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.

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.