In the last few weeks Google introduced new inbox display to Gmail. New tabs have been added to the list of your messages that help you to organize them better. However, there are also drawbacks to this solution - new ads appeared that look just like your e-mails. How to get rid of them?
The standard view of new Gmail comprises three tabs. The first one contains the most important messages, the other - information from social networking services, and the last one - discounts and other offers. This last section has become a kind of a virtual billboard for Google.
Luckily, turning off the new display is extremely simple. All you have to do is to go to Gmail setting (in the upper right corner) and then to the Inbox tab. Make sure that the Inbox type is set to Default.
Then turn off the Promotions in Displayed categories. This way you will get rid of discount messages. If you want to restore the old good Gmail completely untick also the Social panel. Once you go back to the Inbox these tabs should be gone.
The other categories are Updates and Forums. The first one contains automatically generated e-mails from for example your bank or Internet connection deliverer. The latter one shows notifications from forums, discussion groups and addressing lists.
I have turned off these tabs after a couple of minutes. I find them quite irritating and by no means useful, since it is much more convenient to create a couple of filters with appropriate labels. This way all the e-mails are visible instantly, without some superfluous clicking.
You can create labels in Gmail settings in the tabs called - surprisingly - Labels. Next you should teach the application your preferences. Every time you receive a message that should be pin-pointed in a certain way - create a specific filter.
You can do it by choosing More (a menu available after you open any e-mail) and clicking on Filter this kind of messages. You will be presented with a mini-wizard with an available option of Create a label. Once you have set up a filter, Gmail will treat the same all the messages that fulfill certain criteria.
