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Guide - updated

How to keep newsletters out of your Gmail inbox

Create a Gmail filter that finds newsletters and skips the inbox, or forward them automatically to another address. Both work on the newsletters you already get, but both leave the subscriptions tied to your Gmail address. To get newsletters out of Gmail for good, subscribe with a separate address, such as the one a newsletter app like Readbase gives you.

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    Morning Brew

    • Markets shrug off the jobs report; rates hold steady.
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    Lenny's Newsletter

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    Stratechery

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  • Morning BrewMarkets shrug off the jobs report9:02
  • Daily DealsLAST CHANCE: 70% off ends at midnight8:58
  • Lenny's NewsletterHow the best PMs run discovery8:41
  • CalendarReminder: Standup @ 9:308:30
  • Daily DealsYou left something in your cart8:22
  • StratecheryAn Interview with a Chip Executive8:02
  • Team chatYou have 312 unread messages7:58
  • Job alerts126 new jobs match your search7:47
  • MumSunday lunch?7:30
  • Dense DiscoveryFive tools for calmer work7:12
  • Security alertNew sign-in on Mac7:05
  • The HustleThe odd economics of airport shops6:55
  • Store receiptsYour order has shipped6:20
  • WebinarsStarting in 10 minutes: The future of work6:01

143 new emails since this morning

Option 1: a filter that skips the inbox

A filter moves newsletters out of your inbox view as they arrive. They stay in Gmail, under a label. Do this in Gmail on the web: filters cannot be created in the Gmail app.

Option 1, in Gmail on the web
From
Has the wordsunsubscribe
Create filter

When a message is an exact match for your search criteria:

Skip the Inbox (Archive it)
Apply the label: Newsletters
Also apply filter to matching conversations
Create filter

From now on, anything that says unsubscribe skips your inbox.

  1. In the Gmail search bar, click the options icon on the right.
  2. In "Has the words", type unsubscribe. Almost every newsletter includes the word, so this catches most of them. To be more precise, put the senders in "From" instead, separated by OR.
  3. Click Create filter.
  4. Tick "Skip the Inbox (Archive it)" and "Apply the label", and choose or create a label such as Newsletters.
  5. Tick "Also apply filter to matching conversations" to move the ones already there, then click Create filter.

Option 2: forward newsletters to another inbox automatically

Forwarding sends a copy of each newsletter to another address as it arrives. Gmail needs the other address to confirm before it forwards anything, and forwarding only applies to new mail.

  1. In Gmail on the web, open Settings, then See all settings, then Forwarding and POP/IMAP.
  2. Click Add a forwarding address and enter the address you want newsletters sent to.
  3. Gmail sends a confirmation to that address. Open it and confirm.
  4. Back in Gmail, create a filter as in Option 1, and in the last step tick "Forward it to" and choose the new address. Tick "Skip the Inbox" or "Delete it" too, or the original stays in your inbox.

Option 3: subscribe with a separate address

Filters and forwarding tidy up newsletters after they reach Gmail. The subscriptions still belong to your Gmail address, so every new newsletter needs the filter to catch it, and a newsletter that does not say unsubscribe slips through.

Subscribing with a separate address stops them reaching Gmail at all. Readbase gives you a private @readbase.io address for this, and a reader that summarises every newsletter as it arrives. Change the address on each newsletter's preferences page, or unsubscribe and sign up again with the new one.

Where each option leaves a newsletter

1. Filter

SenderGmailLabel: Newsletters

Out of the inbox view, but still in Gmail.

2. Forward

SenderGmailOther inboxOriginal archived

A copy leaves. The original stays in Gmail.

3. Separate address

SenderGmailReadbase

Never reaches Gmail.

Questions people ask

How can I forward newsletters to another inbox automatically?

In Gmail on the web, add the other address under Settings, Forwarding and POP/IMAP, and confirm it from that inbox. Then create a filter that matches your newsletters, for example messages containing the word unsubscribe, and choose "Forward it to" with the new address. Forwarding only applies to new mail.

Does the Promotions tab keep newsletters out of my inbox?

Partly. Gmail sorts some newsletters into Promotions or Updates, but the sorting is automatic and not every newsletter lands there. With a filter or a separate address, you decide where each one goes.

Will a filter catch every newsletter?

Not always. A filter on the word unsubscribe also catches some marketing and account emails, and misses the odd newsletter that phrases it differently. Filtering by sender is precise but needs updating every time you subscribe to something new.

Can I keep my newsletters but stop them landing in Gmail?

Yes. Subscribe to them with a different address. Readbase gives you one at @readbase.io on its free plan, with an AI summary of every newsletter.

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