Excerpt #

A straightforward guide for users to manually rename generic or unwanted Gmail labels to more meaningful names, particularly useful after an email migration.

Content #

After an email migration, some of your email folders from your previous service might appear in Gmail as labels with generic names (e.g., “Label_1”, “Label_25”, “Archive_1”). While the emails themselves are correctly transferred, you may wish to rename these labels to reflect their original, more meaningful names or to better organise your inbox.

This guide will show you how to manually rename these labels directly within Gmail.

Steps to Manually Rename a Gmail Label: #

1. Open Gmail:
   • Go to gmail.com in your web browser.
   • Ensure you are logged into the Google Workspace account where you want to rename the labels.
2. Locate the Label:
   • In the left-hand sidebar of your Gmail interface, scroll down until you find the list of your labels.
   • Look for the generic label you wish to rename (e.g., “Label_25”, “Label_1”, or any other label you want to change).
3. Access Label Options:
   • Hover your mouse cursor over the generic label name in the sidebar.
   • You will see three vertical dots (⋮) appear to the right of the label name. Click on these three dots.
4. Select “Rename label”:
   • A small menu will appear.
   • From this menu, select Rename label.
5. Enter the New Name:
   • A small pop-up window will appear with a text field showing the current label name.
   • Delete the existing generic name (e.g., “Label_25”).
   • Type in the new, desired name for the label (e.g., “Project 1”, “Project 2”, “Important documents”).
6. Save Changes:
   • Click the Rename button within the pop-up window.
7. Verify the Change:
   • The label in your left sidebar will immediately update to the new name.
   • You can click on the label to confirm that it still contains all the correct emails.

Important Notes: #

• One Label at a Time: This process allows you to rename one label at a time. If you have many labels to rename, you will need to repeat these steps for each one.
• No Impact on Emails: Renaming a label only changes its name; it does not affect the emails themselves or their content.
• Nesting Labels: If you wish to nest a label under another (e.g., Project A under Clients), you can do this by dragging and dropping the label in the sidebar once it has the desired name, or by selecting “Add sublabel” from the three dots menu.

Manually renaming labels helps you maintain a well-organised and intuitive inbox, making it easier to find your important communications.