Search in Gmail

You can find an email in your inbox using search terms. To help you search faster, Gmail suggests search terms as you enter words. These search terms are based on information from your Gmail account, such as messages, contacts, labels or past searches.

How to search

Important: If you're offline, only emails synced to your device are visible. You can also use basic search operators. This feature is only available in some languages.

1. On your iPhone or iPad, open the Gmail app .
2. In the search box at the top, tap 'Search mail'.
3. Write what you're looking for.
4. Tap Search . Your results will include all messages, except those in your 'Spam' and 'Bin' folders.

Tip: You can also use search operators to filter your search results.

How searches are saved

The words you use to search and browse in Gmail are saved for you. This feature improves suggestions when you search in the future.

• For this feature to work, you must have the Web and App Activity setting turned on. 
• To go to and control your saved activity, visit My Activity.

Search within a label

You can now search messages under a specific Gmail label in the app to return results only within that label. You can also use search chips in the Gmail search box to refine label searches.

To search from your list of labels:

1. On your iPhone or iPad, open the Gmail app .
2. At the top left, tap Menu .
3. Tap the label that you want to search in.
4. Enter your search criteria.
5. Under the search box, in the filter row, adjust your search filters.

To search from the search box:

1. On your iPhone or iPad, open the Gmail app .
2. At the top, in the search box, tap Search mail.
3. Enter your search criteria.
4. Under the search box, in the filter row, adjust your search filters and choose the label that you want to search in.

Clear search history

1. On your iPhone or iPad, open the Gmail app .
2. At the top left, tap Menu Settings .
3. Under 'General', tap Clear search history Clear.

Tip: your search history will only be cleared from your device. You can also clear your search history from Google servers. Learn how to delete your activity.