Viewing Unread Messages in Gmail

Search Filters

You can use the search bar at the top of the Gmail page to filter for unread messages, or messages with a variety of attributes.

is:unread
displays all messages in your account that are unread
 
is:unread in:inbox
filters your inbox to display only unread messages
 
is:unread in:inbox label:important
filters your inbox to display only unread messages that are labeled "important"
 
is:unread from:sally
displays all unread messages from anyone named "sally"


"is", "in", "label" and "from" are just a few of the many operators you can use in the search bar to filter and find messages.  For more information and examples, see Search operators you can use with Gmail.

 

Screenshot of Gmail inbox and filtered search

 

Inbox Layout - Unread First

You can also set your Inbox so that unread messages always appear on top.  To do this click on the down caret next to Inbox and select "Unread first". For more information on customizing your Inbox view check out the Change your Gmail inbox layout page.

Screenshot of Gmail Inbox Type setting.