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Free up space in your Gmail account

WARNING!: Before deleting any email messages or attachments from your Gmail account, be sure to backup any important email messages to your computer using an email client or Gmail Backup. Instructions for backing up email messages are located here:http://kb.mlml.sjsu.edu/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=325


There are a few different methods to free up space in your Gmail account:

  1. Use the Gmail web interface (described below)
  2. Use IMAPSize to delete large attachments (Windows only)
  3. Use an email client - see this Knowledge Base post: Delete Batches of Email Using an Email Client



Delete messages using the Gmail web interface: The easiest and fastest way to free up space in your Gmail account is to delete batches of email messages within a specific date range using the web interface

  1. Login to your Gmail account: https://mail.google.com/a/mlml.calstate.edu/.
  2. Click the All Mail link on the left side of the page.
    (You may have to click the "more" link for the All Mail link to be visible)
  3. Enter the date range in the search box in the following format: before: YYYY-MM-DD
    (For example to search for mail from 2008 and earlier, enter: "before: 2009-01-01")
  4. Click the Select All link (the little blank box with downward arrow in the upper-left corner of the panel), then click the Select all conversations that match this search link
  5. Click the Delete button to delete all email messages contained within the date range of the search. The email messages are then moved to the Trash.
  6. Click the Trash link, then click Empty Trash now.
  7. Click OK to confirm.

 

To free up space in your local email client software, and avoid duplication, when syncing from gmail:

  1. Navigate to the gear icon at the top right. Click it.
  2. In the menu that drops down, click Settings.
  3. Go to the tab Forwarding and POP/IMAP.
  4. In the "IMAP Access" confirm that IMAP is Enabled.
  5. Now, go to the Labels tab.
  6. Uncheck the Show in IMAP box to the right of All Mail
  7. These settings should autosave, exit the settings dialog.
  8. Get Mail or the equivalent, from your mail client software. This should now sync, and keep your mail client from downloading duplicate emails.
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