Whether you're applying for a new job or signing up for a newsletter you're highly interested in, keeping emails out of your promotions tab in Gmail can be crucial to getting the content you need.

Let's learn what is causing the problem and how to move your emails from the Promotions tab to the Primary tab, so you don't lose your important emails in the bog.

Why Are My Important Emails Going Into the Promotion Tab?

There could be a few reasons behind this issue. Gmail's algorithm scans every new email based on several factors to decide which tab an email is placed in. If the content of the email is similar to the ones used typically in promotional emails or has a bunch of images and links attached, it might end up in the Promotional tab.

Apart from this, if the sender has a poor reputation (high number of spam complaints or low engagement rate), Gmail's algorithm might identify the email as unimportant and send it to the Promotional tab instead of the Primary tab. So, here are some simple methods that will help you fix the problem for good, regardless of the cause. Let's go through them.

1. Drag and Drop Emails Into the Primary Tab

The simplest way to stop important emails from landing in your Promotions tab is to drag and drop that email into your Primary tab.

  1. Open Gmail and find the email in your Promotions tab.
  2. Drag and drop the email from Promotions to Primary. You'll see the Primary tab turn red when you've done this successfully.
dragging email from promotions to primary gmail

After moving your email from Promotions to Primary, you'll also see a temporary popup in the corner. It asks whether you want Google to move future emails coming from this email address directly to your Primary tab instead of the Promotions tab.

Select Yes to make the change permanent.

popup in gmail that asks the user whether they want to move future messages from promotions to primary

Otherwise, open any emails from this sender when they arrive in your Primary tab. This helps Google understand that you value these emails and that they deserve to be in the Primary tab.

If you don't, Google could assume that as you aren't opening these emails, they are promotional and should continue to be automatically categorized under your Promotions tab. You can also use the Star or Important marker in Gmail to mark the email as important.

2. Create a Filter

Another way is to add a filter for the sender's email address. This ensures that all the emails you don't want to miss will be automatically moved from your Promotions tab to your Primary tab.

  1. Find the email in your Promotions tab and click it to open.
  2. Click on the three dots and then click on Filter messages like this.
    filter message options in gmail
  3. Double-check the sender address to ensure it is correct, and click the Create filter button. If you don't see the sender address in the From field, simply copy the address from an email you received from them and paste it here.
    filtering message options in gmail
  4. Check the Never send it to Spam and Categorize as options from the list.
  5. Select the Primary option from the dropdown list next to Categorize as.
  6. Click on the Create filter button.
    selecting filtering options for messages in gmail

Once you have created this filter, every email sent from this exact address will be automatically sent to your Primary tab. You can edit your filters later if you need to adjust your settings.

3. Add Emails to Your Contacts

If a company or person you know is sending emails to your inbox, but they keep ending up in the Promotions tab, add them to your contact list so that all future emails will be sent to your Primary tab.

  1. Open the email in your Promotions tab.
  2. Hover your mouse over their sender address or profile picture. Click on Open detailed view.
    sender details in gmail
  3. Click on the icon with a person with a plus symbol next to them.
adding sender to contacts in gmail

Once you click on the icon, it will add that sender address to your personal contacts, and you'll see a popup at the bottom of your screen confirming the action.

You can always manage these contacts in Gmail at a later time if you decide, in the future, you'd like to remove the sender from your contacts.

4. Use the "Not Promotions" Button

On the left-hand side of your screen in your email inbox, you'll see default and custom sections for all your emails. Learning the different terms and areas of your Gmail inbox will make it easier in the future to navigate and find what you're looking for.

  1. Click on More to expand the list. Click on the Categories section to expand again.
  2. Click on Promotions.
    accessing promotions tab through categories
  3. Find the email and click to open it.
  4. Click on the Not "Promotions" button at the top left.
    clicking not promotions option in gmail

This will keep any emails from this sender from ending up in your Promotions tab. You won't be able to see the button in your regular Promotions tab, so you must navigate to this specific section of your inbox to see this option.

You'll notice that this section has all the current emails in your Promotions tab, but it also includes all the emails sent to your Promotions tab over time. It's a great chance to delete the older messages you no longer need and clean up some space in your inbox.

5. Disable Your Promotions Tab

You can disable your Promotions tab altogether if none of the above options work out. This solution is the last resort, as disabling the specialized tab will move all promotional emails into your Primary tab.

However, this option will allow you to filter your messages without relying on Google to do all the work for you.

  1. Click on the gear icon next to your thumbnail picture.
  2. Click on See all settings.
    quick settings menu in gmail
  3. Navigate to the Inbox section of your settings.
  4. Uncheck the Promotions option. You can also manage other tabs you want to show in your inbox.
    inbox settings in gmail
  5. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click Save Changes.
    saving changes in gmail settings

Now you can check your inbox and double-check that the Promotions tab has been disabled. All your emails should move from Promotions directly into your Primary tab from here on out, and it will be up to you to sort your Gmail inbox.

You can always navigate back to this area of your settings to manage your tabs if you decide it's too much to filter out all messages on your own.

Disabling your Promotions tab may help you manage your inbox more effectively if you're receiving emails you don't want by unsubscribing and decreasing the number of emails you receive.

Move Your Emails From Promotions to Primary in Gmail

You have several options for keeping important emails out of your Promotions tab, depending on who the sender is and your relation to them. You can drag and drop the email, create a filter, add the sender to your contact list, and more.

Moving emails from Promotions to Primary once and for all is easy. Knowing all your options will help you fine-tune your email filters so that Google doesn't take free rein of your inbox.