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See Only Emails with Attachments Using This Secret iPhone Mail Trick

Apr 19, 2016 07:21 PM
Jul 5, 2016 06:06 PM
Email application interface showing email folders and account settings.

If you get a ton of emails each day, your mailbox probably has thousands of unread messages, and that annoying badge icon will keep reminding you of it. Fortunately, iOS comes with some tools to help you bring some sense of order to that chaotic mailbox of yours.

One such tool will help you locate all of the emails that have attachments, which can really help when figuring out how to clean up your inbox. The feature is tucked away (and not in your Settings), but it's fairly easy to access on any iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch, as you'll see below.

Open Up Mail

Open up that Mail app of yours with thousands of unread emails.

Mail, Messages, Music, and Phone app icons with notification badge on Mail.

Go to Mailboxes

Head to your main "Mailboxes" view if you're not there already, then select the "Edit" option in the top right.

Email inbox interface with various mail accounts listed and an edit option highlighted.
Email inboxes on a mobile device.
Email inbox interface with various mail accounts listed and an edit option highlighted.
Email inboxes on a mobile device.

Select Attachments

In this view, you can see all of the options that you can add or take away from the main Mailboxes view in the Mail app. In our case, we want "Attachments," so tick that and select "Done" the top tight.

Email application interface showing mailbox options with "Attachments" highlighted.
Email inbox with various accounts listed, highlighting the 'Done' button.
Email application interface showing mailbox options with "Attachments" highlighted.
Email inbox with various accounts listed, highlighting the 'Done' button.

View Attachments Only!

After pressing "Done," you should be automatically redirected to the Mailboxes view where you'll see your new "Attachments" option. It may not have a number of unread emails next to it just yet since you just added the option to your list, but give it some time and it will.

Email app interface showing the mailbox with 'Attachments' highlighted.
See Only Emails with Attachments Using This Secret iPhone Mail Trick
Email app interface showing the mailbox with 'Attachments' highlighted.
See Only Emails with Attachments Using This Secret iPhone Mail Trick

If you end up using this new option a lot, you can go back into the "Edit" view and rearrange it in the list so that it shows up higher in the Mailboxes view. And if for any reason you don't want this option anymore, just go back into "Edit" and deselect the "Attachments" option.

Having a central hub for emails with attachments can definitely be a massive timesaver. I know it is for me.

There's an Easier Way to Search for Attachments in iOS 10

In the updated Mail app for iOS 10, the process above still works for seeing emails with attachments only, but there's a few additional features that lets you find attachments in individual searches. First, you can start a regular search, which will present you with some default options before you start typing, one of which includes "Messages with Attachments."

Search suggestions on a messaging app.
See Only Emails with Attachments Using This Secret iPhone Mail Trick
Search suggestions on a messaging app.
See Only Emails with Attachments Using This Secret iPhone Mail Trick

Second, you can simply hit the new Filter button at the bottom of a folder, tap on "Filtered by" to the right of it, then toggle on "Only Mail with Attachments."

See Only Emails with Attachments Using This Secret iPhone Mail Trick
See Only Emails with Attachments Using This Secret iPhone Mail Trick
See Only Emails with Attachments Using This Secret iPhone Mail Trick
See Only Emails with Attachments Using This Secret iPhone Mail Trick

More iOS Mail Tricks:

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Cover image and screenshots by Justin Meyers/Gadget Hacks

The next big software update for iPhone is coming sometime in April and will include a Food section in Apple News+, an easy-to-miss new Ambient Music app, Priority Notifications thanks to Apple Intelligence, and updates to apps like Mail, Photos, Podcasts, and Safari. See what else is coming to your iPhone with the iOS 18.4 update.

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