Increase the Number of Visible Messages in Your Gmail Inbox

Here is a way to make unread mail--and, for that matter, all mail--more readily visible. Gmail gives you the option of increasing the number of conversations that are visible at a time. Here's how to find it:

1. Start your Web browser and head to Gmail.

2. Click the little gear icon in the upper right corner, then click Mail settings.

3. Near the top of the General tab you'll see Maximum Page Size. Click the arrow in Show X conversations per page and change the number from the default (usually 25) to 50 or 100.

4. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click Save changes.

You'll notice that your inbox just got "longer." Now you can see more of your mail at one time, both read and unread.