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# Gmail: “Plus-sign” trick explained
- URL: https://www.jeffsu.org/productivity-ping-80/
- Published: 2023-03-21T13:00:37.000Z
- Updated: 2025-09-05T13:07:16.000Z
- Description: #80
- Author: Jeff
- Tags: #newsletter, Gmail

*(you can* [*filter previous editions*](https://www.jeffsu.org/filter-previous-editions-by-app/) *by application!)*

No Workspace Edition this week so I wanted to expand on a Gmail tip I receive lots of questions on:

## Using the plus sign + in Gmail

As a refresher, Gmail still recognizes your address even if you append a plus sign “+” after your username

- For example, if Satya’s email address is ‘satya@gmail.com’, he will still receive emails sent to ‘satya+chatgpt@gmail.com’

(please don't all email him at once, he trusted me with his email address 😉)

## When should I use this?

The most common use case is to sign up for newsletters and pair it with a Gmail filter. For example:

- I sign up for all my newsletters using ‘jeff+newsletters@gmail.com’

Then I create a filter within Gmail tagging emails sent to that address with a “Newsletter” label and Skip the Inbox so I can control when I read the newsletters:

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/85/db858a9d-1c4f-4993-8042-faa87b9bb3c1/content/images/2023/03/CleanShot-2023-03-21-at-09.14.06@2x.png)

Include your username+newsletters in the "To" field

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/85/db858a9d-1c4f-4993-8042-faa87b9bb3c1/content/images/2023/03/CleanShot-2023-03-21-at-09.14.57@2x.png)

Archive the email and apply the label: Newsletters

## Other use cases

I have a ‘jeff+trips@gmail.com’ for booking hotels, cars, trains, and flights.

Pair this with a “Trips” label and you can view all your confirmation emails in 1 place 🛫

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/85/db858a9d-1c4f-4993-8042-faa87b9bb3c1/content/images/2023/03/CleanShot-2023-03-21-at-09.16.07@2x.png)

I use this alias whenever I book travel

Inbox zero users should be familiar with ‘jeff+waiting@gmail.com’ so whenever you compose an email and include that alias in the bcc field, you receive a “waiting” email automatically.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/85/db858a9d-1c4f-4993-8042-faa87b9bb3c1/content/images/2023/03/image-29.png)

I am a sneaky spy

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/85/db858a9d-1c4f-4993-8042-faa87b9bb3c1/content/images/2023/03/image-30.png)

Email will be automatically tagged as waiting after you send it out!

Would love to hear ways you use this plus sign trick!

[I have a cool use case as well!](https://www.jeffsu.org/productivity-ping-80/#ghost-comments-root)

## ⌨️ Keyboard shortcut

- CMD + SHIFT + B to toggle on bcc in compose (CTRL + SHIFT + B for Windows users)

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