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Unable to view some labels in Gmail

We see lots of questions on this topic in the Gmail Help Forum and in my opinion, this is one of the topics which requires some detailed explanation because there could be different reasons behind this.

  • Your labels could be collapsed.
We have previously discussed how the new Gmail comes with "collapsible" left panel label options. So, the first option is to check if that is why you are unable to view your labels. Here are the comparative screenshots of how the left panel looks when collapsed and expanded.
 
If this is the case, simply clicking on the 3-bar option, as is indicated by the arrow in the second screenshot will allow the left-panel to remain expanded for your easy navigation.
  • You need to scroll the Labels section or drag-down/hide the Hangouts Chat section.
By default, the Hangouts Chat list is placed on the bottom-left corner of the screen, sharing the same panel with labels.
You have three options to resolve this. (a) Use the scrollbar indicated by the top arrow to navigate to your intended label, (b) Click to grab the separator indicated by the middle arrow to drag the Hangouts Chat section down and (c) Click on the Hangouts Chat icon as indicated by the bottom arrow to temporarily hide Hangouts Chat contacts list to see more labels.
Based on your performed action, you should be able to see your intended label. Here are the final screenshots:

  •  Look under the Labels tab under Gmail Settings.
Anything under "More" in the left panel showing labels is set to "Hide" in label settings. It could also be that the specific label is set as "Show if unread". If you don't want anything to be hidden, set them as "Show".
Included below is a screenshot from the Labels tab under Gmail Settings. It shows the status of labels set to (1) Show, (2) Hide and (3) Show if unread.  So, if you need to set labels as Show, you need to click on the "Show" link for labels that are presently set to "Hide" or "Show if unread".

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