Priority Inbox divides Gmail into sections based on importance, unread status, stars, or a chosen label. Configure those sections around how you actually work. Gmail’s importance prediction is an aid to review, not a guarantee that every consequential message will be placed first.
Choose and customize Priority Inbox
- Open Gmail on a computer and click Settings.
- Under Inbox type, select Priority Inbox.
- Use Customize to choose the available sections, such as Important and unread, Starred, Everything else, or a custom label.
- Save changes and inspect known messages in each section.
This layout differs from Multiple inboxes, which defines additional sections using explicit searches. Choose Priority Inbox when its built-in sections and importance controls suit your review process.
Check what the importance marker means
Gmail uses signals including whom you contact, what you open or answer, and your treatment of similar mail. Hover over a marker on the web to see the explanation Gmail offers. Click the marker when its decision is wrong; your corrections help inform future classification.
A star is a separate marker you apply. An unread message can be routine, while an already-read message can still require action. Use a deliberate action label or task reminder for obligations that must not depend on prediction.
Review the rest of the mailbox
Keep an Everything else section or a regular review habit so lower-ranked mail is not silently ignored. Search for one expected sender outside the first section to verify that the new arrangement has not simply hidden work from your normal scanning pattern.
If the sections feel unhelpful, change their choices or return to another inbox type. Do not delete messages or broadly mark entire senders important just to make the first section look complete. Filters can also set importance, so inspect existing rules when every message from a particular source is being ranked the same way. Category tabs return through the Default inbox rather than by adding them as arbitrary Priority Inbox sections.
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References
Reviewed against the linked product guidance, standards, and identified vendor or public-authority guidance on October 29, 2026. Available options and screen labels can vary by account, device, region, and organization policy.