An Android Police writer says five free Gmail filters, set up once on a computer, kept important messages from getting buried under promotions and newsletters.
A writer at Android Police says five simple Gmail filters ended the problem of real work email getting lost in a flood of promotions. A filter is a rule Gmail applies to new mail on its own. The writer had been spending more time deleting email than reading the messages that mattered.
Filters are easiest to create in Gmail on a desktop computer, the writer says. When you build one, you set the criteria, such as words or sender addresses, then turn on actions such as adding a label. The same steps repeat for each filter below.
This one targets mail from coworkers, family and vendors. In the "from:" box, list addresses like this: from: person1@email.com OR person2@domain.com. For a company or vendor, add the domain, such as @importantcompany.com, so any new address from that organization is covered too. The writer calls it the most effective filter of the five.
The label also helps with Gemini, Google's AI assistant in Gmail. The writer asks it: "Any action items or deadlines in my VIP or Primary emails today?" Gemini then gives a short overview and suggests what to finish first.
The receipts filter looks for words such as receipt, invoice, bill, order confirmation, shipped, tracking number, Amazon and Walmart. Matching mail gets a "Receipts" label, skips the inbox and is marked as read. The payoff comes at tax season, when invoices are already in one place. Gemini can also find an order from a given company in that label and download the invoice.
The code filter catches one-time passwords and security notices, using words like OTP, verification code, sign-in alert and new login. These get an "OTP" label, go to Primary, are never sent to Spam and are never auto-archived. Because they are time-sensitive, they stay visible. At the end of the week, the writer asks Gemini to delete everything in the OTP label.
The fourth filter labels app, social media and website notifications as "useless." It matches words like noreply, no-reply, notifications and do-not-reply, then deletes the mail so it never uses storage. Since deletion skips the inbox entirely, it is worth testing those keywords before trusting them with mail you might want later.
Set up a VIP filter first: star mail from key people and domains, label it, and never let it reach Spam.
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