Stop Deleting Emails: Try This Gmail Hack

I was able to reclaim 15GB of Gmail space by using this handy method

Managing Gmail storage has quietly become one of the biggest digital headaches. Between years of promotional emails, large attachments, and forgotten newsletters, your inbox can quickly grow into a massive space-hog. And when you hit the dreaded “Storage Almost Full” warning from Google, the panic begins.

Most people think the only solution is to delete thousands of emails manually or in bulk risking losing important conversations forever.

But here’s the good news: you don’t need to purge your entire inbox. There’s a simple Gmail trick that helped me free up over 15GB in just a few minutes without losing the emails I care about.

Let’s walk through it.

Why Gmail Storage Fills Up So Fast

Gmail storage includes more than your inbox. It’s shared across:

Gmail
Google Drive
Google Photos

Even if you’re not sending or receiving huge files often, attachments hidden inside old emails quietly consume gigabytes of space.

When I checked my account, I had nearly 18,000 emails larger than 10MB, with attachments I didn’t even know existed.

The Gmail Trick That Saved Me 15GB

Instead of deleting everything, I used a targeted search that filters only emails with large attachments. These are usually the true culprits of storage bloat.

Here’s how you can use this trick too:

Step 1: Use the Size Filter in Gmail

Go to the Gmail search bar and type:

larger:10M

This shows all emails with attachments larger than 10MB.

You can tweak the size depending on your needs:

larger:5M — shows emails bigger than 5MB
larger:20M — shows extremely large emails
has:attachment — shows all emails with attachments

Within seconds, Gmail will pull up the heaviest space-takers — usually old photos, PDFs, videos, and work files.

Step 2: Sort and Review Before Deleting

Instead of deleting everything, go through the list and:

Save important attachments to Google Drive or your computer
Delete only the emails you truly don’t need
Unsubscribe from senders who send frequent heavy attachments

This keeps your inbox clean without losing valuable messages.

Step 3: Permanently Remove Emails From Trash

Many people forget this part.

To actually reclaim space, go to:

Trash → Empty Trash Now

If you skip this step, storage won’t update.

The Result: 15GB of Free Space Without Losing Anything Important

After using the larger:10M filter and removing unnecessary attachments, I saw my Gmail storage drop by 15GB almost instantly.

No mass deletion.
No complicated tools.
No stress about losing important emails.

Just a smart, targeted cleanup.

Extra Tips to Keep Gmail Storage Clean

To avoid filling up your storage again, here are a few quick habits you can build:

1. Use “Unsubscribe” Aggressively

Promotional emails with large images add up fast.

2. Clear the Spam and Promotions Tabs Monthly

These fill up faster than you expect.

3. Use Google’s Storage Manager

Visit: https://one.google.com/storage
You’ll see exactly which files or emails consume the most space.

4. Set Auto-Delete on Spam

This prevents long-term buildup.