Google has recently pushed out a new tabbed interface to Gmail users, with the intent of wanting to make it easier to organize inboxes (although some might allege Google’s secret intention was to show spam-like ads [1]). If you are like me, the new tabbed interface is actually more confusing than helpful. As such, you probably want a way to be able to turn it off. If so then you are in the right place. This article shows you how to disable, turn off, and remove the new ‘Primary’, ‘Social’, and ‘Promotions’ tabs in Gmail.
HOW TO DISABLE, TURN OFF, AND REMOVE NEW ‘PRIMARY’, ‘SOCIAL’, and ‘PROMOTIONS’ TABS IN GMAIL
To disable, turn off, and remove the new ‘Primary’, ‘Social’, and ‘Promotions’ tabs in Gmail, do the following:
- Go to http://gmail.com [2].
- Login with your username and password, if you are not logged in already.
- Once you are at your inbox, click on the gear icon near the top-right corner and then click on ‘Configure inbox’:
[3]
- Now you should see a ‘Select tabs to enable’ popup. In that popup, uncheck the boxes next to ‘Social’ and ‘Promotions’; take note you will not be able to uncheck the box next to ‘Primary’ and you don’t need to uncheck it to disable the tabs:
[4]
- Now hit ‘Save’:
[5]
- Done! There should no longer be any ‘Primary’, ‘Social’, and ‘Promotions’ tabs in your Gmail inbox.
Enjoy!