What if you want something “special” to happen to an email from “RD Bagpipes,” (rdbagpipes.com)? They will not leave you alone because you signed into that site one time. You have unsubscribed from their emails, but you still get them! You already get what feels like 25 million worthless emails daily and this is just one more in the list. It would be a great idea if you could auto-delete them. Then you would never have to see them in your email list again. Hang on, today Gmail has a solution.
There are a couple of ways to create a “Filter” which is what Gmail refers to this feature as. Look at the video below for an easy, quick runthrough.
As always, you must first be logged into your Gmail account (gmail.com). The simplest way to accomplish the above situation is to open the offending email when it arrives. Now, look to the top-right side of the email and click the three vertical dots there. Choose “Filter messages like this.” A smaller window will open and have the email address you want to deal with already entered. You could finish now, but first notice you may also enter more criteria that Gmail will look for in emails. For instance; “To,” “Subject,” “Has the words,” etc. You do not have to enter any of those; however, they are available if you want to use them. Once you have made your choices, click “Create filter.”
The next window provides 10-12 choices you can make deciding what to do with any emails that meet your requirements. For this example, I would check the box labeled, “Delete it.” If you set up this filter by opening your email, as I have described above, the last checkbox will be, “Also apply filter to 1 matching conversation.” Yours may have more matching conversations, depending on how many of those emails are in your Inbox. I would check that one and finally click the new, “Create filter.” That is all it takes. Now when you get emails that match your chosen criteria, they will be deleted.
The other way to set a filter is longer, but good if you do not have an email address to block. If you want to use it, click the Gear icon in the upper-right corner. Now click, “See all settings.” Finally, click on the tab, labeled, “Filters and Blocked Addresses.” You may already have a list there that you did not realize were already set per some of your choices. You can make as many more “Filters” as you need. I have maybe a hundred, or more, I have created over the past years. They do not slow down your Gmail system at all, even though Gmail looks at every arriving email you get and checks for qualified filters.
That is all today except for an easy contest. I have given you a clue above in the article today. If you figure it out, you can win! The third (3rd) reader to respond from the correct place and in the correct manner, WINS! (Do not email or call me. That was another tiny hint.) Now, the prize is coming from the cheapest IT guy in the business, so here it is. Your reward will be the winner’s name posted in the next article and mentioned on WSVA next month. Good luck!
Sorry, the above contest has ended and removed from action.
