Gmail's new search results prioritize relevant emails over recent ones

What you need to know

• Gmail is rolling out a new, upgraded version of mail search that can prioritize "most relevant" results.
• Users can still manually sort "most recent" results to get the list in chronological order.
• The feature is rolling out now for personal Google accounts, and will eventually come to business accounts in the future.

Google is upgrading Gmail's search smarts with AI to prioritize relevant results over recent keyword hits, it announced in a blog post today, March 20. While the old version of search in Gmail showed the most recent keyword results in emails, the upgraded version will "now factor in elements like recency, most-clicked emails and frequent contacts."

The AI-powered search feature is arriving in Gmail as "Most relevant" results. Users can now toggle between "Most relevant" and "Most recent," depending on the situation. Previously, Gmail defaulted to showing "Most recent" search results, and that was the only option available.

"With this update, the emails you’re looking for are far more likely to be at the top of your search results — saving you valuable time and helping you find important information more easily," the company explains in the blog post.

You can see an example of how Gmail search results are changing in the graphic below, which shows the old results on the left and the new ones on the right.

The new version of search is rolling out worldwide in Gmail's web client, as well as the iOS and Android mobile apps. The feature will begin exclusive to personal Google accounts, though the company says it will expand upgraded Gmail search to business accounts "in the future."

Google has been steadily upgrading Gmail with artificial intelligence to make it easier to use, and more secure. At the end of last year, Gmail became equipped with a new AI model designed to thwart phishing scams in emails. This addition following similar scam-stopping AI features being added to Google Messages and Google Phone.

Time will tell whether users prefer the new version of Gmail search over the old one. For people who constantly have to scroll to find old emails, "Most relevant" results may be more helpful. For others, switching back to "Most recent" could be a better option.