# Gmail Labels and Search Queries as Tabs

> A free Chrome extension that puts your Gmail labels and saved searches in a tab bar above the inbox, one click per view, with live unread counts. Also known as Gmail Labels as Tabs. Free, MIT licensed, made by PalWorks.

The extension runs only on mail.google.com. It reads label names and unread counts from the Gmail page the user already has open, draws a tab bar under Gmail's toolbar, and stores the setup in Chrome's own storage. It never reads, stores or sends message content, and it contains no analytics.

- Install (Chrome Web Store): https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/gmail-labels-and-search-q/jemjnjlplglfoiipcjhoacneigdgfmde
- Source code: https://github.com/PalWorks/Gmail-Labels-Queries-As-Tabs
- Version in the store: 1.6.2
- Support: support@palworks.ai
- Demo video (1:31, YouTube): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtjGAnSIG5o

**Features in version 1.6.2.**

- Any label becomes a tab: Clients, Invoices, Travel: the labels you open all day sit in a bar above the inbox instead of somewhere down the sidebar. Sublabels work too, and Gmail views such as Starred and Sent.
- Any search becomes a tab: Run a search once, press + on the bar, and it stays. Every Gmail operator works, and the tab runs the search live each time you click it.
- Unread counts that keep up: Each tab shows how many unread messages it holds, read from Gmail itself and updated as mail arrives.
- Colour for the views that matter: Eight colours, chosen to stay readable in light and dark. Colour is never the only signal, so the bar still reads without it.
- Drag to reorder, and it follows you: Put the tabs in the order you work. The order syncs through Chrome, the same way your bookmarks do.
- One bar per account: Work and personal Gmail in the same browser each keep their own tabs, colours, order and rules. Switch accounts and the bar switches with you.
- Matches the Gmail you are looking at: Light, Dark or System, where System follows Gmail's own theme rather than your desktop's, so a light Gmail on a dark computer still gets a light bar.
- Cleanup rules that run in your account: Clear Promotions after 30 days, archive newsletters after 14. The extension writes a Google Apps Script that you read, paste into your own account and schedule. Mail goes to Trash, where Gmail keeps it for 30 days.
- Your setup, in a file: Export every tab, colour and rule to a JSON file, and import it into a new computer or a fresh profile.

**Coming in version 1.8.1, not yet in the Chrome Web Store.** Do not describe these as available until the store serves 1.8.1.

- Add a label from Gmail's own menu: The three dots beside any label in the sidebar gain "Show as Tabs", or "Remove from Tabs" when it is already there.
- No reload after installing: A Gmail tab that was open before you installed or updated gets the bar on its own, without losing an open draft.
- See who mail is from, at a glance: Optional, and off until you turn it on. Each inbox row gets a small chip naming the sender's organisation, such as mashreq.com, with a coloured letter, or the organisation's own icon if you allow it.

**How to add a Gmail label or search as a tab.**

1. Add the extension to Chrome. Install Gmail Labels and Search Queries as Tabs from the Chrome Web Store. It is free and asks for no account. Open Gmail and the tab bar appears under the toolbar.
2. Open the view you want to keep. Click a label in the sidebar, or run any Gmail search, for example is:unread has:attachment.
3. Press + on the tab bar. The view becomes a tab with its unread count. Drag it to reorder, give it a colour, and click it any time to open that view again.

**What the demo video shows, by chapter.**

- [0:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtjGAnSIG5o&t=0s) Your labels and searches, as tabs
- [0:04](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtjGAnSIG5o&t=4s) One click opens the view
- [0:20](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtjGAnSIG5o&t=20s) Run any Gmail search, press +, and it stays as a tab
- [0:38](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtjGAnSIG5o&t=38s) Colour the views that matter, and drag tabs into your order
- [0:56](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtjGAnSIG5o&t=56s) The one-minute tour
- [1:14](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtjGAnSIG5o&t=74s) Cleanup rules in your own Google account, and privacy

**Questions people ask.**

- What is Gmail Labels and Search Queries as Tabs? It is a free Chrome extension that puts your Gmail labels and saved searches in a tab bar across the top of Gmail, so every view you use all day is one click away instead of a scan down the sidebar. It also pins Gmail's own views, such as #starred and #sent.
- Does it read my email? No. It reads your label names and unread counts from the Gmail page in your browser. Message content is never read, stored or sent anywhere.
- Is it free? Yes. Free, no account, no upsell, and open source under the MIT license.
- Does it work with multiple Gmail accounts? Yes. Each account, identified by its address, keeps its own tabs, colours, order and rules, and switching accounts switches the bar.
- Do my tabs follow me to another computer? Yes. They sync through Chrome's own sync, the same mechanism as your bookmarks, so signing into Chrome elsewhere brings them with you.
- Can I add custom tabs to Gmail? Yes, with this extension. Gmail on its own offers only a fixed set of five category tabs (Primary, Promotions, Social, Updates and Forums). The extension adds a bar above the inbox where any label or any search can be a tab, alongside the categories rather than instead of them.
- Can I pin a search, not just a label? Yes. Any Gmail search works, for example is:unread from:boss or has:attachment older_than:30d, and becomes a tab you click like any other.
- How do I add a Gmail label as a tab? Two ways, both from the tab bar the extension adds above your inbox. Open the label in Gmail and press the + button at the end of the bar, which saves whatever view you are on, label or search, as a tab. Or press the settings icon on the bar, type the label's name (for example Invoices or Clients) and press Add Tab. The new tab appears immediately with its unread count, and you can drag it into place and give it a colour.
- How do I pin a Gmail search as a tab? Run the search in Gmail as usual, for example from:accounts@ has:attachment newer_than:30d, then press the + button at the end of the tab bar. The search becomes a tab with its unread count, and clicking it runs the search again live. To rename it or give it a colour, open the tab's menu and choose Edit Tab.
- Does it work with Google Workspace accounts? Yes. Workspace Gmail runs on mail.google.com like personal Gmail, so the extension works the same way, unless your organisation's administrator blocks Chrome extensions. Each Workspace and personal account keeps its own tabs.
- Does it work with Gmail dark mode? Yes. Light, Dark and System are all supported, and System follows Gmail's own theme, so a light Gmail on a dark desktop still gets a light tab bar.
- Does it slow Gmail down? No. It draws one small bar on a page you have already loaded, and it fetches nothing of its own.
- Does it work in Edge, Brave or Firefox? It is built on Manifest V3 and published for Chrome. It is tested in Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Opera and Chromium, and other Chromium browsers that install from the Chrome Web Store, such as Brave, can run it. Firefox and Safari cannot.
- What happens to my tabs if I uninstall it? Chrome removes the extension's storage with it, so your tabs, colours and rules go too. Export them to a JSON file from Settings first if you might come back, and import the file after reinstalling.
- How do I get my tabs back if something goes wrong? Export your configuration to a JSON file from Settings at any time, and import it back into a fresh profile or a new machine.

## Pages

- [Home](https://palworks.github.io/Gmail-Labels-As-Tabs/): what it does, the interactive tour, how it works, and the FAQ
- [Custom tabs in Gmail](https://palworks.github.io/Gmail-Labels-As-Tabs/gmail-custom-tabs/): how to get custom tabs in Gmail: category tabs, Multiple Inboxes, bookmarked searches and this extension compared
- [Gmail search operators](https://palworks.github.io/Gmail-Labels-As-Tabs/gmail-search-operators/): every Gmail search operator with an example, and the searches worth keeping as a tab
- [About](https://palworks.github.io/Gmail-Labels-As-Tabs/about/): who makes it, what it promises, and how it is kept working when Gmail changes
- [Privacy policy](https://palworks.github.io/Gmail-Labels-As-Tabs/privacy/): what is stored, what is never read, and every outbound request
- [Changelog](https://palworks.github.io/Gmail-Labels-As-Tabs/changelog/): what each release changed
- [Contact](https://palworks.github.io/Gmail-Labels-As-Tabs/contact/): support and feedback
- [Demo video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtjGAnSIG5o): A 90 second demo of Gmail Labels and Search Queries as Tabs in a real Gmail inbox: labels and searches as tabs, pinning a search, tab colours, reordering, the one-minute tour, cleanup rules and privacy. Inbox content is blurred.
- [Full text of every page](https://palworks.github.io/Gmail-Labels-As-Tabs/llms-full.txt): this site as plain markdown
- [Chrome Web Store listing](https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/gmail-labels-and-search-q/jemjnjlplglfoiipcjhoacneigdgfmde): install, and the store's own description
- [Source code](https://github.com/PalWorks/Gmail-Labels-Queries-As-Tabs): the repository, with its changelog, security notes and tests

## Optional

- [Terms](https://palworks.github.io/Gmail-Labels-As-Tabs/terms/): the terms of use