Short answer: On a computer, open the folder or search results you want to clear, tick the Select box above your messages, then click the link that says Select all [number] conversations and click Delete. To delete only some emails, search first (for example from:, older_than:1y or category:promotions). Deleted mail sits in Trash for 30 days, then Gmail removes it for good. The Gmail app can only select 50 messages at a time.
Gmail has no single "delete everything" button, but the select-all link gets you very close. Below are the steps for the web and the app, the searches that pick out the right emails, and how to get something back if you delete too much.
How to mass delete emails on Gmail (computer)
- Go to Gmail on a computer and open the place you want to clear: Inbox, Promotions, a label, or All Mail for everything.
- Above your messages, at the top left, tick the Select box. This selects every conversation on the current page.
- A banner appears, for example "All 50 conversations on this page are selected. Select all 2,000 conversations in Inbox." Click the Select all link in that banner.
- At the top, click Delete (the trash can icon).
How to delete multiple emails in Gmail by search
Deleting everything is rarely what you want. Search first, then run the same select-all steps on the results. These search operators come from Google's own list:
| To delete | Type in the search box |
|---|---|
| Everything from one sender | from:news@example.com |
| Mail older than a year | older_than:1y |
| Mail before a date | before:2024/01/01 |
| Promotions or social updates | category:promotions or category:social |
| Unread mail | is:unread |
| Big emails that eat storage | larger:10M |
| Emails with attachments | has:attachment |
You can combine them. category:promotions older_than:6m finds promotions older than six months, and is:unread older_than:1y finds a year's worth of mail you never opened. Add in:anywhere if you also want results from Spam and Trash.
Freeing space is a good reason to do this. Every Google Account includes 15 GB of free storage shared between Gmail, Google Drive and Google Photos, and large attachments fill it quickest.
How to delete multiple emails in the Gmail app
On Android, iPhone and iPad:
- Open the Gmail app and touch and hold one message.
- At the top left, tap the box next to Select all. Gmail selects up to 50 messages.
- Tap Delete.
- To delete 50 more, scroll to the top and repeat.
Search works in the app too, so you can search for a sender first and delete the results 50 at a time. For thousands of emails, the web version is much faster.
If you delete messages one by one, set a swipe to delete. On Android, go to Menu, Settings, General settings, Swipe actions, and pick Delete. On iPhone and iPad, go to Menu, Settings, Inbox customizations, Mail swipe actions, and pick Trash.
Stop the same emails coming back
Deleting clears the backlog; it doesn't stop new mail. For newsletters, unsubscribe from emails on Gmail first. For a sender you can't unsubscribe from, create a filter: search for the sender, click Show search options, then Create filter, tick Delete it and click Create filter again. Our guide to creating rules in Gmail walks through it.
Recover deleted emails, or delete them permanently
A deleted email goes to Trash, where it stays for 30 days. During that time you can bring it back:
- On the left, click More, then Trash.
- Tick the messages you want back.
- At the top, click Move to and choose Inbox or a label.
To delete for good straight away, open Trash, tick the messages and click Delete forever, or click Empty Trash now in the banner. After that, or once 30 days pass, you can't recover them. Deleted drafts can't be recovered from Trash. Not ready to lose anything? Archiving hides mail from your inbox without deleting it; here's how to find archived emails in Gmail.
Keeping the inbox from filling up again
Disclosure: we make Canary Mail. Mass deleting is a reset. Keeping it clean afterwards is easier when the inbox sorts itself. Canary Mail is an email app for Mac, iPhone, iPad, Windows and Android that works with Gmail, Outlook, iCloud, Yahoo, Exchange and other IMAP accounts. The free plan covers unlimited accounts on 2 devices with AI inbox sorting, and tracker blocking is on by default. The Growth plan ($36 a year) adds AI writing and summaries, read receipts and send later. More than 2 million people use it, and Apple has featured it on the App Store and the Mac App Store.
For a broader approach, see how to organize your email inbox, or compare Gmail alternatives with AI and privacy.
Frequently asked questions
How do I delete thousands of emails in Gmail at once?
On a computer, open the folder or search results, tick the Select box above the messages, then click the Select all conversations link in the banner and click Delete. This works for any number of conversations; the app is limited to 50 at a time.
How do I delete 1,000 unread emails in Gmail?
Search for is:unread, tick the Select box, click the link to select all matching conversations, then click Delete. Add older_than:3m or category:promotions if you only want to remove older or promotional unread mail.
How do I select multiple emails at once in Gmail?
On a computer, tick the box to the left of each message, or use the Select box at the top for the whole page. In the app, touch and hold one message, then tap the others or tap Select all.
Can I recover emails after emptying the Trash in Gmail?
No. Google says that once you delete a message from Trash, or after 30 days, you can't recover it. Check Trash within 30 days if you deleted something by mistake.
Why does my Gmail storage stay full after deleting emails?
Deleted emails still count until they leave Trash. Empty Trash, then check Google Drive and Google Photos, which share the same 15 GB.