How to Get Rid of the Red Number on the iPhone Mail App

To get rid of the red number on the Mail icon without touching your email, go to Settings > Apps > Mail > Notifications > Customize Notifications, tap each email account, and turn off Badges. If you’d rather clear the number by dealing with the mail itself, mark the unread messages as read in the Mail app.

These steps are for Apple’s Mail app on iOS 26 and iOS 27. The red number is called a badge, and it shows how many unread emails Mail is counting. Hiding the badge doesn’t delete anything, doesn’t mark mail as read, and doesn’t stop new messages from arriving. Apple covers the per-account switch in its Mail notifications support article.

Which Fix Do You Want?

• Hide the number but keep your mail unread: turn off Badges. This is the quickest fix if you have hundreds of old newsletters you don’t plan to open.
• Make the number go to zero: mark messages as read. The count drops because there’s nothing unread left.
• Make the number match what you see in Mail: change the Badge Count setting, covered further down.

If the number is on a different icon, such as the separate Gmail or Outlook app, you need that app’s settings instead. Apple Mail and the Gmail app each have their own entry under Settings > Notifications.

Turn Off the Mail Badge for Each Account

Mail keeps a separate badge setting for every account you’ve added, so you can hide the count for a personal inbox and keep it for work.

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Scroll down and tap Apps, then tap Mail.
3. Tap Notifications. You’ll see the main Mail notification options.
4. Tap Customize Notifications near the bottom. A list of your email accounts appears.

5. Tap the account whose number you want to hide.
6. Turn off Badges. Leave Alerts on if you still want banners or Lock Screen notices when mail arrives.

7. Go back to Customize Notifications and repeat steps 5 and 6 for each other account.
8. Return to the Home Screen. The red number disappears once every account that had unread mail has its badge turned off.

You can also reach the same screen through Settings > Notifications > Mail.

Mark Your Unread Emails as Read

If you want the count gone because you’ve actually dealt with the mail, mark the messages as read. This changes the messages themselves, and on most accounts (iCloud, Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo) the read status syncs to your other devices and to webmail.

1. Open Mail and go to the mailbox you want to clean up, such as All Inboxes or one account’s inbox.
2. Tap the More button at the top of the message list, then tap Select. Circles appear next to each message.
3. Tap the messages you want to mark, or tap Select All at the top of the screen to pick every message in the list.
4. Tap Mark at the bottom of the screen.
5. Tap Mark as Read. The blue unread dots go away and the badge count drops.

For a single email, swipe right on it in the list and tap Read. To find stragglers, tap the filter button in the mailbox and choose Unread so only unread messages show.

One warning if you use Mail’s categories (Primary, Transactions, Updates, and Promotions): selecting a message in Transactions, Updates, or Promotions can select all messages from that sender in the category. Check what’s selected before you tap Mark.

Why the Number Doesn’t Match Your Unread Mail

Since iOS 18.2, when Mail’s categories view is on, the badge counts only unread messages in Primary by default. That’s why you might see a small number on the icon while hundreds of unread promotions sit in another tab. To count everything instead:

1. Go to Settings > Apps > Mail > Notifications > Customize Notifications.
2. Under Badge Count, tap All Unread Messages.

This changes what the badge counts. It doesn’t hide it. If your goal is no number at all, use the Badges switches above.

If the Red Number Won’t Go Away

• Another account still has badges on. Go back to Customize Notifications and check every account in the list, including ones you rarely use. One account with unread mail is enough to keep a number on the icon.
• You changed the wrong app. If the badge is on the Gmail, Outlook, or Yahoo Mail app, open Settings > Notifications, pick that app, and turn off its Badges switch.
• The number is on a different icon. A red number on the App Store comes from app updates, not email. See how to get rid of the number on the App Store icon.
• Your inbox looks empty but the count stays. Check other accounts and other mailboxes, and turn off any filter in the message list. Unread mail can also sit in a folder you don’t usually open.
• The icon hasn’t updated. Open and close Mail, then restart the iPhone if the old number is still showing. Also check Settings > General > Software Update for an update.

You don’t need to delete your email account or reset your iPhone to remove a badge. Those steps are far bigger than the problem.

Turn the Mail Badge Back On

Go back to Settings > Apps > Mail > Notifications, open Customize Notifications and turn Badges back on for each account you want counted. The number reappears the next time Mail has unread messages to count. Turning badges back on doesn’t make read messages unread again.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I remove the red number without reading thousands of emails?

Yes. Turn off Badges for Mail and its accounts. Your messages stay unread, so you can still spot them inside Mail by their blue dots.

Will I still get new email notifications?

Yes, as long as Allow Notifications and the account’s Alerts switch stay on. Badges, alerts, and sounds are separate controls, so turning off the number leaves the others alone.

Does this hide the Mail badge on my iPad or Mac?

No. Each device has its own notification settings. On an iPad, follow our guide to removing the Mail badge on iPad. Marking mail as read is different: that usually syncs everywhere.

Can I turn off red numbers for all apps at once?

No. Badges are set app by app in Settings > Notifications. Our explainer on what iPhone badges are shows how to switch them off for other apps.

Why does my count only include some unread emails?

If you use Mail’s categories, the badge counts Primary by default. Change Badge Count to All Unread Messages to include Transactions, Updates, and Promotions.