Newsletters you signed up for might have disappeared, or maybe your online bill reminders don’t come anymore. Sound familiar?

If this is an issue for you, it’s probably because Gmail has divided your email into several tabs:

Priority – this is your main inbox

Social – this is anything it sees as related to social media

Promotions – anything related to discounts or special offers ends up here

Updates – anything related to bills, confirmations, receipts etc.

Forums – Mailing list emails and messages from online groups or discussion boards

It has been auto-sorting your emails into tabs for you now, thinking this is helpful. And sometimes it is!

But, if you aren’t in love with this new system, the good news is you don’t have to just ‘get used to it’ like so many other updates. This one, you can change.

If you would like to change your tabbed inbox, you have two choices – you can go back to exactly how things were before and get rid of Gmail tabs completely, or you can change it so emails to come into the tabs you think they ought to so it makes better sense to you.

Here’s how to do both.

TO GET RID OF GMAIL TABS 

You can delete all tabs so that you only have one inbox again, or you can keep the ones you like.

In your Gmail account, click on the little  ‘+’  button to the right of your Gmail tabs (shown in yellow above), and uncheck any tabs you don’t like having, then click ‘Save’. Voila! They’re gone forever.

From now on, everything that was sent to the banished tabs, will go to your main (priority) inbox, as will any emails that are in those tabs currently.

Note: If you get rid of Gmail tabs and later want to restore them, click on your settings cog inside Gmail and choose ‘Configure inbox’. A box will pop up asking which tabs you would like to enable. Select the ones you want, and then click ‘Save’.

TO CHANGE WHAT TAB AN EMAIL IS SORTED TO

 If you want to get our emails in your main inbox, but Gmail is sending them to the ‘Forums’ tab, just left-click on the email you want to move and keep holding your mouse button down.

Now, while you are still holding the button, drag your mouse pointer over to the Priority tab.

Click ‘yes’ when a message appears asking you if you would like emails from this sender to go to this new tab from now on, and you’re done.

 Happy Inboxing!

This post by Maria Schmidt

Brooke is joining us as Digital Marketing Manager as of Feb 19 2014.

Brooke Boser is a ten year veteran of professional business analysis and project management delivery.

Where there’s a process gap, she will spot it. Where there’s a task to complete, she will manage it to completion.

Caitlin is joining us as Client Services Coordinator/Executive Support, effective Feb 19 2014

Caitlin Finley was born and raised in Toronto, Ontario and studied at Queen’s University.

Her work experience is largely in digital media and communications, and she has a passion for the innovative nature of the industry.

When she’s not working she can be found camping, writing, cheering on her favourite hockey teams, or spending time with her golden retriever.

In her role at The New Media Group, Caitlin will be sharing her plethora of skills with us by providing amazing support and administration to our team members, our clients and the President.

You can find Caitlin online:

After much consideration, Maria has decided to leave the world of full-time independent contracting behind to rejoin the brick and mortar business world.

Although working and growing with The New Media Group has been an experience she wouldn’t trade for the world, the at-home lifestyle has lately proved a bit isolating for our little social butterfly, and to honor that need in herself, she has, with a heavy heart, decided not to renew her yearly contract.

She is currently in talks with several companies and intends on accepting the pick of the litter in early March, after a week of holidays and deliberations. Please support Maria in her transition so we can send her off in New Media Group style.

She will be missed!