Gmail Simplifies Email Organization with New Toolbar Buttons

Anyone accustomed to using folders to organize their e-mail can get flummoxed by Gmail's "label" system. But thanks to a couple new additions to the Gmail toolbar, labeling and archiving messages just got a little easier.

Labels are like tags for e-mail. And whereas an individual message can reside in only one folder, it can have multiple labels.

Previously, Gmail made labeling (and, by proxy, archiving) messages a somewhat confusing process. Thanks to the new Move To drop-down menu, however, all it takes is two clicks.

Meanwhile, the new Labels drop-down lets you add or remove multiple labels at a time.

The news is even better for fans of keyboard shortcuts: "v" takes you straight to the Move To menu, while "l" (that's a lowercase L) launches the Labels menu.

To put all this another way, a two key Gmail functions have broken away from the More Actions menu to claim their rightful spots on the toolbar. Good stuff!