How to Delete Emails in Bulk in Gmail

Is your Gmail inbox always full? You are not alone. Many people struggle to manage their overflowing inboxes. With constant promotional emails, newsletters, and receipts, emails pile up over time.

Gmail users often face the problem of running out of storage space. Google gives 15GB of free storage to Gmail, Google Drive, and Google Photos. Once it’s full, you may miss important emails.

Sure, you can buy more storage, but it is not a permanent fix. New emails keep coming, and your inbox fills up again. The best way to free up space is by deleting unwanted emails in bulk. But how do you do that without spending hours on it?

Here are some practical tips to delete emails in bulk on Gmail. Follow these steps to clean your inbox fast and hassle-free.

1. Delete All Marketing Emails with “Unsubscribe” Tag

Marketing emails can fill up your inbox fast. They often have an “Unsubscribe” option at the bottom. You can use this to filter them. Here’s how:

1. Open Gmail on your browser and click on your Inbox.
2. Type “Unsubscribe” in the search bar and hit enter.
3. This will show all marketing emails with the unsubscribe option.
4. Click the checkbox at the top-left to select all visible emails.
5. A message will appear saying “Select all conversations that match this search”. Click it.
6. Click the trash can icon to move them to the Trash folder.

Repeat this process for other tabs like Promotions or Social. Deleting marketing emails will free up a lot of space.

2. Delete Emails from a Specific Sender

Sometimes, a single sender sends a lot of emails. It could be newsletters or updates that you no longer read. Deleting these can make a big difference. Here’s how to delete emails from one sender:

1. Log in to your Gmail account.
2. In the search bar, type:
   • from:sender_email_address
   • Replace “sender_email_address” with the actual email.
3. Press enter to see all emails from that sender.
4. Click the checkbox to select all.
5. Click the trash can icon to delete them.

You can also delete emails sent to a specific address by using “to:sender_email_address”.

3. Delete Emails from a Specific Time Period

Old emails take up a lot of space, especially if they have attachments. Deleting them can save you storage. To delete emails from a specific time period, follow these steps:

1. Go to your Gmail inbox.
2. Type a search query in the search bar, like:
   • after:2023-11-01 (replace with your chosen date)
3. Press enter to see all emails after that date.
4. Click the checkbox to select them all.
5. Click the trash can icon to delete.

To delete even older emails, use “before:2022-01-01” or any other date. You can also combine search queries for better results.

4. Use Filters to Automate Deleting Old Emails

Filters can help you delete emails as they arrive. It is an easy way to manage your inbox without much effort. Here’s how to set up a filter:

1. Go to your Gmail settings by clicking the gear icon.
2. Click “See all settings”.
3. Navigate to the “Filters and Blocked Addresses” tab.
4. Click on “Create a new filter”.
5. Enter criteria like sender, subject, or date.
6. Click “Create filter”.
7. Choose “Delete it” from the options.
8. Click “Create filter” again.

Now, Gmail will delete matching emails automatically. This way, you do not need to do it manually.

5. Delete Large Attachments to Free Up Space

Attachments can take up a lot of storage. You may not need them after a while. Deleting these emails can free up space quickly. Follow these steps:

1. In the search bar, type: has:attachment larger:10MB
2. Press enter to see all large attachment emails.
3. Click the checkbox to select all.
4. Click the trash can icon to delete them.

You can change “10MB” to any size to find bigger or smaller attachments.

6. Empty Your Trash and Spam Folders

Deleting emails moves them to the Trash folder. They remain there for 30 days before permanent deletion. To free up space right away, empty your Trash and Spam folders.

1. Go to your Trash folder on the left sidebar.
2. Click “Empty Trash now” at the top.
3. Do the same for the Spam folder.

By clearing these folders, you will free up a significant amount of storage.

Also read | Google Unveils Gemini Robotics to Power Humanoid Robots

7. How to Recover Deleted Emails

Sometimes, you may delete an important email by mistake. Fortunately, Gmail stores deleted emails in the Trash folder for 30 days. You can recover them as follows:

1. Open your Trash folder.
2. Find the email you want to recover.
3. Select it and click “Move to” at the top.
4. Choose “Inbox” or any other folder.

Remember, after 30 days, Gmail permanently deletes emails from Trash. So, act fast if you need to restore them.

8. Use Google Takeout to Backup Before Deleting

Worried about losing important data? Use Google Takeout to back up your emails before bulk deletion. It saves your data to your device for future use. Here’s how to do it:

1. Go to Google Takeout on your browser.
2. Select “Mail” from the list of services.
3. Click “Next Step” and choose the file format.
4. Click “Create export” to start the backup.

This way, you have a copy of your important emails before cleaning up.

Final Thoughts

Managing your Gmail storage can feel overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. Follow these simple tips to delete emails in bulk and free up valuable space. Keep your inbox organized and make room for important messages.

By regularly cleaning your inbox, you avoid clutter and keep your Gmail running smoothly. Use filters to automate the process and keep unnecessary emails out. Remember to back up your data before major deletions.

With these steps, you will have a cleaner, more efficient inbox in no time. Stay organized and make the most of your Gmail storage!