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Why do incoming emails go the Inbox AND Archives simultaneously?

Why do incoming emails go the Inbox AND Archives simultaneously?


Using Gmail, whenever I receive an email it shows up in the Inbox AND Archives. If I delete that email from Archives it is also deleted from the Inbox. I have been to my Gmail settings on their website and among the MANY options I can't see anything that (obviously) does this. (Frankly, I would just as soon not have an Archive box at all, if I delete something I want to gone for good.)


Suggestions welcome.

Posted on Jun 12, 2020 1:27 PM

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Question marked as Best answer

Since I discovered the answer, I thought I would answer my own question in the hopes that it might help someone else. By logging into the Gmail web-site, Settings > Show all Settings > Labels > All Mail > Set to "Hide" AND uncheck  "Show in IMAP".  


Most people I know find the concept of Archiving an email to be silly. If I delete something, I want to delete it.  For my work,


I'm using a 2019 Mac Pro, running OS X 10.15

Posted on Jun 13, 2020 10:48 AM

4 replies

Jun 12, 2020 3:13 PM in response to Ziatron

This behaviour is unique to Gmail. Instead of folders or mailboxes, Gmail uses labels. All messages exist in one big pool, so to speak, but each can have one or more labels applied to it. Even Inbox is just a label. In Gmail terminology, the pool is known as All Mail, but it's represented in many email apps as Archive. Hence, Archive shows every message you received, sent, or filed into another mailbox—it really is all mail.


In Mail on iOS and iPadOS the Delete button is replaced by Archive by default for Gmail accounts. To change this, tap Settings > Passwords & Accounts > [your Gmail account] > Account > Advanced. Under Move Discarded Messages Into, choose Deleted Mailbox. Then tap Account (top left) to go back, followed by Done to save the change.


Regardless, you'll always see the contents of your inbox and other mailboxes in Archive. That's just how Gmail's unique concept of labels is shoehorned into traditional mailbox-based email clients. You can always use the Gmail app instead of Mail to properly experience the whole labels thing.

Jun 12, 2020 4:44 PM in response to medwds

In Mail on iOS and iPadOS the Delete button is replaced by Archive by default for Gmail accounts. To change this, tap Settings > Passwords & Accounts > [your Gmail account] > Account > Advanced. Under Move Discarded Messages Into, choose Deleted Mailbox. Then tap Account (top left) to go back, followed by Done to save the change.


I tried to translate your instructions from iOS to Mac OS they are not the same.


Regardless, you'll always see the contents of your inbox and other mailboxes in Archive. That's just how Gmail's unique concept of labels is shoehorned into traditional mailbox-based email clients.


My questions are related to a friends computer that I am helping who's computer skills are virtually nonexistent. I use Gmail with Apple Mail and my Archives folder is ALWAYS empty. When I set up Gmail several years ago I was successful at eliminating the archiving function entirely. (The Internet is full of zillions of Gmail users trying to eliminate archiving, some successful, others not.) I still have the Archives mailbox on my Mac but it's always empty.


I'm trying to achieve something like that on my friends computer.





Question marked as Best answer

Jun 13, 2020 10:48 AM in response to Ziatron

Since I discovered the answer, I thought I would answer my own question in the hopes that it might help someone else. By logging into the Gmail web-site, Settings > Show all Settings > Labels > All Mail > Set to "Hide" AND uncheck  "Show in IMAP".  


Most people I know find the concept of Archiving an email to be silly. If I delete something, I want to delete it.  For my work,


I'm using a 2019 Mac Pro, running OS X 10.15

Jun 13, 2020 1:33 PM in response to Ziatron

Excellent find, and I'm glad to know it still works. For some reason I thought the "Show in IMAP" toggles had been removed from Gmail—I was looking for it a few months back.


For what it's worth, I think archiving is for when:


  • You want to use your inbox like an "in tray" i.e. once you've dealt with a message it should no longer stay there; but
  • It would be too time consuming to carefully organise historic messages into named mailboxes, especially since you can always just find them using a search.

Why do incoming emails go the Inbox AND Archives simultaneously?

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