Inbox Mastery: Using “Multiple Stars” to Reach Inbox Zero

This is a simple how-to post, showing you how to setup and use the Multiple Stars feature in Gmail or G Suite to get you a little closer to Inbox Zero

Steps to activate the various stars & icons in Gmail, follow these steps:

  1. Open your Gmail inbox in your computer’s browser
  2. Click on the gear icon in the top right corner
  3. Click on “See all settings.”
  4. Click on the “General” tab
  5. Scroll down until you see the “Stars” section
  6. Click and drag the stars & icons that you want to use from “Not in use” ➡️ “In use” section
  7. Click “Save Changes” on the bottom of the page.

Now, when you star an email in Gmail, you’ll be able to choose from the different stars & icons simply by clicking on the star repeatedly. They will cycle through as you click on them. By using the different stars & icons for different types of emails, there’s a whole new world of organization possible.

You can use the following search queries Below in your various filters and automations to make it even easier.

  • has:yellow-star
  • has:red-star
  • has:orange-star
  • has:green-star
  • has:blue-star
  • has:purple-star
  • has:red-bang
  • has:orange-guillemet
  • has:yellow-bang
  • has:green-check
  • has:blue-info
  • has:purple-question

It’s worth noting that the Multiple Stars functionality is only available in the web version of Gmail, not in the mobile app.

Now you can use Gmail or G Suite filters to apply different stars to various emails, and keep non-urgent stuff out of your inbox.

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