Email this article to a friend

Rename, Split and Merge tags

In addition to simple renaming of tags, you can combine two or more existing tags into one, or split existing tags into multiples.

Rename tags

Easily rename existing tags:

1. Open the mailbox associated with the tag
2. Existing tags display in a list on the left, below the folders. Click (edit) next to the Tags header
3. Click the Rename tab
4. Click the arrow next to the Old Tag field and scroll down the list to select the existing tag you wish to rename
5. In the New Tag Name field, type in the new name for the tag
6. Click Rename
7. All messages tagged with the old tag name will show the new, renamed tag instead.

Split tags

This feature is useful if you had a general category and would like to create more specific subdivisions within it, going forward.

1. Open the mailbox associated with the tag
2. Existing tags display in a list on the left, below the folders. Click (edit) next to the Tags header
3. Click the Split tab
4. Click the arrow next to the Old Tag field and scroll down the list to select the existing tag you wish to split
5. Type in an additional, New Tag Name to apply to all messages currently using this tag
6. Click Split

Example

A user had created a tag named "Trade show" and applied it to multiple messages. However, these messages were all about last year's trade show, and the user wanted a way to distinguish them from the current year's show. The user split the "Trade show" tag by adding a new tag for "2008 Trade Show". Any new conversations related to the upcoming trade were tagged both with "Trade Show" and "2009 Trade Show," so the user could quickly find all trade emails, regardless of year, or filter the view by year.

TIP: Renaming also works

If you do not need to keep the more general original category, you can rename your existing tag to a more specific wording, and then creating a separate, equally specific tag for new emails which are part of a related category.

Merge tags

You can easily merge two tags into one by renaming one of them to match the other.

1. Open the mailbox associated with the tag
2. Existing tags display in a list on the left, below the folders. Click (edit) next to the Tags header
3. Click the Rename tab
4. Click the arrow next to the Old Tag field, and select the existing tag name you wish to merge into another
5. Click the arrow next to the New Tag Name field, and select the existing tag name into which the other tag will be merged
6. Click Rename
7. The tag you selected in the Old Tag Name field will be gone, and all messages tagged with that tag will now be tagged with the one from the New Tag Name field, instead.

Related Topics