# Can you mark all Gmail as read? — Adinand Email Cleaner Last reviewed: October 5, 2026. HTML version: https://adinandemail.com/answers/mark-all-gmail-as-read **Yes. On a computer you can mark every unread message in one pass: search for unread mail, tick the Select box, extend the selection past the first page, then click Mark as read.** Google's own "Mark all messages as read" instructions are two steps long: "At the top left of your inbox, check the box to select all your messages", then "At the top, click Mark as read" ([*Mark messages as read or unread*](https://support.google.com/mail/answer/12516), read 5 October 2026). The catch is the word "all". That box only takes the page in front of you, so a big backlog needs one more click, described below. ## On a computer, every page at once
  1. **Narrow the list to unread mail.** Type `is:unread` in the search bar. Google lists it among the status searches, next to `is:read`, `is:starred` and `is:important` ([*Refine searches in Gmail*](https://support.google.com/mail/answer/7190), read 5 October 2026).
  2. **Tick the Select box above the messages.** Google's delete page spells out how far that reaches: it is for "all messages on the current page".
  3. **Click the link in the notice that appears.** Google's example of the notice reads "All 50 conversations on this page are selected. Select all 2,000 conversations in Inbox." and its instruction is "To select all conversations, click the link in the notification" ([*Delete messages in Gmail*](https://support.google.com/mail/answer/7401), read 5 October 2026).
  4. **Click Mark as read** at the top.

A caveat we would rather state than hide: Google documents that select-everything link on its delete page, and its read-or-unread page does not mention it at all (the *Mark messages as read or unread* page above). Steps 2 to 4 rest on our reading that the selection is the same whichever button you press next. Watch the counter after step 3: if it still says 50, the link was not clicked.

## In the Gmail app on Android, iPhone and iPad

The app works a screenful at a time rather than mailbox-wide. Google's steps, identical on both platforms: "On the left of the message, tap the sender's profile image", then "At the top left, tap the box next to "Select all."", then "At the top right, tap Mark as read." To reach further, its tip is "scroll down, then tap the box next to "Select all" again." ([*Mark messages as read or unread (Android)*](https://support.google.com/mail/answer/12516?co=GENIE.Platform%3DAndroid) and [*(iPhone & iPad)*](https://support.google.com/mail/answer/12516?co=GENIE.Platform%3DiOS), read 5 October 2026). Neither app version of that page describes a single step that marks a whole mailbox read, and neither says how many messages one "Select all" takes. The only number Google gives is on a different page, about deleting: "By default, Gmail selects up to 50 messages to delete" ([*Delete messages in Gmail (Android)*](https://support.google.com/mail/answer/7401?co=GENIE.Platform%3DAndroid), read 5 October 2026). For thousands of unread messages, the computer route above is far shorter.

For a steady trickle, a swipe is quicker than selecting. Both app pages let you add "Mark as read/unread" as a swipe action: on Android through Menu, Settings, General settings, Mail swipe actions; on iPhone and iPad through Menu, Settings, Inbox customizations, Mail swipe actions.

## Mark one slice instead of everything

Often the unread pile is mostly one kind of mail. Combine `is:unread` with another operator from Google's list and only that slice gets selected: `category:promotions is:unread` for shop mail, `older_than:1y is:unread` for anything you have ignored for a year, or `from:` plus an address for one noisy sender (the *Refine searches in Gmail* page above). Everything outside the slice stays unread. To see how big each slice is before you act, [counting your emails](https://adinandemail.com/answers/know-how-many-emails-i-have) shows where Gmail puts the number.

## Changing your mind

Nothing is lost by marking mail read. The same Google page offers the reverse: select the messages, then "At the top, click Mark as unread or Mark as read" (the *Mark messages as read or unread* page above). If what bothers you is the badge on an iPhone rather than Gmail's own count, that is a separate number with its own rules, covered on [clearing unread emails on iPhone](https://adinandemail.com/answers/clear-my-unread-emails-on-iphone).

Related: [Clearing unread emails on iPhone](https://adinandemail.com/answers/clear-my-unread-emails-on-iphone) · [Counting the emails you have](https://adinandemail.com/answers/know-how-many-emails-i-have) · [Gmail search operators](https://adinandemail.com/answers/use-google-search-operators) · [How to clean up Gmail](https://adinandemail.com/answers/how-to-clean-up-gmail)