How to Delete All Emails on Gmail (With Photos)

When struggling to balance your work, family, and social life, you might lack time to organize your online life. Before you know it, your Gmail might run out of space. Cleaning out these emails one after the other can take too much time.

Fortunately, deleting all your emails and regaining free space on your Gmail is possible. Whether you have backed up your emails or need a fresh start on your Gmail, follow these steps to delete all your emails. 

Let’s jump right in with the simple methods!

#1: Deleting All Emails on Gmail Through the Web

You can use your Mac or Windows computer to delete all emails by opening Gmail’s web version. You can delete all emails on Gmail through the web using several different methods.

Let’s break them and their easy steps down below!

Method 1: Deleting All Emails by Selecting All Emails

This method involves selecting all the emails in your Gmail inbox, then deleting them simultaneously.

Step 1: Open your Gmail account

Go to your Gmail inbox by visiting the Gmail site on your browser here. Enter your Gmail username and password to continue to your inbox. 

Step 2: Open All Mail

From your Gmail inbox, check the left sidebar and click on More to expand the menu. In the expanded menu, locate All Mail and click that. This folder will open all the emails in the inbox regardless of their category. 

Step 3: Select all the emails

While in the All Mail folder, check the box in the top left of the inbox section to select all the emails on the page. Or, you can click the blue link below the menu icons that says Select all [the number of emails in your inbox] in All Mail. 

Step 4: Delete all emails

Hit the trash can icon in the top menu to delete these emails. You will get a pop-up to confirm your action. Click OK if you are sure that you want to delete all the emails, and they will be deleted.

This may take a while based on the total number of your emails. The deleted emails are sent to the trash folder, which will be automatically deleted after 30 days. 

If you want to preserve one or two emails in your inbox, you can avoid deleting them by unchecking the box to the left of the email before hitting the delete icon. 

Method 2: Deleting All Emails One Category at a Time

In this method, you delete all the emails on Gmails but not all together. Instead, you delete the emails in one category, say promotions, then proceed to the next. This method is ideal if you must delete emails in your inbox but preserve those in a specific category. 

Below are the steps for this method. In this illustration, we will use the promotions category, but the process is the same for each category. 

Step 1: Log in to Gmail and open the category to delete

Open your Gmail inbox and click on the category you wish to delete. By default, Gmail opens in the primary category. You can start here or change to the next if you don’t want to delete this category. 

Step 2: Select the emails in that category 

After opening the category, you want to delete, select all the emails by checking the select box at the top left of the inbox section.

Next, click the link that says Select all [number of] conversations in [name of the category] to select the emails not displayed on the first page. 

Step 3: Delete the emails 

Press the trash icon among the menu icons to delete the selected emails. You will get a confirmation message asking whether you want to delete the selected emails. If you are sure, press OK, and the emails will be deleted and sent to the trash folder. 

After clicking OK, the messages in that category are instantly deleted. You can proceed to the next category and use the same steps to delete the emails.

Method 3: Deleting Emails Using Search Criteria

In this method, you use search criteria to get all the emails you need, then delete them. You can select all the emails in your inbox or those with a specific characteristic. Below are the steps to get the job done!

Step 1: Open Gmail and locate your search bar 

Open your browser and search for your Gmail account. After opening your inbox, click on the search bar shown by a magnifying glass icon above your emails. 

Step 2: Enter your search criteria 

Enter the search operator to help you get the emails you want to delete. If you want to delete all the emails in the inbox, type in:anywhere in the search bar. Hit enter or click the search icon to the left of the search criteria. This will display all the emails in your inbox, including those in the spam and trash folders.  

Step 3: Select the emails 

Click the select box, which is the first among the menu icons, and this will select the emails on the first page. To select all emails, click the link below the icons that say, Select all conversations that match this search.

Step 4: Delete the emails 

Hit the delete icon (the fourth icon on the list of menus) to delete the selected emails. You will get a confirmation message to confirm your action before you proceed. Click OK if you are sure that you want to delete the emails, and this will instantly send the emails to the trash folder.

Method 4: Deleting Using a Third-Party Website

You can use a third-party website like Clean Email for several inbox organization tasks, including deleting all emails. Here is how you use Clean Email to delete all the emails in your inbox. 

Step 1: Log in to the site

Go to Clean Email on your browser here. Enter your details to sign in or create an account if you don’t have one. Alternatively, click the sign-in with Gmail or Google option. 

Step 2: Select your emails 

Click Inbox, which is on the left sidebar menu. Under Inbox, click Select, found to the right of the number of messages in your inbox, to open the select page. To select all the emails, click Select all. 

Step 3: Delete the emails 

After selecting all emails, delete them by clicking the trash can icon in the menu below. You will get a confirmation message asking whether you want to send these selected emails to the trash. Click OK, and your emails will be sent to the trash folder. 

You can confirm that you have deleted the emails by returning to your Gmail inbox and seeing whether the emails are in the trash folder. 

#2. Permanently Deleting All Emails on a Computer

Regardless of how you delete your emails on your computer, the deleted emails are automatically sent to the trash folder. Ideally, these emails are permanently deleted after 30 days. However, if you delete your emails to create space in your Google account, waiting 30 days before getting the space can be inconvenient. 

In this case, you can permanently delete the emails in your trash folder. Remember that after deleting the emails from the trash folder, it is impossible to recover them. Therefore, ensure you don’t need any of these emails before proceeding. After confirming you are ready to delete the emails, follow these steps to delete them from your computer permanently. 

Step 1: Open the Trash folder

Go to the left sidebar menu on your Gmail inbox and click more. Under more, select Trash to open the Trash folder. 

Step 2: Select the emails 

While in the Trash folder, check the select box from the top menu to select all the emails in the Trash folder. Select the link that says Select all [number of] conversations in the Trash to select all the emails.

Helpful hint: If there are some messages you don’t want to delete permanently, uncheck them by clicking the box to the left of the email. 

Step 3: Delete the emails 

With the emails selected, click Delete forever in the top menu to delete the emails. 

You can also delete emails in the trash without first selecting the emails. When you open the Trash folder, click the link that says Empty Trash now. This will permanently delete all the emails in the Trash folder. Use this method when you are sure that you want to delete all the emails. 

#2. Delete All Emails Through the Gmail App

Deleting all your Gmail messages through the Gmail app on your Android or iPhone is possible.

Unfortunately, deleting all the emails simultaneously (like you do with the Gmail web version) is impossible. Instead, you can delete several messages at a go. Although it is not the quickest option, you will still achieve the goal of deleting all emails on Gmail. Here is what to do.

Step 1: Open your Gmail inbox 

Download the Gmail app from Apple Store or Play Store and enter your Google account username and password to log in to your Gmail inbox. If you already have the app on your phone, click the app to open the inbox. 

Step 2: Select the emails 

Check the circle icon next to the email to tick it. Continue doing so until you select all the emails you want to delete. 

Step 3: Delete the emails 

After selecting all the emails, you intend to delete, click the Trash icon in the top menu to delete them. These emails will be sent to the trash folder.

This process can take a lot of time, especially if you have thousands of emails in your inbox that you want to delete. iPhone users can access the Gmail web version through Safari. With the desktop version, you can use the methods above to delete all emails through the web version. 

Android users can use third-party apps such as Clean Emails to select all emails and quickly delete them. 

In the following video, Trevor Nace demonstrates how to delete all of your Gmail emails using the Gmail app on your iPhone.

Wrapping Up 

A cluttered inbox is stressful and time-consuming, especially when looking for a specific email. Besides, deleting all emails will help you regain your Google account space. Use the methods above to delete all unnecessary emails from your inbox. 

Up Next:

• How to Find Unread Emails in Gmail With Photos
• How to Cc on Gmail with Photos
• How to Unarchive Gmail With Photos

The image featured at the top of this post is ©AP_FOOTAGE/Shutterstock.com.