How to Manage and Free Up Gmail Storage

With Gmail handling over 121 billion messages per day in 2025, it's no surprise that our inboxes can quickly fill up. Old emails, large attachments, or unused apps can clutter your Gmail storage, slowing down your workflow and leaving little room for new messages. 

In this blog, we'll walk you through effective strategies for managing and freeing up your Gmail storage. We’ll cover simple steps you can take to reclaim valuable storage space,  from identifying space-hogging emails to organizing your inbox. Let’s get started.

In A Nutshell:

• Identify Space-Hogging Emails: Use search filters to find and delete large emails with attachments, old messages, and unnecessary files.

• Clear Out Spam and Trash: Empty these folders regularly to free up space and prevent clutter.

• Google Takeout for Backup: Download your Gmail data and free up storage without losing important emails.

• Use Google One Storage Manager: Quickly remove unwanted data, including large attachments and old files, to reclaim space.

• Prevent Future Overload: Set up filters, unsubscribe from newsletters, and organize emails with labels to keep your Gmail storage under control.

Why Is My Gmail Storage Full?

If you’re seeing a "storage full" error whenever you try to access Gmail, it likely means you've reached your storage limit. Google offers 15 GB of free storage across Gmail, Google Drive, and Google Photos. While this may seem like plenty of space, it can fill up quickly, especially if your account contains:

• Large-sized emails: Emails with heavy attachments take up more space.

• Old messages: Over time, archived and unread emails can accumulate.

• Photos, videos, and other attachments: Multimedia files take up significant storage.

• Shared files: Files shared with you from Google Drive also count toward your storage.

You’ll know your storage is full when: 

• Storage bar: At the bottom of your Gmail page, you’ll see a storage indicator showing how much space you’re using.

• Notifications: Google will send notifications when your storage is nearly full.

If you have a Google Workspace account, your storage limit may differ, depending on your plan. To keep track of your storage, visit your Google Account’s storage page or check the storage indicator at the bottom of your inbox.

Also Read: How to Organize Gmail Inbox by Sender Name

Having identified the issue, let’s explore the steps you can take to free up space in your Gmail account.

How to Free Up Gmail Storage: A Step-by-Step Guide

If you're running low on Gmail storage, clearing out unnecessary emails and files is the quickest way to free up space. Follow these steps to get your inbox back in order.

Method 1: Delete Large Files and Emails

Start by removing large files and emails, especially those with attachments, which can take up a significant portion of your storage.

Via Google Drive:

1. Open Google Drive.

2. Click Storage to view files sorted by size, with the largest at the top.

3. Delete old or unnecessary files to quickly free up space.

Via Gmail:

1. In the Gmail search bar, type has:attachment larger:10MB to find emails with large attachments.

2. You can adjust the size (e.g., larger:5MB) to refine the search.

3. Select the emails you want to delete, then click the trash can icon to remove them.

For Gmail App:

1. In the Gmail app, use the same search criteria to find large emails.

2. Select emails by checking the boxes beside them.

3. Tap the trash can icon to delete them.

Method 2: Delete Unnecessary Mail

When your Gmail is near capacity, deleting unnecessary emails can free up space quickly.

Empty Spam and Trash:

• For Spam:

  1. Open Gmail and click on Spam on the left sidebar.

  2. Click Delete all spam messages now at the top.

• For Trash:

  1. Click on Trash on the left sidebar.

  2. Click Empty Trash now at the top.

Auto-delete Spam:

If you want to ensure that spam emails are automatically deleted without taking up space in your Gmail, you can create a filter. Here’s how:

1. Open Gmail: Log in to your Gmail account.

2. Access Settings: Click the gear icon in the top-right corner and select See all settings.

3. Go to Filters: In the settings menu, click on the Filters and Blocked Addresses tab.

4. Create a New Filter: Click Create a new filter at the bottom of the page.

5. Set Filter Criteria: In the Has the words field, type in:spam to target all spam emails.

6. Choose Actions: Click on Create filter, then check the box for Delete it. This ensures that all emails marked as spam are automatically deleted.

7. Apply Filter: Click Create filter again to finalize the process.

Now, spam emails will bypass your inbox and go straight to trash, saving you time and space.

Delete Promotional Mail:

1. Open Gmail on your desktop.

2. Click the Promotions tab.

3. Select all emails by clicking the checkbox at the top.

4. Click the trash can icon to delete them.

Delete Old Emails:

1. In Gmail’s search bar, type older_than:1y to find emails older than a year. Adjust the time frame if needed (e.g., older_than:2y).

2. Select all emails by clicking the checkbox at the top.

3. Click Select all conversations that match this search.

4. Click the trash can icon to delete them.

5. Empty Trash immediately to permanently delete the emails.

While clearing out large emails and old messages, NewMail AI can help you stay organized going forward. With Intelligent Tagging and Personalized Priority, it automatically categorizes your emails, ensuring that your inbox stays clutter-free and you only keep what’s important. 

Also Read: How to Recover Deleted Emails in Gmail and Outlook

Method 3: Free Up Gmail Space Using Google Takeout

Google Takeout allows you to download your Gmail data while freeing up space in your account.

1. Go to Google Takeout and log in.

2. Deselect all options and select Gmail.

3. Click Next, then choose the delivery method as Send download link via email.

4. Choose .zip as the file type and select your desired archive size (1GB, 2GB, 4GB, etc.).

5. Click Create Archive to start the process.

6. Once the archive is created, you'll receive a link to download the emails. You can then extract the files to your computer.

Note: This method may take hours or even days, depending on the amount of Gmail data being processed.

Method 4: Use the Google One Storage Manager

With this tool, you can identify and remove space-hogging files, large emails, and other unwanted data, saving you time and effort. Here’s how you can use it to free up storage:

On Desktop:

1. Go to Google One: Visit the Google One website on your computer.

2. Click on Storage: On the left panel, select Storage to access your space details.

3. Free Up Space: Under the Get your space back section, click Free up account storage.

4. Select Files to Remove: Choose the files or emails you want to delete—like large attachments, spam, or old files.

5. Delete: Hit the Delete button at the top-right corner or choose Delete all to clear everything at once.

6. Confirm Deletion: After selecting your files, click Permanently delete to finalize the action.

On Mobile:

1. Open the Google One App: Launch the Google One app on your phone.

2. Go to Storage: Tap on Storage, then select Clean up account storage.

3. Manage Files: Pick the categories you want to manage (e.g., large photos, videos).

4. Delete Files: Select the files you want to delete, then tap the trash can icon in the top-right corner.

5. Confirm Deletion: Acknowledge that the deleted files cannot be recovered, then tap Permanently delete.

By using the Google One Storage Manager, you can streamline the process of clearing Gmail storage and avoid the hassle of manually searching for files and emails to delete.

By following these steps, you can easily manage your Gmail storage and ensure that your inbox is optimized and free from unnecessary clutter. 

After clearing up storage, it’s essential to implement measures to prevent your Gmail from reaching full capacity in the future.

How to Prevent Your Gmail from Getting Full Again

To avoid seeing the dreaded "Gmail storage full" message in the future, it's essential to set up strategies that keep your inbox in check. Here are some proactive steps you can take:

1. Set Filtering Rules in Gmail

Gmail allows you to automatically manage incoming emails by setting custom filters. This can help you keep unwanted emails from cluttering your inbox, saving storage space.

• Go to Settings → See all settings → Filters and Blocked Addresses.

• Click on Create a new filter.

• Define the filter criteria based on factors such as sender, subject, or specific words in the email body (e.g., frequent newsletters or old subscription emails).

• Choose actions such as Delete it or Skip the inbox (Archive it) to clean up your inbox automatically. You can apply this filter to existing emails as well.

2. Unsubscribe from Unwanted Newsletters

Newsletters can quickly accumulate and take up valuable storage space. Unsubscribing from unnecessary ones will help you keep your inbox tidy.

• Use the Unsubscribe Button: If available, Gmail often shows an Unsubscribe button next to the sender’s name. Clicking it will allow you to opt out easily.

• Manual Unsubscription: If no button is present, most subscription emails will have an unsubscribe link at the bottom. Follow the instructions to stop receiving them.

• Use Gmail’s Unsubscribe Tool: Tools like Clean Email can help you unsubscribe from multiple emails at once. Simply log in, select the Unsubscriber tool, choose the newsletters you want to stop, and hit Unsubscribe.

3. Organize Your Emails Using Labels and Folders

Creating labels and organizing your emails into folders can help keep your inbox clutter-free and prevent new emails from overwhelming your storage.

• Go to Settings → See all settings → Labels.

• Create custom labels for different categories, like work, personal, or subscriptions.

• Use filters to automatically assign labels to incoming emails, ensuring they’re easily categorized and don’t pile up in your main inbox.

  

While using labels and folders is a great way to organize your inbox, NewMail AI takes it a step further with Intelligent Tagging. Smart folders automatically categorize your emails, ensuring your inbox remains organized and easy to manage. Try NewMail AI today for a more streamlined inbox!

4. Regularly Clean Up Your Trash and Spam

Emails in the Trash and Spam folders still take up storage space. Make sure to empty them regularly.

• Check your Trash and Spam folders every month and delete everything that’s been there for a while.

• Use Gmail’s automatic cleanup feature to delete old emails from these folders after 30 days.

5. Limit Email Attachment Size

Attachments, especially large files like videos or high-resolution images, consume a lot of space in Gmail.

• Use Google Drive to store large attachments and share them via links instead of attaching them directly to emails.

• Periodically review and delete or move large attachments from your emails to external storage.

Also Read: How to Mark All Emails as Read in Gmail

By implementing these strategies, you'll free up Gmail storage and keep your inbox organized and efficient in the long run. 

Conclusion

Managing and freeing up Gmail storage doesn't have to be a daunting task. Following the steps outlined in this guide, whether it's identifying space-hogging files or using advanced search filters, helps regain valuable storage space. 

Regularly maintaining your Gmail storage will ensure a smoother, more efficient inbox experience, making it easier to stay on top of your emails. NewMail AI offers tools to streamline your inbox and help you stay organized. Here’s how NewMail AI can help manage your email clutter and optimize your Gmail storage:

• Smart Drafts: Quickly generate responses, helping you maintain a clean inbox without having to type replies manually.

• Daily Briefings: Receive a daily summary of important emails and events, so you can focus on what matters most and avoid unnecessary storage overload.

• Intelligent Tagging: Automatically categorize and sort your emails, making it easier to find important emails and reduce unnecessary clutter in your inbox.

• Personalized Priority: Automatically prioritize important emails, reducing the risk of missing critical messages and minimizing storage from irrelevant emails.

• Simplified Scheduling: Manage your calendar directly within NewMail AI, keeping your events organized and reducing the need for excess emails related to scheduling.

Try NewMail AI today to take control of your Gmail storage, and keep your inbox organized and clutter-free!