on June 13, 2012 4:30 AM:

i need find myibox e-mail

Jim Hardy (Troglodyte) said, on August 2, 2012 10:22 AM:

The name says a lot. On my Gmail page I find no trace of a search option. All Helps think I have one just like the good old days. From scratch, how may I search my Gmail?
Troglodyte.

Jim Hardy (Troglodyte) said, on August 2, 2012 10:34 AM:

The name says a lot. On my Gmail page I find no trace of a search option. All Helps think I have one just like the good old days. From scratch, how may I search my Gmail?
Troglodyte.
If you please,Sir,May I have some more?
My question is where is square one, Front Door,Access to Search Gmail? I have nothing.

Jim Hardy (Troglodyte) said, on August 2, 2012 1:21 PM:

Please have a human read message one. Jim (Troglodyte)

Dave Taylor said, on August 2, 2012 4:58 PM:

Jim, I don't understand. What's at the top of the window to the right of the Gmail logo when you're looking at it in your Web browser?

Kate said, on August 15, 2012 2:01 PM:

People can't reply to my e-mails to my gmail account. They also cannot send me an e-mail on their own. Their e-mails go back to them as undeliverable.I do get some from a few people in my contact list, and from some companies I do business with. Help! Thanks!

kanchan tanwar said, on August 28, 2012 9:32 AM:

plz help me i cant access my gmail inbox

wendy johnson-harris said, on August 30, 2012 9:42 AM:

I am just got a new computer and I am not sure how to find my gmail account. my husband will not show me how to work this thing. PLEASE HELP

Leonie said, on October 11, 2012 11:51 PM:

How do I enter into my Riempies@gmail account.

Thembi Mashaba said, on November 9, 2012 2:49 AM:

Why is it so dificult to access my emails? please help, I need to go straight to my inbox. I do have an email notifier, but it doesn't help me at all

g.sekar said, on December 1, 2012 11:05 AM:

I need to go straight to my inbox. please tell easy way

nkosinathi said, on December 5, 2012 10:04 AM:

I want to use it in my laptop and remind me of my password please

siphesihle said, on December 6, 2012 11:22 AM:

help me i cant open my gmail inbox

Masutane said, on January 13, 2013 1:33 AM:

box is like blocked.i receive information that says email was send but there is nothing in the box. what can i do to access the mail.

Masutane said, on January 13, 2013 1:35 AM:

can't access my mail.Is like the mailbox is blocked what must i do to access reopen it.

Eddy Omonofa Janet said, on February 22, 2013 12:11 AM:

I can't open my gmail

tewodros said, on February 24, 2013 10:01 AM:

Please send me important lessons on how to have ample info on G mail,
yah00 & other emails. I have read your info on how to filter unwanted
emails & very excited.And decided to join you.
Besides:

> Could you please help me forwarding any tips supporting to help me
> Improving my English grammar? Besides, possibly, send me English
> Grammar errors & their respective corrections. However, I have no
> funding for covering your service charge. I prefer on-line English
> Grammar checker & other additional info to improve my English. How do
> I need to check my grammar & other related errors through your on-line
> Grammar checker system?Or you may forward me any thing you believe
> that might help me improve my writing skill!People in my country
> implement Microsoft office word in correcting their grammar using the
> right click button of the mouse tool; it is not recommended tool.Since
> it it doesn't bring successful yield in correcting grammar & other
> writing errors.Do you think that online grammar checker perfectly
> leads to effective outcome?I read that the machine mayn't understand
> the writer's idea and other errors.And I am writing articles
> for website.Please consider this points and assist me with your
> academic benefits.
>
> Sincerely,
>
> Tewodros

>

--
---------------------------------------

And when my soul departs my flesh,
do visit me,Our Lady the Virgin St.Mary

Golda Michelle Penney said, on March 31, 2013 6:26 PM:

I don't know who or how someone is using my data ,however they are .i am being billed for data that I am not sending or using,.I do not know how they are sending hundreds of messages from my iPad & iPhone ,using my data .I would like to be reimbursed for the money I have paid already !!!'

I do have a lot to say, and questions of my own for that matter, but first I'd like to say thank you, Dave, for all your helpful information by buying you a cup of coffee!

I do have a comment, now that you mention it!

How do I search my Gmail mailbox?

Reader Comments To Date: 78

I do have a comment, now that you mention it!

Check This Out Too...