Using tags to label and file conversations

Overview

Front supports nesting tags to categorize them in groups and allows you to drag messages from your inbox into a private tag or the Starred section to file them away.

When you connect a Gmail or Office 365 account, your Gmail labels and Outlook folders will be synced to Front automatically as tags. To learn more about tags, read Understanding tags.

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Using private tags like folders

How to add a tag to your sidebar

Private tags can be used as your personal folders. For a shortcut to conversations with important tags, add them to your sidebar. You can then drag and drop conversations from your Inbox to your private tags to file them away, or add private tags using the tag icon to mark and categorize them.

Step 1

Hover over any item currently in your sidebar, and click the three-dot menu, then Edit sidebar.

Step 2

In the edit menu, click Add private tags. Check off any tags you'd like to show in your sidebar.

Step 3

Click Save at the bottom of the Edit sidebar menu.

Once added to your sidebar, you will see the tags in your sidebar with their tag icons. A lock symbol next to the tag name means it's a private tag. You can show up to 500 tags in your sidebar.

Drag messages to private tags like folders

For any private tags shown in your sidebar, you can drag conversations into them like folders. Filing a conversation in a private tag does not affect other participants in the conversation, so you can organize your personal workflow the way you want. Similarly, when you drag and drop conversations into your Starred section of your sidebar, the conversation will also move out of the original inbox and be filed into the Starred section. You can un-star the conversation to return it to the original inbox.

Step 1

Add a private tag to your sidebar following the instructions above.

Step 2

Click and hold to drag a conversation from your inbox into a private tag in your sidebar. You can only drag conversations into private tags.

Step 3

The conversation will no longer be visible in your inbox. Find the conversation by clicking on your private tag, which acts as your private folder.

Note: Tags will be automatically added or removed from the conversation when you drag a conversation from your inbox into a tag or between tags.

The private Inbox tag

The Inbox tag is a default private tag added to every conversation (open, archived, snoozed, etc.) in your main Inbox section (your private inboxes, Shared with me, Assigned to me). That way, you know if a conversation lives in your inbox or in a private tag that you're using like a folder.

• If the conversation comes into your private inbox, gets assigned to you, or is shared to you, this tag will be automatically added since all of these are your own copies of the conversation that you can freely work with.
• The Inbox tag makes possible the ability to move conversations into a private tag to be used as a private folder. Once you drag-and-drop a conversation from your Inbox into a private tag, it will remove the Inbox tag, and add the private tag.
• You can always re-add the Inbox tag to a conversation if you want it to show up in your Inbox again, or drag-and-drop the conversation from your private tag back into your inbox.

Use quick rules to file messages

Here's how to quickly create rules to move messages from certain senders into private tags:

Step 1

Open an email, and click on any of the following:

• Three-dot menu at the top of the conversation
• A tag on the conversation
• Contact name in the email header
• Three-dot menu on the email message
• Three-dot menu next to a private tag in your sidebar

Step 2

From any of the above menus, click Create quick rule.

Step 3

The When a new message is received from field will already be populated with the contact name. Select a tag under the Move to field, which is where all future messages from this contact will be moved.

Step 4

Click Create to enable your rule. You can view or edit your rules anytime by clicking the gear icon on the top right of Front and into the Personal settings. Then select Rules from the left menu.

For more information on rules, see our article How to create a rule.

Use regular rules to file messages

You can also use rules to file messages from your inbox into private folders. This example will show how you can use a personal rule to file new inbound messages into a private tag:

Step 1

Click the gear icon on the top right of Front and into the Personal settings tab. 

Step 2

Select Rules in the left menu, then click the Add a rule button.

Step 3

Name your rule, and format the triggers like such:

WHEN inbound

IF conversation has tag “Inbox”

THEN add tag “Folder #1” 

Remove tag “Inbox”