Open All Mail or use Gmail search. Archived messages remain in Gmail but do not have the Inbox label.
Step by Step
- Open Gmail.
- Select More if needed, then All Mail.
- Use the search box to search by sender, subject, date, or words in the message.
- An archived message can appear in All Mail even though it is not in Inbox.
- Open the message and use Move to Inbox if you want it back in the Inbox.
If That Doesn't Work
- Archived mail is different from Trash.
- Gmail search operators such as from:, subject:, before:, and after: can narrow the search.