How to see every email from one person in one place
“Where was that email from Anna with the contract?” Most of us have spent ten minutes on a question like that. The email is there somewhere, just not where we look. Here is how to pull everything from one person together, in a few seconds.
In Gmail
Gmail understands a few search words that do exactly this (Google’s list of search operators):
- Everything Anna sent you:
from:anna@example.com - Everything you sent Anna:
to:anna@example.com - Both directions at once:
from:anna@example.com OR to:anna@example.com - Only emails with files: add
has:attachment, for examplefrom:anna@example.com has:attachment
Type one of these into the search box at the top of Gmail and press Enter.
When one person has several addresses
This is where most searches fall apart. Anna writes from work during the day and from her private address at night, and an old address still pops up now and then. In Gmail you can combine them with OR:
from:anna@work.com OR from:anna@home.com OR to:anna@work.com OR to:anna@home.com
It works, but you have to remember every address, and you have to type it again next time.
In other email apps
Almost every email app has a search box that accepts an email address. The special search words differ from app to app, so if you need more than a simple search, look up your app’s help page for its search options.
Or let your inbox do it for you
This is the reason we built Chail the way we did. In Chail, every person is one chat. What you and Anna wrote sits in that chat, newest at the bottom, whether she used her work address or her private one. Her files have their own list in the chat details, one click away. The free plan shows the last 10 messages of each chat and the files of the last 30 days; Plus shows everything, back to the very first email.
There is nothing to search and nothing to remember. You click on Anna, and there she is.
Chail is free to start on Windows PCs. If you want to try it with your own inbox, it takes about two minutes to set up.
Questions
How do I find all emails from one person in Gmail?
Type from:name@example.com into the Gmail search box. To include the emails you sent to them, use from:name@example.com OR to:name@example.com.
How do I find only the emails with attachments?
Add has:attachment to the search, for example from:name@example.com has:attachment.
The person writes from two addresses. How do I see both?
Combine them with OR: from:anna@work.com OR from:anna@home.com. In Chail, both addresses of the same person end up in one chat.
Does this work in other email apps?
Most email apps have a search box that accepts an email address. The exact search words differ from app to app; Gmail’s are listed on Google’s help page.