I’m not sure what platform you’re on, but I suspect you’re just overlooking the Delete button. As far as I can remember, Gmail has always had a dedicated Delete

I’m not sure what platform you’re on, but I suspect you’re just overlooking the Delete button. As far as I can remember, Gmail has always had a dedicated Delete button that moves a message to the Trash folder, though its position in the toolbar has changed at least once in Gmail’s lifetime. After selecting or hovering over a message, look for the button with a trash can icon. On Gmail’s desktop website, it’s currently the fourth button from the left in the toolbar (next to Report Spam). On Gmail for Android, or when hovering over a message on the desktop website, it’s the third button from the right (next to Archive).