What is Archive in Email? A Guide to Decluttering Your Inbox
“Archive” in email is a feature that lets you store emails you want to keep but don’t need in your primary inbox. When you archive an email, you’re not deleting it. Instead, you’re moving it out of your primary view to reduce clutter but saving it in a place where you can easily find and access it later.
Navigating through a cluttered inbox can cause email fatigue, especially if you run a business and receive many emails daily. Each message, whether it’s a client inquiry, a team update, or an invoice, demands attention.
The challenge? Balancing the need to keep essential emails close at hand without letting your inbox turn into an endless maze.
Let’s see what does email archive mean and how it can make your email experience smoother and organized.
What is an Archived Email?
If you’re wondering “What are archived emails?”Here’s the definition.
An archived email is typically removed from the inbox but stored in another folder for future reference. Unlike deleting an email, which entirely removes it from the folder, an archived email is accessible via the “All Mail” folder in Gmail, for example.
What Happens When You Archive an Email Message?
The following happens when you archive an email:
- It’s removed from the inbox: The email is no longer visible in the inbox, providing a clearer email view.
- It is not deleted: The email is stored in your email account and can be retrieved anytime.
- It moves to an archive folder: Depending on the email client, archived messages are stored in dedicated folders.
- Replies bring it back to the inbox: When someone responds to your archived email, it usually brings it back to the inbox.
Archive vs Inbox in Email
The archive folder and inbox are different. The table below compares the two for detailed understanding.
| Feature | Inbox | Archive |
|---|---|---|
| Visibility | Emails are visible in the main inbox. | Emails are removed from the inbox but stored in the archive folder. |
| Purpose | It holds new and unread messages. | It stores emails for reference without cluttering the inbox. |
| Organization | It can be organized with labels, folders, and shortcuts for easier identification. | It acts as a storage space without a need for organization. |
| Retrieval | Emails stay in the inbox until archived or deleted. | Emails can be retrieved by going to the archive folder. |
| Email replies | An email reply keeps the conversation in the inbox. | An email reply moves the emails to the inbox. |
What Is the Purpose of Archiving Emails?
So, what is the point of an archive inbox?
Archiving is an efficient solution to declutter your main workspace while keeping important communications within reach.
When you’re done with an email, it doesn’t always mean you don’t need it anymore. But you might not know when exactly you’ll return to it. So, instead of keeping it in the inbox, you’ll archive it. You can retrieve the message any time you want, and it’ll return to your inbox if someone replies.
Email archiving comes in two variants:
1. Archiving Features in Email Clients
These are built right into your email platform, like Gmail or Outlook. They work like labeling or folder systems. When you archive a conversation, the email client simply removes it from your primary inbox view and tucks it into the “Archive” folder. It’s still in your email system, just out of the main sight.
This type of archiving is ideal for organizing your inbox if you receive a mix of important and not-so-important emails.
2. Third-Party Archiving Solutions
These software tools don’t just move your emails; they store them securely and often come with advanced search features, backup capabilities, and even compliance measures. They can handle large volumes of emails, and they might store emails outside of your main email system to guarantee their safety.
Archiving software is great for businesses or professionals with legal or regulatory obligations to retain emails for a long time. More on archiving solutions later, first, we’ll understand why you using the archive feature can come in handy.
The Importance of Archiving an Email
Archiving an email is essential for maintaining an organized inbox, preserving important communication, and:
- For easy retrieval of messages: Archived emails can be searched and retrieved anytime, saving time compared to searching through a cluttered inbox.
- For compliance and legal requirements: Archived emails serve as records for audits, disputes, or legal proceedings.
- For data security and backup: Archiving helps guard the data from system crashes and accidental deletions.
- For improved email performance: An organized inbox improves email performance through faster and more responsive communication.
Archiving also makes it easier to track past conversations, but it’s not the same as deleting or backing up an email.
Archiving vs. Deleting
Think of archiving like moving your emails into a storage closet. Your archived emails aren’t visible in your inbox, but they’re still in your email storage — unless you use archiving software to move them to another location or platform. These emails will stay in the archive until you manually delete them. So, shifting emails to the archive won’t free up space.
On the other hand, deleting an email is like tossing it into a bin. It sits there for a while (typically 30 days), and then it’s gone forever. Some email clients don’t automatically empty the trash folder. In that case, if you need to free up space, you have to empty that folder manually. Remember, once an email is permanently deleted, you can’t get it back.
Here’s a table comparison of archiving and deleting for a quicker overview.
| Feature | Archiving | Deleting |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | It stores emails for future reference. | It removes emails permanently. |
| Accessibility | It’s easier to retrieve messages from the archive folder. | It cannot be retrieved after trash is emptied |
| Inbox management | It helps declutter the inbox while still keeping the emails. | It clears unwanted emails from inbox. |
| Security | It preserves important emails for compliance and backup. | There’s a risk of losing important information. |
| Best for | Keeping emails you may need later. | Removing unnecessary or spam emails. |
Archiving vs. Backup
Archiving may seem like backing up your data. Both are ways of saving your emails for future use and protecting them against data loss. If they’re similar and you have one, do you need the other?
Backing up saves an exact copy of your emails, preferably to another location or device.
It protects you against data loss in situations like:
- Hardware failure
- Data corruption
- Cloud failure
Archiving is more about organization and accessibility. When you archive an email, you’re moving it from your main inbox, but you don’t have another copy of the email.
So, if something goes wrong, you’ll lose your data.
Here’s a detailed comparison of the two concepts:
| * | Email Backups | Archiving in Email Clients |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Recovery | Organization and accessibility |
| Content | Entire email database | Selected emails moved out of the main inbox |
| Storage location | External drives or cloud backup systems | Inside the email client, in a separate “Archived” folder |
| Frequency | Daily, weekly, or monthly based on set schedules. | On-demand, whenever a user chooses to archive an email. |
| Duration | Based on backup frequency; no need to keep old backups | Indefinite, unless manually deleted |
How Do I Archive Emails?
Each email client has its own steps for archiving. Here’s how to archive your emails with the most popular clients.
What Does Archive Mean in Gmail?
Archiving emails in Gmail is pretty straightforward for all your devices:
On a Computer
- From your Inbox, hover your mouse over the conversation you want to Archive.
- The Archive Icon appears on the right side, next to the Trash can.
- Click it to archive the message.
On Android
If you’re viewing the message, tap the Archive icon on the top. But to archive conversations from your inbox, you have to configure what happens to a conversation when you swipe it left — or right.
- Open the Gmail app and navigate to Settings > General Settings.
- Tap Gmail Default Action and select Archive.
- After confirming the default action, return to your inbox.
- Swipe the message you want to archive to the right or left.
You can archive multiple messages by selecting them. Tap the message and hold it until you see a checkmark next to it. Do the same for the other messages and tap Archive.
On iPhone
It’s just as straightforward to archive your messages on an iPhone. The only difference is that you can only swipe left to archive the message.
Is Archiving the Same as Deleting in Gmail?
Archiving is not the same as deleting an email in Gmail. Archiving hides emails from your inbox and keeps them in the “All Mail” folder.
Microsoft Outlook Webmail and Email Client
Archiving emails on both Microsoft Outlook and Yahoo Mail takes only a couple of clicks.
If you’re using Outlook, select the messages you want to archive and click the Archive icon. The process is similar in both webmail and email clients.
What is Archive in Yahoo! Mail?
If you’re a Yahoo user, you need to select the messages you want to archive by checking the box on the left side of the messages. Then, right-click one of the selected messages and select “Archive” from the menu. Alternatively, you could click the Archive icon on top of the messages page after selecting the emails to be archived.
How Long Do Emails Stay in the Yahoo Archive?
Archived emails stay indefinitely in the Yahoo Mail folders, helping you retrieve them when needed.
How do I Retrieve Archived Emails?
Here’s how to retrieve your archived emails with different email clients.
Retrieve Emails from Gmail Archive
Finding your archived emails on Gmail is a bit tricky. Gmail doesn’t mark your archived emails by giving them a label. So, you must remember a keyword in the email’s title to search for it.
On your computer, you can find your archived Gmail messages by clicking More on the left panel. Click All Mail. Now, use the client’s search tool and type in the email’s keyword to find it.
The same goes for Gmail’s Android and iPhone apps. To access your archived messages, open Gmail on your Android or iPhone device and click the three horizontal lines in the top left corner. Tap All Mail and search for your email by its subject or sender.
While the current setup might feel a bit counterintuitive to the essence of archiving, let’s hope Google gives it a tweak in upcoming updates!
Retrieve Emails from Outlook Archive
To retrieve your archived messages in Outlook, all you need to do is open the app and click Archive from the sidebar on the left.
How to Retrieve Archived Emails in Yahoo
Open Yahoo Mail on your computer and find Archive on the left sidebar. All your archived messages are in this folder. If the folder is crowded, you can use the search bar to find the message you want.
Further Reading: Email Security Updates for 2024 to Prevent Yahoo and Gmail Spam
Third-party Archiving Services
Using the archiving features in email apps is the least complicated and fastest way to archive messages and keep them organized. It’s perfect if you’re solo, but when you’re working in a team, things can get complicated quickly. If each team member can only see their own archived emails, collaboration becomes a challenge. Important messages might be missed, and information can get siloed.
This is where third-party archiving solutions can help. These platforms offer a more centralized approach to archiving that promotes better teamwork and information sharing. They also give you features to manage, search, and retrieve archived emails efficiently.
Google Vault, Microsoft Azure Archive Storage, and Dell EMC SourceOne are a few noteworthy options.
Besides streamlining collaboration, using an archiving platform can have the following perks.
Storage Management
Moving emails to the archive doesn’t necessarily free up storage in the overall sense — emails aren’t deleted; they’re simply moved. But archiving services let you relocate your archived messages to a separate disk or cheaper cloud storage. This way, you can store thousands of conversations without overwhelming your inbox’s storage capacity.
Fast Access and Retrieval
Even if you have unlimited inbox storage, sifting through hundreds of emails to find a specific message can take hours. Archiving solutions provide organized and indexed storage, making it easier to locate any email. You’ll save time and reduce the frustration of endless scrolling and searching.
Compliance
Some jurisdictions or industries have strict rules about how long businesses have to preserve customer data and communications. For example, according to HIPAA, healthcare service providers must maintain patient communications for at least six years. And the Investment Advisors Association obligates investment advisors to keep client correspondence available for at least five years.
These obligations don’t just apply to large organizations. Even if you’re a one-person show, you still have to follow regulations, and keeping an efficient email archive can protect you from legal trouble.
If you’re using the archive feature or send emails using an email service provider, you might want to know about the security:
Litigation Protection
While archiving regulations don’t exist for all industries, it’s still a good idea to maintain records of your business correspondence by sending confirmation emails and transactional emails. Any business could become involved in legal disputes, and having a historical record of your communications can protect your interests.
How To Choose the Best Third-Party Archiving Tool
–Like any B2B email marketing software, there’s no shortage of archiving platforms.
While each one has distinct capabilities, there are some must-have features you shouldn’t compromise on:
- Intuitive user interface.
- Integration with other tools.
- Advanced indexing and search.
- Support for multiple storage types.
- Configurable policies for compliance.
- Security and encrypted email storage.
Another essential feature is granular access control. That means the platform lets you specify who can view, modify, or delete archived emails. For example, you might want only certain team members or departments to access sensitive information, while others might only need to view general communications. You should also have the option to define new roles and assign detailed permissions.
Finally, watch out for vendor lock-ins. Essentially, a vendor locks you in when you become too dependent on a single service provider, making it challenging and costly to switch to another platform later. Vendors often design barriers to exit to ensure a continuous stream of revenue from existing customers. These barriers might include proprietary formats, unique configurations, or hefty termination fees.
Email Archiving Best Practices
Archiving your emails is a smart move, both for personal and professional reasons. It helps you stay organized and keeps you compliant if you’re working in a regulated industry.
Here are a few tips to help you get the best results from your archiving solution:
- Automate archiving: An archiving solution is only effective if it’s consistent. Don’t rely on your personnel to archive emails; set up an automatic process that categorizes and stores emails based on predefined rules.
- Invest in storage: Archiving email means you’ll be storing a significant amount of data as your archive grows over time. Use cloud solutions or invest in physical drives to have reliable storage with enough capacity.
- Keep a clean archive: Just like your main inbox, your archive can get cluttered. Periodically review and remove emails that are no longer relevant or necessary.
- Stay on top of regulations. If regulatory bodies mandate email archiving for your company, learn all about those regulations and stay up-to-date. Make sure you understand the retention conditions and minimum periods to avoid legal trouble.
- Get legal advice: Before implementing an archiving policy, consult a qualified lawyer about your industry and region’s regulations.
- Communicate policies clearly. All employees in your company should be aware of the archiving policies and processes. If there’s an update, ensure everyone is informed and knows how to act.
Archiving Keeps You Organized; Marketing Gets You Noticed
Email archiving is like your company’s memory, keeping track of every conversation for when you need it.
But archiving messages alone is not enough without a reliable email marketing platform.
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FAQ
What is the Definition of Archive in Email?
The email archive meaning is straightforward — it refers to the process of removing an email from the main folder and moving it to a separate storage area, keeping it accessible without deleting it.
Yahoo mail archive vs delete
Archiving an email in Yahoo removes it from the main inbox and stores it in an archive folder. Whereas, deleting an email moves the message to the Trash folder.
What does skip the inbox archive mean?
Skip the inbox is a filter in Gmail that automatically moves emails to the archive folder.
Does moving emails to the archive folder free up space?
No, moving emails does not free up space, since the emails are not deleted and stored for future reference.
How long does an email stay in the archive?
An archived email stays indefinitely unless you manually delete it. Most email service providers like Gmail, Yahoo, and Outlook do not automatically delete emails.
Is archiving an email the same as deleting it
No, archiving an email stores the message in a different folder for future reference. Deleting an email permanently moves it to the trash folder.
