Fun with Gmail Tabs via IMAP

Like Gmail tabs? Want their categories to trickle down into your email client, if you’re not using Gmail's email client? Do you ever wish that the categories would show up as IMAP folders in Thunderbird? If you’ve answered yes to any of these questions, this clever hack might be the one for you.

As noted here and elsewhere, Gmail tabs aren’t directly exposed to IMAP. There is no “Promotions” folder that shows up automatically when using a third party email client. Unless…you do this!

Just create a filter for each category match, and map it to a particular label. Create the labels as needed, and now those will map to folders in your email client.

• Matches: category:Purchases
  Do this: Apply label "Tabs/Purchases"
• Matches: category:Reservations
  Do this: Apply label "Tabs/Reservations"
• Matches: category:Forums
  Do this: Apply label "Tabs/Forums"
• Matches: category:Updates
  Do this: Apply label "Tabs/Updates"
• Matches: category:Promotions
  Do this: Apply label "Tabs/Promotions"
• Matches: category:Social
  Do this: Apply label "Tabs/Social"
• Matches: category:Primary
  Do this: Apply label "Tabs/Primary"

This can also come in handy if you’re an email geek like me, who signs up for a bunch of email marketing messages and/or newsletters, and you want to see where they’re landing.

Have fun!