All Google Services require some effort to make order out of chaos and this especially applies to Google Gmail. The sheer number of emails we get on a yearly basis is substantial and it’s not really simple to organize your inbox if you don’t do it regularly. For example, you notice that Gmail emails take a lot of space from your Google Account storage but can’t wrap your hand around why. Like in the Pareto principle, the minority of emails takes the most space. But how to find large emails in Gmail? Search filters are necessary, especially in systems where there are a lot of files with similar traits. We explain how to use them to find what you were looking for in no time.
Table of contents:
How to search Gmail emails by size?
1. Use search filters to find big emails in Gmail
Most users are not aware of the great search filters that Gmail has. Gmail for desktop has it better, with dedicated Advanced search filters available, while you need to enter them manually on Gmail for Android and iOS. What are these filters and how do they work if you want to find large emails in Gmail?
Well, on Gmail for Web, they can be found in the search bar. A single click on the icon will show you options like “Greater than” where you can enter the size in MB (or KB or Bytes). So, for example, you want to find large emails with attachments larger than, say, 2MB. You would open the Advanced search and type 2 in the Greater than section. Also, you should probably check the Has Attachment box. Just click Search and all emails with attachments sized at 2MB or more should appear. You can up the number from 2 to, say, 10MB to filter the search result even more. Have in mind that the maximum size of an email (attachments included) can’t go over 25MB.
Gmail for Android and iOS in regards to search filters is a bit different story. Still, if you are aware of a few commands, you can do the same thing as presented on Gmail for Web. The command that we’re looking for that completely replicates the above explanation is: “larger_than:2mb has:attachment” (without quotation marks). Just enter this in the search bar and all emails with 2MB or more in size that have attachments should appear. With that knowledge, you can create different filters based on email size.
Once you locate all large emails, it’s easy to dispose of them. Have in mind that deleted emails stay in Trash before being auto-deleted after 30 days. So, if you want to remove all big emails you’ve found, make sure to empty Trash after deleting them.
2. Use Google One
An alternative option to find all large emails in Gmail can be found in Google One. Essentially, Google One is there to take care of the storage you get with your Google Account. And this includes Gmail, just like Google Drive and Google Photos. You don’t have to be a subscriber to Google One Membership with paid storage plans to use Google One. Google One has an option that allows you to inspect and delete large files in the aforementioned services, including Gmail.
Here’s how to use Google One to find large emails in your Gmail:
- Open Google One. You can also get an app for your Android or iPhone (on the Play Store or App Store).
- Under the Storage Management > Large files section, you should see Gmail. Click or tap Review and free up…
- There, you should see the list of all large emails. You can open emails (this will transfer you to Gmail) for better insight or delete them.
It’s important to notice that emails deleted here won’t go to Gmail Trash. They’ll be deleted for good. So, if you have some attachments worth saving, make sure to download them before deleting emails. With that said, we can call it a wrap. Thank you for reading and please do share your thoughts with us in the comments section below. As always, we look forward to hearing from you.
