Gmail's New Tab Feature

Inbox tabs and category labels

Gmail just rolled out one of its best features in years: Inbox tabs. (Actually, the feature was announced back in May, but is only just now starting to roll out to users.)

For example, all your notifications from social-media services (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, etc.) will now be sorted into the Social tab, while offers from Groupon, LivingSocial, and other advertisers will land under Promos.

If you're not yet seeing tabs when you sign into Gmail (in your Web browser, natch) or you want to make changes to the settings, do this:

If you’re using a custom inbox style like Priority Inbox, you won’t see tabs until you turn them on. Here’s how:

1. Open Gmail.
2. Click the  in the upper right, then select Configure inbox.
3. Check the boxes of the tabs you want to see.
4. Click Save.

Tabs:

Primary	Messages from friends and family, as well as any other messages that don’t appear in other tabs.
Promotions	Your deals, offers, and other promotional emails.
Social	Messages from social networks, media-sharing sites, online dating services, gaming platforms, and other social websites.
Updates	Notifications such as confirmations, receipts, bills, and statements.
Forums	Messages from online groups, discussion boards, and mailing lists.