Filter and Categorize your Email on the iPhone

Organize Your Inbox with Filters and Categories

Apple has made it easier than ever to sort and manage your inbox with filters and the new Categories feature in the Mail app on the iPhone. Both of these are powerful tools to help you manage your email—let’s starting with filtering.

Filter Your Mail Without Using Categories

Before you even think about enabling Categories, it’s helpful to know that the Mail app includes a simple built-in filter. This tool lets you narrow down what you see in your inbox so you’re not overwhelmed by everything at once.

When you’re in your Inbox or any mailbox, just tap the filter icon in the bottom-left corner. This gives you quick options like showing only unread messages, flagged emails, or messages addressed directly to you. It’s a great way to focus without changing how your inbox is structured. And if you don’t want to use categories, this filter is still available.

A Smarter Way to View Email with Categories

Now, if you do want a more organized view, Categories offer a smart way to group your email. Instead of sorting everything yourself, Mail does it for you. Messages are automatically grouped into four types: Primary, Transactions, Updates, and Promotions.

To view Categories, open the Mail app and navigate to the Mailboxes screen. If you’re not already there, tap the arrow in the top-left corner until you see your full list of mailboxes. Then tap on Categories to switch into the grouped view.

You’ll now see your emails sorted into folders that reflect what kind of message they are—making it easier to prioritize what you read first.

Turn Categories On or Off

If you don’t see the Categories view, you may need to enable it. Open the Settings app, tap Mail, then go into Accounts, and choose Categorization. From there, just turn on “Show Categories.”

You’re in full control—if you decide you prefer the traditional inbox layout, you can turn this off at any time.

Filter Messages Within a Category

When you’re viewing emails inside a specific category—say, Transactions—you can apply filters within that category. Tap the filter icon in the lower-left corner, and then choose what you’d like to see: unread messages, flagged messages, or messages addressed to you.

Filtering only works when you have Categories turned off or you’re in the primary category, not when you’re viewing your entire inbox or all categories at once. This makes it a useful way to clean up just one section of your inbox at a time.

Move Messages to a Different Category

If Mail puts a message in the wrong category, you can move it yourself. Tap and hold on the message, then select Move to Category. You’ll see the list of available categories—Primary, Transactions, Updates, and Promotions—and you can pick the correct one.

This gives you more control and helps the Mail app learn how you want your email sorted in the future.

Wrap-Up

Whether you use filters without categories or explore the full power of the new Categories view, Mail on the iPhone now offers more ways than ever to help you stay on top of your messages. These tools let you manage your inbox in a way that works best for you—whether you like things grouped neatly or prefer to keep it simple. And with features like manual message sorting, per-category filtering, and the ability to turn categories on or off, the Mail app can adapt to how you like to work.