A simpler way to keep email tidy — and find anything in seconds. This guide shows you why labels work better than folders, then how to create one and stick it on a message.
The one big difference
A folder can hold a message in only one place. A label is a sticker — and a message can wear several at once. So an email from a client about an invoice can carry both Clients and Receipts, and show up when you look at either. Nothing ever gets buried in the wrong drawer again.
You don’t lose anything by switching. Fastmail lets you organize with Labels or Folders — you choose under Settings › Mail › Mail organization. Picking Labels simply adds the power of putting a message in more than one place at once.
Create and apply a label
Open Labels
Click the Settings gear (top-right), then choose Labels.
Create a label
Click + Create label.
Name and color it
Type a Name (for example,
Follow Up), pick a Color, and leave Parent as Inbox unless you want to nest it.Save
Click Save. Your new label appears in the left sidebar.
Apply it to a message
Open or select a message, then drag it onto the label in the sidebar — or use the label button in the toolbar and tick the label.
“Parent” just means nesting. Leave it on Inbox for a normal label. If you later want a label tucked inside another (like Clients › Acme), set the parent to the outer label — see the Grouping Labels guide.
Working on a team? Labels can be shared so everyone files things the same way. See Organizing & Sharing Labels with Your Team.