How to Unarchive an Email on Gmail on iPhone or iPad

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A step-by-step guide to returning archived emails to your Gmail inbox

Written by Rain Kengly

Last Updated: February 13, 2024 Fact Checked

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• Using the Gmail App
|
• Using the Mail App
|
• Video

|Show more |Show less

When you archive an email in Gmail, it's temporarily put away until someone replies to it. This is a good way to keep your inbox tidy. However, if you accidentally archived an email in Gmail, restoring it to your inbox is easy. Here's how to unarchive an email on Gmail on your iPhone or iPad.

Quick Steps

1. Open the Gmail app and tap ☰.
2. Tap All Mail.
3. Tap the sender's profile picture to select it.
4. Tap ⋯.
5. Tap Move to Inbox.

Steps

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Using the Gmail App

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1. 
   1
   Open the Gmail app. The app has a white envelope with a multicolored M.

   • If you aren't already logged into your account, tap Sign in to do so now.
2. 
   2
   Tap ☰. It's at the top-left corner of the screen.

   • The menu will open.
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3. 
   3
   Tap All Mail. You may have to scroll down a little to find it. This is usually below Drafts.
4. 
   4
   Tap the message you want to unarchive. The contents of the message will appear.

   • If you want to unarchive multiple emails, tap the sender's profile pictures to select them.
5. 
   5
   Tap ⋯. It's at the top-right corner of the screen.
6. 
   6
   Tap Move to Inbox. This moves the archived message back to your primary Inbox.
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Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Using the Mail App

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1. 
   1
   Open the Mail app. It's the blue icon with a white envelope.

   • If you have your Gmail added to your iPhone or iPad, you'll see your inbox.
2. 
   2
   Tap Mailboxes. This is at the top-left corner of the screen.
3. 
   3
   Tap All Mail.

   • If you have multiple emails added to the Mail app, this will be underneath the header for your Gmail address.
4. 
   4
   Tap Edit. It's at the top-right corner of the screen. It may take a few moments for the button to appear.
5. 
   5
   Select a message to unarchive. Tap the circle next to the message you want to bring back to the Inbox. A blue check mark will appear to the left of the message.

   • You can select multiple messages to restore by tapping each message's corresponding circle.
6. 
   6
   Tap Move. It's at the bottom of the screen.
7. 
   7
   Tap Inbox. This moves the selected message(s) back into your main mail folder.
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