Gmail is Google’s popular email service, which uses various symbols to help users navigate through their inbox, manage their emails, create new ones and understand their emails’ status. These symbols provide quick visual cues about the messages and can be quite handy.
If you want to know which symbol means what on Gmail, this article discusses various symbols available.
Below we have discussed
Also read: What do the icons on Tinder mean?
Symbols on Gmail main screen
Below, we have explained various symbols present on the main screen of Gmail.
Filter symbol
This symbol helps you find emails more quickly. You can tell Gmail precisely what you’re looking for, like who sent it, who it’s going to, what it’s about, its size, whether it has a file attached, and more. This way, you can quickly find the email you want.
Star symbol
The star symbol in Gmail is like a favourite button for emails. When you click it, the star turns yellow, showing that you’ve marked the email as a favourite. You can see all your favourite emails in the Starred folder. Just click the star symbol to add or remove an email from your favourites.
Importance marker symbol
This symbol looks like a big arrowhead; Gmail uses AI technology to mark certain emails as important. Beside important emails, it will turn, and beside unimportant emails, it will stay hollow. If you want to mark an email important, click on the symbol. Once you mark an email as important, Gmail automatically marks new emails from the same sender as important. You can find the important emails in the Important folder.
Archive symbol
This symbol will let you archive emails. When you click on this symbol, that email will be archived; it disappears from your inbox and goes to the All Mail folder. The email will stay in the All Mail folder until you bring it back or someone replies to that email.
Delete (Trash) symbol
This symbol looks like a trash can or bin and is used for deleting emails. When you click this symbol, the email moves to the Trash folder.
Open Envelope (Mark as read) symbol
This symbol lets you mark emails as read, even without opening it.
Close Envelope (Mark as unread) symbol
This symbol lets you change an email back to ‘unread.’ It makes the email look like you haven’t read it, even if you already did.
Snooze (clock) symbol
The snooze symbol looks like a clock, letting you put the email notifications to sleep for a specific period, after which they reappear in your notifications.
Also read: 5 ways to make the desktop icons smaller
Symbols in email on Gmail
Below, we have explained various symbols present inside an email on Gmail. You will also find a few symbols we have explained above, like the read/unread symbol, archive symbol, snooze symbol, and delete symbol.
Spam (Exclamation mark) symbol
This symbol is used to report an email as spam; if you click on it, it will mark it as spam.
Add to task symbol
This symbol will let you add a task in the Google Task for the selected email.
Move to inbox symbol
This symbol lets you move the conversation to inbox.
Label symbol
This symbol will let you add, remove or make new labels for the email.
Print symbol
This symbol will allow you to print the mail.
Open in a new window (arrow pointing in the top-right corner) symbol
This symbol will allow you to open the email in a new browser window.
Reply symbol
Use this symbol to reply to the email.
Add to drive symbol
If there is an attachment in the email, only then will this symbol allow you to add the attachment in the email to your drive.
Also read: Fix: Standard hardware security is not supported
Symbols in the compose email screen
Below, we have explained various symbols present inside the compose email screen on Gmail.
Schedule (arrowhead beside send button) symbol
This symbol will allow you to schedule the email.
Formatting symbol
This symbol will allow you to format your email. When you click on it, a toolbar with different formatting tools like underline, bold and change colour will open.
Attachment (Paperclip) symbol
This symbol will let you add attachments to your email. You can attach files like images, documents, videos and more.
Link symbol
This symbol will let you add or remove hyperlinks to your email.
Emoji symbol
This symbol will let you add emojis to your email.
Google Drive symbol
This symbol will allow you to add or attach the files from your Google Drive.
Image symbol
This symbol allows you to add an image as an inline or attachment to your email.
Confidential mode (lock with clock) symbol
This symbol allows you to enable confidential mode for the emails. The person you send it to can’t forward, copy, print, or save the email. Plus, the email will disappear on its own after a specific time. You can even add a secret code to the email for extra protection.
Sign (Pen) symbol
This symbol allows you to add and manage a signature to your email.
Also read: Telegram icons and symbols explained
