Gmail Storage Full? Archive Emails Locally
Google offers 15 GB of free storage — shared between Gmail, Google Drive, and Google Photos. When the storage is full, you can no longer receive new emails. Instead of paying for Google One, you can save old emails locally and then delete them in Gmail.
15 GB for Everything — Why Space Runs Out Fast
The 15 GB of free storage at Google are shared between Gmail, Google Drive, and Google Photos. If you regularly receive emails with large attachments, store documents in Drive, and upload photos, you'll hit the limit quickly. Particularly tricky: emails in Trash and Spam also count toward your storage usage.
Google offers paid Google One plans as a solution (starting at $1.99/month for 100 GB). But if you don't necessarily need your old emails in the cloud, you can save them locally and free up space permanently — for free.
Common Causes of Full Gmail Storage
- Large attachments in old emails (PDFs, images, ZIP files)
- Non-emptied Trash and Spam folders
- Newsletters and notifications accumulated over years
- Google Drive and Google Photos sharing the same storage
- Old drafts with large attachments
How to Free Up Space in Your Gmail Account
Create an App Password
Create an App Password in your Google Account so mailriva can access your mailbox.
Download mailriva
Download mailriva for free and install the app on your Windows PC or Mac.
Connect Gmail as source
Select Gmail as the source provider and sign in with your Gmail address and the App Password.
Save old emails locally
Export older emails to a local archive. This gives you a safety copy before cleaning up.
Delete backed-up emails
Delete the backed-up emails in Gmail and empty the Trash. The storage space is freed up immediately.
Benefits: Back Up First, Clean Up Second
- No data loss — all emails remain as a local copy
- No Google One subscription needed
- Folder structure is preserved during export
- Attachments are included
- Locally stored emails remain searchable
- Backup can be used as a basis for future migrations
Frequently Asked Questions
How much storage do my Gmail emails use?
You can check your storage usage at one.google.com/storage. There you can also see how much Gmail, Drive, and Photos each use.
Can I back up only specific folders?
Yes. In mailriva, you select which folders or labels to back up before starting the export. This way you can selectively archive old emails.
Is the storage freed up immediately when I delete emails?
No — deleted emails first go to Trash. Only when you empty the Trash is the storage space actually freed up.