How do I change my Gmail inbox type?

Last reviewed: September 28, 2026 · Markdown version

On a computer: Settings (the gear), then under "Inbox type" pick one of Default, Important first, Unread first, Starred first, Priority Inbox or Multiple Inboxes. In the Gmail app: Menu, Settings, your account, then Inbox type. The phone apps offer five of the six; Multiple Inboxes is computer-only. Every quotation below is from Google's page Change your Gmail inbox layout (computer, Android and iPhone versions, read 28 September 2026) unless another page is named.

The six types, side by side

Default. Choose it and "your inbox will be split up into different tabs, like "Primary," "Social," "Promotions," and "Updates."" Gmail sorts mail into them automatically.
Important first. Two sections, "Important" at the top and "Everything else" below. Which mail counts as important is Gmail's prediction, explained on why Gmail puts mail in Important.
Unread first. "Unread" at the top, "Everything else" below.
Starred first. "Starred" at the top, "Everything else" below.
Priority Inbox. Several sections you choose from, "including "Important and unread," "Starred," "Everything else," or a label that you have made".
Multiple inboxes. Extra sections defined by "search operators or custom labels".

Changing it on a computer

Open Gmail, click Settings, and under "Inbox type" select the one you want. Some types have their own settings. For Multiple Inboxes, Google's steps are to select it, click Customize, enter a search for each section (its example is is:starred), name the section, set "Maximum page size" and position, then Save Changes (Manage your emails with multiple inboxes, read 28 September 2026). A section can be as specific as a search can: from: one sender, label: one project.

Changing it in the Gmail app

Android: open the Gmail app, Menu, Settings, choose your account, then under "Inbox" tap Inbox type. The iPhone and iPad steps are the same apart from the account step. The app's list is Default Inbox, Important first, Unread first, Starred first and Priority Inbox; the multiple-inboxes page is plain that "You can only set up multiple inboxes with a computer."

The app draws the sections differently. With Default, the categories appear "in the Menu" rather than as tabs, and the "first" types split into "Inbox" plus the other section: Unread first becomes "Inbox" and "Unread". Because the Android steps include "Choose your account", our reading is that the setting belongs to each account, so check it separately on each one you have added.

Two limits worth knowing

Very large inboxes cannot use Default. Google's categories page: "If you have more than 250,000 emails in your inbox, you can’t use the “Default” inbox type. To get below the limit, delete or archive your emails." (Organize your emails into categories, read 28 September 2026). If the tabs have vanished and the option will not stick, this is the first thing to check; how to count what you have.
Notifications follow Primary under Default. The same page: "When you turn on notifications for new mail, you only get notifications about messages in the “Primary” category." The page does not say how notifications behave under the other types, so check your notification settings after you switch.

Which type suits which inbox

Our suggestions, not Google's:

Lots of newsletters and shop mail: Default, and let the tabs catch it. Under Default you can choose which tabs show (the categories page above); the Social tab page covers turning one off.
Mostly personal mail, low volume: Unread first, so nothing gets buried.
You work from a to-do list: Starred first, and star what needs action.
Several projects or clients: Multiple Inboxes, one section per label, set up on a computer.

As we read Google's descriptions, an inbox type changes how the inbox is laid out, not where mail is filed. For the filing itself, labels and filters are on How can I organize my Gmail?