how to mark all emails as read

To mark all emails as read in Gmail on a desktop, follow these steps:

1. Sign in to your Gmail account.
2. In the left menu, click "More" to expand, then select "All Mail."
3. Click the checkbox at the top left to select all emails currently visible.
4. A prompt will appear to "Select all conversations in All Mail"; click it to select all emails.
5. Click the three vertical dots ("More") at the top and choose "Mark as read."

This will mark all your emails as read, even if there are thousands, though it may take a few minutes for the action to complete. You can also do similar steps for specific categories like "Primary" or "Promotions" if you want to mark only that type as read. For ongoing automation, you can create Gmail filters that automatically mark incoming emails as read based on criteria you set, such as by categories (e.g., Promotions, Social) or sender. These instructions apply primarily to the Gmail desktop version; mobile apps do not have a quick "Mark all as read" option.