# How to create a label in Gmail on Mac: browser steps for Safari and Chrome

> How to create a label in Gmail on Mac, step by step in Safari or Chrome. Name it, nest it, add a color, and turn on keyboard shortcuts.

URL: https://www.lazur.app/how-to/create-a-label-in-gmail
Updated: 2026-11-07

To create a label in Gmail on Mac, open mail.google.com in Safari or Chrome. Click the Create new label icon beside Labels in the left sidebar, type a name, and click Create.

## Quick answer

- Gmail has no Mac app. Create labels in Safari or Chrome at mail.google.com.
- Click the Create new label icon beside Labels, type a name, and click Create.
- Nest a label with Nest label under. Set its color later with More, then Label color.
- Turn on keyboard shortcuts to apply a label with l, move mail with v, or go to a label with g then l.

Applies to: Gmail on the web in Safari or Chrome on macOS. Time: 5 min. Difficulty: Easy.

## What you need

- A Google account with Gmail
- Safari or Chrome on your Mac
- Keyboard shortcuts turned on if you want to use l, v, or g then l

## How to Create a label in Gmail on a Mac in Gmail on a Mac

1. **Open Gmail in Safari or Chrome.** Open Safari or Chrome on your Mac. Go to mail.google.com and sign in with your Google account. Gmail has no separate Mac app, so every step below happens on this web page. Tip: Bookmark the page so you can return to it in one click.
2. **Find Labels in the left sidebar.** (Left sidebar > Labels) Look at the left sidebar of your inbox. Find the heading called Labels. Google's help article places the create icon right beside that word. Tip: Aim for the icon next to the word, not the word itself.
3. **Click the Create new label icon.** (Left sidebar > Labels > Create new label icon) Click the Create new label icon next to Labels. A small dialog opens with a name box. It has no color option, so skip color for now. Tip: If nothing opens, make sure the page finished loading and you are signed in.
4. **Type a name for the label.** Click the name box and type the label name. Keep it short so it fits the sidebar. Google's article does not state a maximum name length, so test long names first. Tip: Pick one naming pattern, such as Clients then the client name, so related labels sort together.
5. **Optional: nest the label under a parent.** (Create new label dialog > Nest label under) Tick Nest label under. Open the list and choose the parent label. The new label then sits under that parent in the sidebar. Tip: Nesting is optional. A flat list works well for a small inbox.
6. **Click Create.** (Create new label dialog > Create) Click Create. The new label appears in the sidebar. If you nested it, the label appears under its parent. Tip: Look at the sidebar right away to confirm the label is there.
7. **Optional: set a label color.** (Sidebar > Label name > More > Label color) Hover over the label name in the sidebar. Click More, then choose Label color. Pick a color from the options. Use a standard color when you can, since custom colors are limited. Tip: Edit and Remove label sit in the same More menu. Read it before you click.
8. **Turn on keyboard shortcuts.** (Settings gear > See all settings > Keyboard shortcuts on > Save Changes) Click the Settings gear, then choose See all settings. Scroll to the Keyboard shortcuts section, select Keyboard shortcuts on, and click Save Changes. Tip: Skip this step if you only plan to use the mouse.
9. **Apply a label with the l key.** Shortcut: l. Select the emails you want to label. Press l to open the label menu, then pick your label. Press v instead when you want to move the mail to a label. Tip: Shortcuts only work after Keyboard shortcuts on is saved. Until then, l does nothing.

## Gmail on a Mac runs in your browser

Google does not make a Gmail app for Mac. You read and sort mail in a browser, the same way you would on a Windows PC or a Chromebook. Open Safari or Chrome, go to mail.google.com, and sign in with your Google account. Every label step in this guide happens on that web page.

That has two practical effects. Gmail's menus live inside the page, not in the menu bar at the top of your Mac screen. Gmail's settings and shortcuts only work after the page loads and you are signed in. If a step seems to be missing, check that the tab shows mail.google.com.

![Person at a laptop on a desk sorting email, the kind of setup for how to create a label in Gmail on Mac](https://images.lazur.app/content-images/howto/create-a-label-in-gmail/how-to-create-a-label-in-gmail-1-ce6b4f.jpg)

## What a label does and how many you can make

A label is a tag you attach to email. Labels sit in the left sidebar, and clicking one shows every message with that tag. Most people use them the way they would use folders, for clients, projects, receipts, or travel. Keep the names short so the sidebar stays readable.

Google's help article says Gmail allows up to 5,000 labels. Few people get anywhere near that. The limit that causes real trouble is color, and that gets its own section below.

- **5,000** Labels Gmail allows in total, according to Google's help article ([source](https://support.google.com/mail/answer/118708?hl=en))
- **100** Custom label colors Gmail allows. Each background and text pair counts as one. ([source](https://support.google.com/mail/answer/118708?hl=en))

## Create a label step by step

The steps in this guide follow Google's own help article for the web version of Gmail. Follow them in order and you should land in the same place every time. Once you know where the icon sits, the whole process is a few clicks.

The create dialog is small. It has a name box, an optional Nest label under box, and a Create button. It does not ask for a color. Many people expect one, so they go looking, and the color step is actually a later menu.

| Task | Where to find it | What it does |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Create a label | Left sidebar, Create new label icon beside Labels | Opens the dialog with the name box |
| Nest a label | Create dialog, Nest label under | Places the new label under a parent |
| Set a color | Sidebar, More, Label color | Changes the label color after creation |
| Show or hide | Settings > See all settings > Labels | Controls which labels appear in the sidebar |
| Turn on shortcuts | Settings > See all settings | Enables l, v, and g then l |
| Rename or remove | Sidebar, More, Edit or Remove label | Changes or removes a label |

_Where each label setting lives in Gmail on the web._

## Nest a label under a parent

Nesting puts one label inside another. A freelancer might use Clients at the top, then one child label per client. The child sits under its parent in the sidebar, so related mail stays grouped.

To nest, tick Nest label under when you create the label, then pick the parent from the list. Google's article does not state a maximum nesting depth or a maximum name length. Before you build a deep tree like Work > Clients > Acme > Invoices, test two or three levels and check how the sidebar looks on your screen.

Nesting is optional. A flat list of labels is easier to scan than a tree you cannot remember building. Start flat, and nest only when a group clearly belongs together.

## Give a label a color

Hover over the label in the sidebar, click More, then choose Label color. The same menu offers Edit and Remove label. Read the menu before you click, because the options sit close together.

Gmail allows up to 100 custom label colors. Each combination of background and text color counts as one. If a new custom color won't save, you have probably reached that limit. Pick a standard color, or reuse a custom color you already made, and the save should go through.

Treat custom colors like a budget. Pick a small set and give each one a job, such as red for overdue clients or grey for archived work. A color that means three things stops helping you.

## Use keyboard shortcuts with labels

Three label shortcuts speed up sorting. They only work when keyboard shortcuts are turned on.

- l opens the label menu for the selected mail, so you can apply a label.
- v opens the move to menu, which moves the mail to a label.
- g then l goes to a label. Press g, release it, then press l.

Turn shortcuts on from Settings gear > See all settings. Scroll to Keyboard shortcuts, select Keyboard shortcuts on, and click Save Changes. Google's shortcut page says Mac and PC differ, with Ctrl used on a PC where Mac uses ⌘. None of the three label shortcuts use ⌘, ⌥, ⌃, or ⇧.

The only Mac-only shortcut on that page is ⌘ ; for the next misspelled word. It is not a label shortcut, but it sits on the same list, so you may see it while you read.

## Show and hide labels in the sidebar

A label can exist but stay out of the sidebar. Go to Settings > See all settings, open the Labels tab, and click Show or Hide next to the label. Google describes this as showing or hiding a label in the label list.

Show or Hide changes what the sidebar displays. Use Edit or Remove label from the More menu when you want to change the label itself. Hiding a label is the safer move if you only want a shorter list.

## How labels behave in conversation view

Conversation view groups replies into one thread. Google's article says that with conversation view on, a label applies only to existing messages, not to new replies.

Here is a worked example. You label a client thread on Monday. The client replies on Tuesday. That reply does not pick up the label, so a view built around that label can miss it. Check the thread before you archive it, and label the reply by hand.

With conversation view off, a label applies only to the specific messages you labeled. Test one thread before you rely on a label to catch every reply. A quick test saves a lot of missed mail.

## Mistakes people make with Gmail labels

- Looking for a color in the create dialog. Set color afterward with More, then Label color.
- Hiding a label to delete it. Show or Hide only changes the sidebar list.
- Clicking Remove label without reading the menu, since it sits next to Edit and Label color.
- Building a deep nest before checking how the sidebar looks on screen.
- Thinking the l key is broken when keyboard shortcuts are still off.

A simple habit prevents most of these. Create the label, check the sidebar, and only then add a color or a nest.

## Make Gmail open in its own window with Safari

Safari can turn a website into an app icon in the Dock. Open mail.google.com in Safari, click the Share button in the toolbar, choose Add to Dock, then click Add. The Gmail icon then appears in the Dock and in Applications.

![MacBook on an office desk with an email inbox open, a Mac set up for how to create a label in Gmail](https://images.lazur.app/content-images/howto/create-a-label-in-gmail/how-to-create-a-label-in-gmail-2-88c16b.jpg)

This is a Safari web app. It is not a Google app, and Google does not publish it. Apple's guide says that if you were signed in to the website in Safari, you are usually signed in to the web app too. It loads the same Gmail account, so your labels are the same.

Apple's Safari guide has a version selector that lists macOS Sonoma 14, Sequoia 15, Tahoe 26, and macOS 27. The guide does not say which version added Add to Dock. Check Safari on your own Mac before you plan around a specific version.

## Chrome users: what carries over

Google's help article covers the Gmail web app, not one browser. The label steps should match in Chrome, and Settings and shortcuts should behave the same once the page loads. This guide did not verify Chrome-only steps for installing a Dock app, so use Safari for that option.

## Next steps after you create a label

A label on its own only sorts mail you move by hand. To send new mail to a label automatically, build a filter. The steps are in [how to create a filter in Gmail on Mac](https://www.lazur.app/how-to/create-a-filter-in-gmail).

If you also send mail later, see [how to schedule email in Gmail on Mac](https://www.lazur.app/how-to/schedule-an-email-to-send-later-in-gmail). Start with one label you use every week, then add the rest as you need them.

## Shortcuts

- Apply a label to selected mail: l
- Move selected mail to a label: v
- Go to a label: g then l
- Go to next misspelled word (Mac, per Google's list): ⌘ ;

## If it does not work

- **The label is missing from the sidebar** Go to Settings > See all settings, open the Labels tab, and click Show next to the label. Show or Hide controls what the sidebar displays.
- **A new custom color won't save** Gmail allows 100 custom label colors, and each background and text pair counts as one. Pick a standard color or reuse an existing custom color.
- **The l or v key does nothing** Turn on Keyboard shortcuts on under Settings > See all settings, then click Save Changes. Shortcuts stay off until you save that setting.
- **A reply did not pick up the label** With conversation view on, a label applies to existing messages, not new replies. Label the new reply by hand, or turn conversation view off if you need per-message labels.
- **Gmail won't open in its own window** This guide verified the Safari steps only. In Safari, open mail.google.com, click Share, choose Add to Dock, and click Add. Apple's page does not state the minimum macOS version.
- **I can't find the create icon** Check that you are on mail.google.com in a browser. Gmail has no Mac app, so the create icon is not in the Mac menu bar. Confirm you are signed in to the right account.

## With Lazur

Lazur is a voice assistant for the Mac that lives in the notch. Hold ⌥ ⌘ and ask; it sees your screen, answers out loud, points at buttons and walks you through apps. Hold fn to dictate. Free for 3 days, then $18/month: https://www.lazur.app/download

- “Walk me through making a label in Gmail.”: Lazur circles the Create new label icon beside Labels, then waits while you click it. It guides you one click at a time and does not click for you. (Walks you through it)

## FAQ

### Is there a Gmail app for Mac?

Gmail has no native Mac app, so you create labels in a browser at mail.google.com. Safari and Chrome both load the same web page. You can also add Gmail to the Dock in Safari, but that makes a Safari web app, not a Google app.

### How many labels can I make in Gmail?

Google's help article says Gmail allows up to 5,000 labels. Most people never get close. The limit that causes trouble is the 100 custom color cap, not the label count.

### Can I nest a label under another label?

Yes. Tick Nest label under when you create the label, then pick the parent. Google's article does not state a maximum nesting depth, so test a deep tree before you build it out.

### Can I rename a label after I create it?

Yes. Hover over the label in the sidebar, click More, and choose Edit. The same menu also offers Label color and Remove label.

### Why doesn't the create dialog let me pick a color?

The create dialog does not show a color option. Hover over the label in the sidebar, click More, and choose Label color. Custom colors are capped at 100 per account.

### Does Show or Hide delete a label?

No. Show or Hide controls whether a label appears in the sidebar list. To change the label itself, use Edit or Remove label from the More menu.

### Why won't my new label color save?

Gmail allows 100 custom label colors, and each background and text pair counts as one. If the save fails, switch to a standard color or reuse an existing custom color.

### Can I make Gmail open in its own window on Mac?

Yes, in Safari. Click Share, choose Add to Dock, then click Add. Apple's guide calls this a Safari web app. It is not a Google app, and Apple's page does not state the macOS version that added it.

## Sources

1. [Gmail Help: Create and manage labels (computer)](https://support.google.com/mail/answer/118708?hl=en), Google, checked 2026-11-07
2. [Gmail Help: Gmail Keyboard shortcuts](https://support.google.com/mail/answer/6594?hl=en), Google, checked 2026-11-07
3. [Apple Support: Turn a website into an app in Safari on Mac](https://support.apple.com/guide/safari/add-to-dock-ibrw9e991864/mac), Apple, checked 2026-11-07