Gmail Archive vs Delete: What’s the Difference & When to Use Them

Mastering Gmail is among the quintessential skills you should acquire, as it makes managing your workflow a whole lot easier. With a truckload of tips and tricks going for it, you should be clear of the simple things first. One such aspect is archiving or deleting an email, which most people tend to confuse.

If you have no idea where the email went after you archived it or are unsure as to when you should delete an email instead of archiving it, stick along as we explore Gmail archive vs delete in detail. Let’s begin!

What Does Archiving an Email Do?

To start with, what does archiving an email do? If you have ever archived an email accidentally on your phone thanks to the preset swipe actions, you know it disappears from the inbox. Archiving does precisely that, but the mail gets placed under All Mail instead of disappearing. The same happens when you archive an email on a desktop.

The main aim of archiving something is to put it away from the main section but still keep it somewhere for future reference. In this case, archiving an email will remove it from your primary inbox and put it where all your emails lie. The main advantage of doing so is decluttering your mailbox and focusing on the higher-priority emails.

Moreover, if you wonder what happens to archived emails when there is a follow-up email or reply, it is moved back into your primary mailbox so you can get back in the loop. That said, here is how you can archive an email on your smartphone or PC –

For Smartphones

1. Open the Gmail app on your smartphone.
2. Long-press the email you wish to archive. You can select multiple emails if you want.
3. Tap the archive button from the top menu, as shown in the picture below.
4. Furthermore, if you haven’t altered the swipe functions, you can swipe left or right on any email and release your finger to archive the email automatically.
   

Follow the steps below to access your archived emails or to unarchive them.

1. Open the Gmail app on your smartphone.
2. Tap the hamburger menu icon (☰) from the top-left corner.
3. Scroll down and select All mail. You will find your archived emails alongside all other emails present in your inbox.
4. If you wish to unarchive an email, long-press it and click on the kebab menu icon (⁝) from the top-right corner.
5. Tap on Move to inbox to unarchive the selected email.
   

For Desktop/PCs

1. Access your Gmail inbox by visiting here.
2. Select the checkbox beside the emails you wish to archive.
3. Click on the archive option from the toolbar, as shown below.
   

To access your archived emails –

1. Access your Gmail inbox by visiting here.
2. Select the dropdown menu on the left side of your inbox.
3. Enter All Mail, where you can find all of your archived emails.
   
4. Select the checkbox beside the emails you wish to unarchive and click on the Move to inbox option, as shown below.
   

Furthermore, you can also create filters to archive an email automatically. To do so,

1. Access your Gmail inbox by visiting here.
2. Select the Settings icon from the top toolbar and click on See all settings.
   
3. Switch to Filters and Blocked Addresses from the top pane and select Create a new filter.
   
4. Fill in the parameters as you prefer. You can add a sender’s email address, attachment size, or specific words that would trigger the filter. Click on the Create filter option after filling in the necessary parameters.
   
5. Select Skip the Inbox (Archive it) in the subsequent dialog box.
   

What Does Deleting an Email Do?

No brownie points for guessing this – deleting an email does exactly what it means, but slightly differently. While you may know this already, deleting an email doesn’t get rid of it instantly. Instead, it puts the email in the trash and gets deleted 30 days later. So, don’t freak out the next time you press the delete button accidentally.

While the email is in the trash, you can restore it altogether with the click of a button. Unfortunately, the other way around is not possible unless you have a backup of all your emails, which isn’t something many people do. Regardless, here is how you can delete an email on your smartphone or desktop –

For Smartphones

1. Open the Gmail app on your smartphone.
2. Long-press the email you wish to delete. You can select multiple emails if you want.
3. Tap the trash can icon from the top toolbar.
   

You can also set swipe functions to delete an email with the swipe of a finger. Here is how you can set up swipe actions in Gmail’s mobile app –

1. Open the Gmail app on your smartphone.
2. Tap the hamburger menu icon (☰) from the top-left corner.
3. Scroll down and enter Settings.
4. Select General settings from the page that follows.
5. Scroll down and tap on Email swipe actions.
6. You can configure left and right swipes by pressing the Change option beside them.
   

To access the trash for restoring or deleting an email permanently, here is what you need to do –

1. Open the Gmail app on your smartphone.
2. Tap the hamburger menu icon (☰) from the top-left corner.
3. Scroll down and select Trash.
4. Long-press the email you wish to restore and tap on the kebab menu icon (⁝) from the top-right corner.
5. Click on Move to from the dropdown menu.
6. Move the email to any location of your choice to restore the email.
7. To permanently delete all emails present in the bin, tap on Empty trash now.
   

For Desktop/PCs

1. Access your Gmail inbox by visiting here.
2. Select the checkbox beside the emails you wish to delete.
3. Click on the trash can icon from the toolbar, as shown below. Alternatively, you can also select the trash can icon beside the respective email to delete it quickly.
   

To access your deleted emails to restore or delete them permanently,

1. Access your Gmail inbox by visiting here.
2. Select the dropdown menu on the left side of your inbox.
3. Enter Trash from the menu, where you can find all your deleted emails.
   
4. Select the checkbox beside the emails you wish to delete or restore.
5. To restore the selected email, select the Move to icon as shown below and click on any location of your preference.
   
6. To delete the selected email, select Delete forever from the toolbar at the top. Alternatively, you can click on the Empty Trash now option to empty the bin immediately.
   

Furthermore, you can also create a filter to delete an email before you see it. The process of creating filters for deleting an incoming email is the same as the one mentioned above for archiving an email. The only change is to select Delete it in the last step instead of Skip the Inbox (Archive it).

Archive vs Delete: What Should You Do?

To answer the question, archiving and deleting have different use cases, so much so that you can’t rely on one action altogether. As per our recommendation, it’s best to archive an email if you sense the need for it in the future. It could be an email you expect to receive a follow-up in the future, official emails that you feel are necessary for future reference, emails containing essential attachments, or to systemize your primary inbox. In all these cases, archiving makes far more sense than deleting.

Deleting stands a chance, too, and here are its use cases. Since there’s no coming back if you delete an email, you should only take the step if the email is entirely redundant. For example, spam messages, promotional emails, and other such emails should be deleted right away. Deleting emails is also the best way to clear the clutter and make space for new emails. Deleting is among the most effective ways to clear storage space in your Google account and should be deployed every now and then for older emails.

Manage Your Inbox Better

Now that you know everything about archiving and deleting an email, you should hopefully be able to organize your inbox better. As a thumb rule, if the email is essential, archiving makes more sense than deleting it. But, if an email is so unimportant that you won’t even open it, deleting it is a far better choice to keep your inbox clean and your Google account storage free of unwanted junk. Plus, if you don’t want to take the matter into your own hands, you can always create filters. Happy emailing!