Gmail supports colored stars and additional symbols for marking messages you want to revisit. Enable the symbols you need in the web settings, then apply them deliberately. Stars are separate from Gmail’s automatic importance marker, even though both can help prioritize mail.
Enable additional star options
- Open Gmail on a computer and go to Settings, then See all settings.
- In General, find Stars.
- Move the desired icons from Not in use to In use, or choose an available preset.
- Save changes.
Choose a small set with meanings you can remember. For example, one symbol could mean awaiting your reply and another could mean reference material. These meanings are your convention; Gmail does not enforce a workflow just because you choose a color.
Apply and find a specific symbol
Click the star beside a message. If you enabled several options, Google’s guidance describes continuing to click to cycle to the desired symbol. Confirm the final icon before leaving the message.
Open Starred to see starred mail, or search is:starred. For a particular enabled symbol, use its documented name, such as has:blue-star or has:green-check. The search names are fixed identifiers, not arbitrary descriptions such as urgent-star.
Keep markers separate from completion and delivery
Starring a message does not send a response, move it out of Inbox, or tell the sender that you accepted a task. It also does not establish that an attachment is safe. Use a task or calendar entry when an explicit deadline matters.
In a conversation, inspect the individual message carrying the star. A thread can contain differently marked replies, which affects how a search result looks. Verify behavior on your phone too, because the app may not offer every web customization control.
If you remove a star to mark work complete, make sure that convention is consistently used. Avoid treating Gmail’s separate Important marker as another star color; its prediction and settings have a different purpose.
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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.