Gmail’s Bin and Trash folders?
Q
I wonder if you can help me with something that isn’t a problem but does to me seem rather odd. My wife and I both use Gmail on our respective Windows 10 laptops, and have done for several years. Recently, while reading an email from a mutual friend over the shoulder of my wife, I noticed that she has a folder in her Gmail called Trash. However, on my laptop the folder in the same position in the list is called Bin. A bit of experimenting shows that they both seem to serve the same purpose, which is as a place for deleted emails to go – but why would these folders have different names on two different laptops? Arnold Read
A
This might be the first time we’ve had to say that, actually, there is no difference. The Bin and Trash are simply different labels for exactly the same thing. And that, as you note, is as a holding place for deleted emails – with messages stored under the Bin or Trash label being purged after 30 days.
As for the differing names, it all comes down to regional predilections. Here in Blightly, we tend to refer to the place where we put our rubbish as the ‘dustbin’ or ‘bin’, while our American cousins like to take out the ‘trash’.
So, what’s going on here is that on your wife’s computer the Gmail account is set up with American as the default ‘display language’. You have the UK set, so you see ‘Bin’ while she sees ‘Trash’.
So, it makes no practical difference but if she wishes to ‘fix’ what she sees, here’s what to do. First, in Gmail, click the Settings cog at the top right and then click Settings (see screenshot 1 ). Next, click to select the General tab and then, next to Language, click to open the dropdown menu and then choose ‘English (UK)’ (see screenshot 2 ). Finally, scroll to the bottom of the page and click Save Changes.
Want to know the difference between technical terms? Email noproblem@ computeractive.co.uk