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I had one label on a message, and then I clicked "Remove Label" when that message was selected. Now I can't find that message - it's not in the Inbox, and of course not in the label that I removed from it

Can someone explain to me what I did wrong and where my message is?

2 Answers 2

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Look in your All Mail folder. Inbox is basically a label just like a custom label you create. When you remove all labels for a message, then it won't show in any of them (obviously), but it lives in the All Mail category. This is also what happens when you archive an email.

You could also do a search for this particular email.

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  • Thank you so much! As a matter of fact, I had hidden the "All Mail" label... And so I was really at a loss. Thanks to you, I found the mail using the search, and then went to the settings and set "All Mail" to show
    – Lea Cohen
    Oct 5, 2010 at 18:41
  • My wife followed your instructions and found the hundred-and-some messages from which she had removed a label were not in her inbox, but scattered among the thousands in her "All Mail". Is there an easy way she can restore them to her inbox without scrolling through the 27,000 in her All Mail folder in order to find and select each of the hundred-and-some and click "Move to Inbox" on each one?
    – user26824
    Oct 17, 2012 at 21:14
  • @user26824 - I would suggest re-posting your query as a new question. Although your wife's issue is related to this one, you're asking a different question that will require a different answer. Just click the yellow Ask Question button at the top right of this page to post your question.
    – efgen
    Oct 18, 2012 at 5:38
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If you press the Back button immediately after removing the label, it should show you the conversation again. You can then apply another label or move it to the Inbox.

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  • 2
    He's obviously beyond undo timing and placing... Oct 5, 2010 at 18:24
  • Good suggestion for those who just made the error and want to recover.
    – user29020
    Feb 23, 2015 at 0:39

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