Free Ways to Clear Gmail Space Without Deleting Important Emails

Summary: Even though Gmail is running out of storage, users are scared of deleting emails. As Google limits the free storage, we often find ways to free up space, but without deleting anything. So, if you are also searching for how to clean up Gmail storage without deleting important emails, this blog is for you. We will discuss some DIY methods and introduce you to the best professional tool- Aryson Email Eraser Tool. This will help you eliminate unnecessary emails based on several criteria. Let us explore how!. Download Now   Purchase Now

What do I do When my Gmail Storage is Full?

Freeing up storage space should be done in peace and not in a rush. Otherwise, you may end up losing important emails that can’t be recovered anyway. So, here are what you can do in general:

  • The process begins with identifying what’s eating up space.
  • Find unnecessary emails and other data that are no longer of use.
  • Remove clutter like old promotions, social emails, or large attachments.
  • Check for unwanted files in Google Drive and Google Photos.
  • Additionally, you can backup old emails locally or archive them.

Why is Your Gmail Storage Getting Full?

IF you think that only Gmail emails are taking the space, it’s a myth. Google Drive and Google Photos are all under your Google account, and share the storage. So, to free up Gmail space, you need to declutter all of them. Here is what usually fills your space:

  • Firstly, unwanted emails, duplicates, old promotions, updates, social mails, etc.
  • Emails that have large attachments like PDFs, images, or videos occupy more space.
  • If you do not empty your trash and spam folders, they often store hidden emails that eat up space.
  • Your Google Drive is storing large Docs, Sheets, backup files, and shared videos.
  • If original photos from the system or mobile are synced to Google Photos in high quality, they take up enough space.

So, considering all these factors, you need to spend significant time finding an appropriate way to reduce Gmail storage.

How to Clean Up Gmail Storage?

Broadly classified, you have two ways out: one is to give proper attention to clearing space by manual decluttering; another is to work smartly by installing professional software. Both will be discussed for your convenience. However, manual methods are different for different Gmail services. Let us explore all methods one by one.

#1. Find and Delete Old Unwanted Emails

Here is the most basic method for ‘How to clean out Gmail storage?’ Your mailbox would be full of old emails that might not be relevant anymore. So, begin by finding them and deleting emails permanently. Do as follows:

  1. Open Gmail and go to the search bar.
  2. Type “older_than:2y” (you can specify time like 2y, or 1y, or 6m, etc.)
  3. After that, preview all listed emails and select one that’s no longer needed.
  4. Delete them one by one carefully.Delete them one by one

#2. Get Rid of Emails With Large Attachments

Often, users receive emails with large attachment files like PDFs, Videos, Images, and more. Well, these attachment files consume a huge space in your Gmail. Follow the steps to get rid of it:

  1. Open Gmail and click on the search bar.
  2. Next, type “has:attachment larger:10M.click on the search bar
  3. See emails in the list and select that you don’t need.
  4. Click on the Trash icon to delete them.
  5. Also, go to Trash > click Empty Trash Now.

#3. Clean Up Promotions, Updates, and Social Tabs

When you access your Gmail mailbox, there are various labels for receiving emails, such as Primary, Promotions, Social, Updates, and Forums. These folders often hold multiple unread or unimportant emails. Especially the Promotions and Social tabs can quickly fill up your storage if not managed frequently. Do as the steps direct:

  1. Click on one of the labels, say Promotions.
  2. Select all the visible emails in this section.
  3. Next, click Select all conversations at the top.
  4. Tap on Delete if none are of any purpose.Tap on Delete

Further, repeat the same for the Social tab.

#4. Declutter Google Drive and Photos Storage

Another step to clean Gmail space is decluttering Google Drive and Google Photos. As you know, Gmail storage is also shared among Drive and Photos. Do as the steps follow:

To Clean Up Google Drive:

  1. Open drive.google.com on your PC.
  2. Now, go to the search bar, type: type:pdf, type:video, or larger:10M.go to the search bar
  3. After you find the unwanted files, delete them.

To Declutter Google Photos:

  1. Go to photos.google.com.
  2. Find photos of no use, like blurry, duplicates, or old ones.
  3. Select them and delete them all at once.
  4. Also, you can empty the Trash folder afterward.

Hence, this process will significantly reduce Gmail storage and will make a huge difference.

#5. Clear the Spam and Trash Folders

Even if your Inbox is not storing enough emails, you have to look for how to free up space in Gmail account. Well, this can be due to deleted or spam emails that we do not pay much attention to. Emails in this folder are not important for anyone. So, you have to empty the bin.

  1. In the Gmail mailbox, open the Spam folder.
  2. Tap on the Delete all spam messages now.Delete all spam messages
  3. Then, click on Trash > click Empty Trash now.click Empty Trash now

However, if none of these methods worked and you are still wondering, “How to clean up Gmail storage?” you still have to delete more.

#6. Filter and Delete Specific Emails (By Sender or Keyword)

If you know some specific sender whose emails are unimportant or any specific keywords, try this. This will help you remove emails of marketing or newsletters in bulk. Follow the steps:

  1. Type “from:news@xyz.com” or “subject:newsletter” in the search bar.
  2. You will see all related emails in the list.see all related emails in the list
  3. Finally, select all and delete them.

#7. Backup Gmail Emails With Google Takeout

If you fear losing important emails from Gmail, the best option is to take a backup. Later, you can free up Gmail space without deleting important emails. Here is the procedure:

  1. Open Google Takeout ( https://takeout.google.com/ ) with the link.
  2. Next, deselect all and select the Mail option.deselect all and select the Mail option
  3. Choose to save emails in the MBOX file format.
  4. Follow other prompts and export.
  5. Once you have created a secure backup, delete those emails from Gmail.

In case you find any important email missing, you can restore emails from Google Takeout to Gmail.

#8. Use Gmail’s Built-in Storage Management Tool

Do you know, Google offers a storage management tool to review and organize storage space? Well yes. This can also be a better solution to clean out Gmail storage. The following are the steps:

  1. First of all, open Google Storage Manager ( https://one.google.com/storage/management ).
  2. Click on Review (under items you want to delete).Click on Review
  3. Now, select emails or files in the section and Delete All.

This can help you delete large attachments, large drive files, spam emails, or emails in the trash. Hence, you can get rid of unnecessary files directly.

Why Professional Software is better than Manual Methods?

Although these manual methods can be effective to some extent, it has some restrictions too. Like:

  • You have to deal with the complexity of multiple folders and labels, finding emails one by one, and deleting them.
  • It has high chances of human errors, one can accidentally delete important emails or miss unimportant ones.
  • Also, looking for emails manually is a time-consuming process, and nearly impossible for large mailboxes.

So, instead of all this mess, you can choose a better, cleaner application with a variety of features.

#9. What is the Fastest Way to Clean Up Gmail Storage?

Experts highly recommend using the Aryson Email Eraser Tool, an efficient solution over manual methods. Without risking important emails, you can delete unwanted emails in bulk. It lets you filter emails based on some pre-defined criteria. It’s very convenient to operate the software and process huge mailboxes. Also, it lets users delete larger and older emails by defining size and months, respectively.

How to Clean Up Gmail Storage Using Aryson Software?

Follow the steps below to free up Gmail space:

  1. Run the software on your system.
  2. Choose Gmail as the source email client.
  3. Enter the Gmail credentials and log in.
  4. Now, select folders from the mailbox preview > Next.
  5. Specify email deletion criteria and click on Delete.

Hence, you can get rid of all unwanted emails at once, without juggling between folders.

Conclusion

This was a comprehensive blog to clear users’ doubts about how to clean up Gmail storage. If you have a personal account, the manual method is good to go, however, you need to be careful about the data. Otherwise, for professionals and business accounts, you must install the suggested software for more organized results. Before coming to a conclusion, analyze your requirements and choose the best of all.

FAQ-

Q1. How can I free up space in Google Drive and Photos?

Ans- Here is how:
✅ In Google Drive, sort files by size and delete large, unnecessary files.
✅ In Google Photos, remove unwanted high-quality photos and videos.
✅ For collective processing, the best way is to use Google Storage Manager.

Q2. Can I increase my Gmail storage limit?

Ans- Yes. If your Gmail space is filling up, purchase more storage. Subscribe to a Google One plan and increase your storage limit beyond the free 15 GB.

Q3. How do I prevent Gmail storage from filling up again?

Ans- You need to follow some preventive measures:
✅ Regularly delete unnecessary emails
✅ Manage large attachments
✅ Clear Trash and spam folder timely.
✅ Monitor your storage usage periodically.
✅ Practice to backup Gmail accounts data.
✅ Use Email Eraser Tool to get rid of unwanted emails.

5/5 - (1 vote)

About The Author:

Rohan Wiese is a Technical Writer at Aryson Technologies. He is an expert Email Forensic, Cloud Computing, and a passionate nerd with over 10 years of experience in technical content writing. He writes about Cloud Migration, Database Recovery, Email Backup, Windows, Mac, and Tech.

Related Post

Aryson Technologies footer logo

united states

2880 Zanker Road, Suite 203, San Jose, CA - 95134, USA

india

A-58 , 2nd Floor A Block Sector 57, Noida, Uttar Pradesh 201301

© Copyrights 2014-2025 by Aryson Technologies Private Limited - All Rights Reserved