How to protect mails in labels from getting deleted

A common concern!

When you add a label to an email in Gmail, the label is not a physical copy of the email, but rather a metadata tag that helps you categorize and filter your emails. Unfortunately, this means that if you delete an email, the label will also be removed.

However, there are a few ways to protect your labels and ensure they don't get deleted:

  1. Use a third-party email client: If you use a third-party email client like Microsoft Outlook, Mozilla Thunderbird, or Apple Mail, you can create labels or folders that are separate from your Gmail account. This way, even if you delete an email from your Gmail account, the label or folder will remain intact.
  2. Use Gmail's "All Mail" label: You can create a label called "All Mail" and add it to all your emails. This way, even if you delete an email, the "All Mail" label will still be associated with the remaining emails.
  3. Use a label management tool: There are several third-party tools available that can help you manage your Gmail labels and prevent them from getting deleted. Some popular options include:
    • Sanebox: A email management tool that can help you organize your emails and prevent labels from getting deleted.
    • Boomerang: A plugin that allows you to schedule emails to be sent later, and also provides features to help you manage your labels.
    • SaneBlackHole: A tool that can help you prevent emails from being deleted by moving them to a special folder.
  4. Use Gmail's "Filter" feature: You can create a filter in Gmail that moves emails to a specific label or folder when they are deleted. This way, even if you delete an email, the label will still be associated with the email.
  5. Use a backup service: Consider using a backup service like Backupify or Spanning Cloud Apps to backup your Gmail account. This way, even if you delete an email, you can restore it from the backup.

Remember that while these methods can help protect your labels, they are not foolproof. If you delete an email, it's still possible that the label will be removed.