In Spark, you can set up a smart folder to filter emails by sender, attachments, or content. A smart folder gives you quick access to chosen emails and makes your inbox more organized. For example, if you travel frequently, set up a smart folder for your tickets and reservations, and they appear in a separate folder on the sidebar.
Spark understands natural language; you can type “bookings from Airbnb this year,” and the app finds the referenced emails to create a folder.
Note: For Gmail accounts, Smart Folders show emails from all folders except Trash and Spam. For non-Gmail accounts, Spark looks for emails in Inbox and Archive unless you specify the folder name in your search query.
Note: Spark for Android currently doesn’t support smart folders, but we’re going to add this feature soon.
Set up a smart folder
Please note: Smart folders exist only in Spark and don't display on the web page of your email account.
There are several ways to create a smart folder in Spark.
Add a smart folder from the sidebar
- Click More on the sidebar.
- Select Create Smart Folder (or Smart Folders > Create Smart Folder).
- In the Name field, type the name of your folder.
- Use the search field to filter the needed emails. Type the word or phrase you’re looking for and press Enter.
You can add “last week,” “this year,” etc. to filter emails by date.
If you need the emails from a specific sender, enter “from,” start typing the name or an email and choose the sender from the list. To find emails from multiple people, separate the email addresses with commas.
For emails with attachments, type “attachment,” “pdf,” or “document.” Learn more about how Spark smart search works.
- By default, Spark shows emails from all your accounts. If you need messages only from a particular account, click All Accounts and select the needed one.
- When you’re finished, click Create.
You can access smart folders in the Favorites section at the bottom of the sidebar.
Add a smart folder via search
- Click on the search field in Spark.
- Type your query and press Enter.
- Click on the folder icon on the right to create a smart folder with these emails.
- Enter the name of the smart folder and click OK. Now, it’s available at the bottom of the sidebar.
Add a smart folder via Spark Preferences
- Click Spark at the top left of your screen.
- Choose Preferences > Folders.
- Click on the plus icon at the bottom left and choose Smart Folder.
- Type the folder name, filter the needed emails and click Create.
- On the list of folders, tick your new smart folder to keep it on the sidebar.
- Tap the menu icon
at the top left.
- On the sidebar, select Edit list.
- Scroll down and tap Add Smart Folder.
- Tap Please, select filter and start searching for the needed emails. For example, if you want all the emails with PDF attachments from your colleague, enter “pdf from…”, start typing a person’s name or email, and Spark suggests the results. Learn more on how to use search in Spark.
Note: If you search for emails from multiple people, choose the first person on the list, insert a comma, and start typing the second name or email.
- After creating the filter, tap Save.
- In the Name field, type the name of your folder.
- In the Accounts section, select the accounts to use with this smart folder.
- Tap Add at the top right.
- To add your new smart folder to the sidebar, tap the plus sign near it.
- Tap Save at the top right. Now, this folder is available on the sidebar.
Edit a smart folder
- Right-click on the smart folder on the sidebar.
- Select Edit.
- Change the folder name, filter, and selected accounts and click OK.
- If you want to color-code a folder, right click on it and select Change Folder Color.
- Tap the menu icon
at the top left. - On the sidebar, tap Edit list.
- To edit a smart folder, you need to remove it from the sidebar first. Find your folder on the list and tap the minus sign near
- Scroll down and tap the More icon
near the smart folder.
- Select Edit.
- Here, you can change the filter rules, folder name, and manage the accounts for your smart folder.
- After applying changes, tap Save. The edited folder is added to the sidebar.
Delete a smart folder
- Click Spark at the top left of your screen.
- Open Preferences > Folders > Smart Folders.
- Select the smart folder you want to delete and click on the minus icon at the bottom left.
Alternatively, you can find the smart folder on the sidebar, right-click on it and choose Delete.
Note: When you delete a smart folder, the emails it contains aren’t affected. They are still available in your inbox.
Please make sure you delete a smart folder, not an ordinary folder (e.g. Important, Drafts, etc.). The emails in ordinary folders will be deleted, and this action can’t be undone. You can only delete a smart folder without losing your emails.
- Tap the menu icon
at the top left. - On the sidebar, tap Edit list.
- To edit a smart folder, you need to remove it from the sidebar first. Find your folder on the list and tap the minus sign near it.
- Scroll down and tap the More icon near the smart folder.
- Select Remove Folder.
Note: When you delete a smart folder, the emails it contains aren’t affected. They are still available in your inbox.
Please make sure you delete a smart folder, not an ordinary folder (e.g. Important, Drafts, etc.). The emails in ordinary folders will be deleted, and this action can’t be undone. You can only delete a smart folder without losing your emails.