{"id":9055,"date":"2009-08-03T20:43:53","date_gmt":"2009-08-03T15:13:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/?p=9055"},"modified":"2026-10-13T13:37:26","modified_gmt":"2026-10-13T08:07:26","slug":"gmail-missing-spam-starred-thrash-chat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2009\/08\/gmail-missing-spam-starred-thrash-chat\/","title":{"rendered":"Gmail Spam Folder Missing? How to Restore Spam, Trash, Starred and All Mail (2026)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Is the <strong>Gmail spam folder missing<\/strong> from your sidebar? Back in 2009 our Spam, Starred, Trash, Chats and All Mail links suddenly vanished, and we went looking for them. Gmail had turned these folders into &#8220;system labels&#8221; and started hiding some of them under <em>More<\/em>. Gmail still works this way in 2026, so here is how to find and restore any missing Gmail folder on the web and on your phone.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-64260\" src=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/gmail-spam-folder-missing-1024x538.webp\" alt=\"Gmail spam folder missing fix\" width=\"1024\" height=\"538\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/gmail-spam-folder-missing-1024x538.webp 1024w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/gmail-spam-folder-missing-300x158.webp 300w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/gmail-spam-folder-missing-150x79.webp 150w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/gmail-spam-folder-missing-768x403.webp 768w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/gmail-spam-folder-missing.webp 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>Quick answer:<\/strong> On a computer, click <em>More<\/em> at the bottom of the Gmail sidebar to see hidden folders such as Spam, Trash and All Mail. To keep them visible, open Settings (gear icon) &gt; See all settings &gt; Labels, and choose <em>show<\/em> next to each system label you want. In the Gmail app, tap the menu (three lines) and scroll down to find Spam and Trash.<\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_89 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6ae69c212f0a7\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"ez-toc-cssicon\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #1a202c;color:#1a202c\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #1a202c;color:#1a202c\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6ae69c212f0a7\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2009\/08\/gmail-missing-spam-starred-thrash-chat\/#Why_Gmail_folders_go_missing\" >Why Gmail folders go missing<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2009\/08\/gmail-missing-spam-starred-thrash-chat\/#How_to_restore_missing_folders_in_Gmail_computer\" >How to restore missing folders in Gmail (computer)<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2009\/08\/gmail-missing-spam-starred-thrash-chat\/#Find_Spam_and_Trash_in_the_Gmail_app\" >Find Spam and Trash in the Gmail app<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2009\/08\/gmail-missing-spam-starred-thrash-chat\/#Still_cant_find_it\" >Still can&#8217;t find it?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2009\/08\/gmail-missing-spam-starred-thrash-chat\/#Check_your_spam_folder_regularly\" >Check your spam folder regularly<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2009\/08\/gmail-missing-spam-starred-thrash-chat\/#FAQ\" >FAQ<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2009\/08\/gmail-missing-spam-starred-thrash-chat\/#Why_did_my_Gmail_spam_folder_disappear\" >Why did my Gmail spam folder disappear?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2009\/08\/gmail-missing-spam-starred-thrash-chat\/#How_long_does_Gmail_keep_spam\" >How long does Gmail keep spam?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2009\/08\/gmail-missing-spam-starred-thrash-chat\/#Can_I_delete_the_Spam_or_Trash_folder\" >Can I delete the Spam or Trash folder?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2009\/08\/gmail-missing-spam-starred-thrash-chat\/#What_is_All_Mail_in_Gmail\" >What is All Mail in Gmail?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_Gmail_folders_go_missing\"><\/span>Why Gmail folders go missing<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Gmail treats Inbox, Starred, Snoozed, Sent, Drafts, Spam, Trash and All Mail as <strong>system labels<\/strong>. Each one can be set to <em>show<\/em>, <em>hide<\/em> or <em>show if unread<\/em>. Labels set to hide move under the <em>More<\/em> link, which is why Spam and Trash often seem to disappear. A collapsed sidebar or a narrow window can also hide them.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_to_restore_missing_folders_in_Gmail_computer\"><\/span>How to restore missing folders in Gmail (computer)<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li>Open <a href=\"https:\/\/mail.google.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Gmail<\/a> in your browser.<\/li>\n<li>Click the <strong>gear icon<\/strong> at the top right, then <strong>See all settings<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Open the <strong>Labels<\/strong> tab.<\/li>\n<li>Under <strong>System labels<\/strong>, click <strong>show<\/strong> next to Spam, Trash, Starred, All Mail, Chats or any other folder you want in the sidebar.<\/li>\n<li>Changes save straight away. Go back to your inbox and the folders now appear in the sidebar.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Prefer a quick fix? Click <strong>More<\/strong> in the sidebar and drag a folder up into the main list, or hover over a label, click the three dots and choose <em>Show<\/em>.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Find_Spam_and_Trash_in_the_Gmail_app\"><\/span>Find Spam and Trash in the Gmail app<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Android and iPhone:<\/strong> tap the <strong>menu<\/strong> (three lines) at the top left and scroll down. Spam, Trash and All mail are listed under <em>All labels<\/em>.<\/li>\n<li>You can&#8217;t hide system labels in the app, so if you don&#8217;t see them, scroll further or update the app.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Still_cant_find_it\"><\/span>Still can&#8217;t find it?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Expand the sidebar:<\/strong> click the menu icon (three lines) next to the Gmail logo if you only see icons.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Search instead:<\/strong> type <code>in:spam<\/code>, <code>in:trash<\/code> or <code>is:starred<\/code> in the search box to open that folder directly.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Chats:<\/strong> Google Chat now lives in its own panel or at <a href=\"https:\/\/chat.google.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">chat.google.com<\/a>. Old saved chats appear under the Chats label if it is set to show.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Work or school accounts:<\/strong> your administrator may control some Gmail features.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Check_your_spam_folder_regularly\"><\/span>Check your spam folder regularly<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>We check Spam often, because Gmail sometimes marks real emails as spam. If you find a good message there, open it and click <strong>Report not spam<\/strong> so Gmail learns. Remember that Gmail deletes messages in Spam and Trash for good after 30 days.<\/p>\n<p>More Gmail help: turn on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2013\/06\/new-gmail-tabs-inbox\/\">Gmail tabs and inbox categories<\/a>, set up <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2015\/11\/secure-google-email-account\/\">Gmail 2-step verification<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2015\/03\/open-mailto-links-in-gmail\/\">open mailto links in Gmail by default<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"FAQ\"><\/span>FAQ<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_did_my_Gmail_spam_folder_disappear\"><\/span>Why did my Gmail spam folder disappear?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>It is set to <em>hide<\/em> in Settings &gt; Labels, so it sits under the More link. Set it to show to bring it back.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_long_does_Gmail_keep_spam\"><\/span>How long does Gmail keep spam?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Messages in Spam are deleted automatically after 30 days. The same applies to Trash.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Can_I_delete_the_Spam_or_Trash_folder\"><\/span>Can I delete the Spam or Trash folder?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>No. System labels can only be shown or hidden, not deleted.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_is_All_Mail_in_Gmail\"><\/span>What is All Mail in Gmail?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>All Mail shows every message in your account, including archived emails, but not Spam or Trash.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Is the Gmail spam folder missing from your sidebar? Back in 2009 our Spam, Starred, Trash, Chats and All Mail&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":64260,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[49],"class_list":["post-9055","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-google","tag-tutorials"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9055","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9055"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9055\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":65306,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9055\/revisions\/65306"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/64260"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9055"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9055"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9055"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}