Gmail. It has tons of features and will have you emailing like a pro. Its best feature, however, is its labels feature. Labels allow you to label and sort emails by subject, project, or person. But over time, labels can build up. Maybe you created too many of them. Maybe some are no longer needed. That’s when old labels need to be deleted.
In this final 2025 tutorial, you’ll learn how to delete a Gmail label on desktop and mobile and what happens if you do. Don’t worry about it. It’s simple and fast.
Why Unlabel a Gmail
Labels are designed to keep you organized, but most of them get you cluttered. Getting rid of those which you never used can make your Gmail clean and simple.
Why unlabel:
• You no longer need to sort.
• You duplicated a label by mistake.
• You rearranged and renamed your folders.
• You filter or search anyway.
Gmail’s cleanliness and concentration on what’s most important the work or communication itself — are kept up by removing old labels.
How to Read Gmail Labels
One should read Gmail labels prior to deleting them.
Gmail label is not a folder. You can have more than one label on a message in Gmail. Imagine them as multi-colored stickers and you put them on emails so you’ll know what they are.
If you delete a label, Gmail won’t delete any of the messages on the label. It just removes the sticker. The messages are still in your inbox or the other labels where they were marked.
What it does is allow you to delete without worrying that you’re going to delete some significant message.
Delete a Gmail Label on Computer (Web Browser)
If you’re already on the computer and signed into your Gmail, deleting labels is quite simple.
Steps:
• Open any web browser and enter Gmail.com.
• Log in if not logged in.
• Click over to the left sidebar where all your labels will appear.
• Scroll down so that you can view the label you want to delete.
• Position the mouse pointer over the label name. You will notice a three dot (⋮) to verify.
• Click on the three-dot.
Tip: These messages with this tag won’t be deleted. They’ll lose only this tag’s mark.
Remove a Gmail Tag from Settings (Desktop)
You can remove more than one tag if you don’t want or simply want to confirm while removing from your list. You can remove from settings menu.
Steps:
• On your computer, open Gmail.
• Click the gear Settings (⚙️) at top right.
• Tap See all settings.
• Tap Labels tab.
• Under “Labels,” you’ll see list of all your labels.
• Find the tag that you wish to delete.
• OK, slide right and tap Remove.
• You’ll need to agree in a pop-up. Tap Delete.
The label will be automatically deleted.
This is a great trick when you wish to see your entire list of labels and delete more than one simultaneously.
Remove Gmail Label on Phone (Android or iPhone)
Removing phone label isn’t as dissimilar but does have a couple of extra steps.
Android Gmail App steps:
• Launch your phone’s Gmail app.
• Tap on the toggle menu button at the top left corner of your screen (☰).
• Swipe down and tap on Settings.
• Tap on the Gmail account with the checkmark next to it.
• Tap on Label settings or Manage labels.
• You will see a list of labels. Click the one you want to delete.
• Click Delete or Remove at the bottom of your screen.
• Click when you are prompted.
iPhone (iOS) Instructions:
• Open Gmail app.
• Click the menu button (☰).
• Swipe down and click Settings.
• Click on your Gmail account.
• Click Labels.
• Click on the label you’d like to delete.
• Click Remove label and accept.
Gmail will delete it instantly.
Alternative: Delete Gmail Labels in Google Workspace (Work or School Account)
Yes, if your Gmail account has a Google Workspace (work or school), same but perhaps with admin credentials.
If you are an administrator:
• Log in to the Google Admin Console.
• Go to Apps → Google Workspace → Gmail → User settings.
• Click on “Labels” and see user settings.
• Delete or rename labels as needed.
If you are an active user, you just do the usual Gmail procedure. Workspace Gmail is treated more or less the same in deleting some labels.
What Happens When You Delete a Label
Deleting a label doesn’t delete your messages. Your messages stay in your account in another label or inbox.
The order of actions that takes place is:
• Gmail will remove the label from the message upon which it was used.
• Your sidebar will no longer show the label name.
• Applying filters automatically to apply the label will no longer be effective.
If as a filter, go to Settings → Filters and Blocked Addresses. Remove or modify filters for labels removed above.
How to Undo or Restore a Label
No “Undo Delete” on labels but you can do the same manually.
Steps:
• Settings cog (⚙️) in Gmail → See all settings.
• Click on the Labels tab.
• Scroll down and click on Create new label.
• Name it the same as the label and click on Create.
The new label will not automatically have the older emails, but search for emails and reapply.
Pro Tip: Find in Gmail the messages you know were initially within the label. For example, search for sender or subject you know that were within the group.
How to Get the Most from Labels
You are a good Gmail user with labels in your hands.
Tips:
• Make labels that are clear but not too long.
• Steer clear of nested labels wherever possible.
• Color-labeling your most critical messages.
• Keeping an eye on auto-sorting label filters.
• Renaming your collection of labels every two months.
A pristine list of labels is efficient in searching for e-mails, and your sidebar is neater and cleaner.
How to Renumber or Hide Labels Rather Than Delete
You might find that at times you don’t want to delete a label. Renumber it or hide it.
How to renumber a label
• Hover the title of the label in the sidebar.
• Click three dots (⋮).
• Click Edit.
• Type a new name and Save.
How to hide a label
• Press the Settings cog (⚙️) → All settings → Labels.
• Where the name of the label is typed, choose Hide from “Show in label list.”
Hidden labels exist and are still in use but won’t disturb you.
Troubleshooting Label Issues
If a label can’t be removed, do the following:
• You are logged in to the right account.
• You are trying to remove a system label like Inbox, Sent, or Drafts. These can’t be removed.
• Reload page on delete if change is accepted.
• Clear cache or use different browser if label still there.
If label is being utilized in a Google Workspace deployment, verify whether administrator has disabled changes to labels.
With your trash can clear of label garbage, let us clear out your inbox to work effectively now.
Organization Tips
• Save older messages instead of allowing them to fill the inbox.
• Filters can be configured so that particular emails will label, archive, or forward automatically.
• Have a few master labels (like Work, Family, Projects).
• Color-code labels so that they can quickly be seen at a glance.
It will be new, tidy, and easy with them in your Gmail.
Quick Summary
How to remove a Gmail label:
Desktop (Quick Method):
Mouse cursor over label → Three dots → Delete label → Yes.
Settings Method:
Settings icon → All settings → Labels → Delete.
Mobile App:
Menu → Settings → Account selection → Manage labels → Delete.
Remember:
• Your emails are secure even when you delete the label.
• You can recreate the labels.
• Test filters you’ve created using labels whose labels you’ve deleted.
Label-free Gmail is basic Gmail.
Gmail Label FAQs
Will my message be deleted when I delete a label?
No. Deleting a label does not delete anything else. No mail is being moved elsewhere in your inbox or to other labels.
How do I recover a label which I have deleted?
You can recover it yourself by creating a copy label with the same name.
Why cannot Inbox and Sent labels be deleted?
They are system labels of Gmail and hence cannot be deleted.
Can labels be deleted using the Gmail app?
Yes. Settings → Manage labels → Select label → Delete.
Is there any distinction between a label and a folder?
Folders have just a copy of the message, but Gmail labels can have an e-mail in duplicate.
