The Maximum Amount of Filters for Email Addresses in Gmail

One popular use of Gmail filters is forwarding to other email addresses. You are only allowed to create 20 individual filters that forward to different addresses. You can edit existing filters whenever you need to forward to different email addresses. The only way to bypass this limit is by combining filters if multiple filters apply to the same email address.

Gmail doesn't have any other limits outside of forwarding filters. You are allowed to create as many filters as you need to automate your tasks. Filters let you label and star messages for better organization. You can also archive specific messages. If you receive messages you don't want to read, create a filter to automatically delete them. If you find your messages in the Spam folder often, create a filter to keep certain messages in your regular inbox.

A single filter can contain multiple senders. Combining senders is a good way to bypass the 20 filter limit for forwarding. When typing senders in the “From” field, use “OR” between every sender you wish to include in the filter. Place parentheses around the entire “From” field, not individual email addresses. Combining is also a good way to limit the number of filters you create. The fewer filters you have, the easier it is to manage and edit them when you need to.

If you change accounts or someone else loves your filters, you can import and export filters. You can export filters one at a time so you only share the filters you want instead of all filters at once. Exporting your favorite filters is an ideal backup method should anything happen to your account. Exported filters can be edited in any text editor that supports the XML format.