How to Empty Gmail Trash and Spam
Gmail on the web; app differences noted · Last checked · Suggest an edit
https://instructions.wiki/gmail/empty-the-gmail-trash-and-spam
Storage is full and Trash is holding thousands of messages that were already deleted. Gmail empties Trash and Spam on its own after 30 days, so this is not about tidiness, it is about getting the space back today rather than in a month.
Show Trash in the sidebar
In Gmail on the web, look down the left sidebar. Trash and Spam are hidden by default, so click More below Drafts to expand the full list. Both appear near the bottom.
Empty the Trash
Click Trash. At the top of the message list, above the first email, Gmail shows the line "Messages that have been in Trash more than 30 days will be automatically deleted" with Empty Trash now at the end of it. Click that, then click OK in the confirmation box. Everything in the folder goes permanently, with no way back.
Empty the Spam folder
Click Spam in the same sidebar. The equivalent link at the top reads Delete all spam messages now. Click it and confirm. Spam messages count toward storage the same way anything else does.
Check what freed up
Scroll to the bottom of any mailbox page to see the storage line, or open one.google.com/storage for the full breakdown. The number does not update instantly, so give it a few minutes before assuming nothing happened.
Look before you empty. Deleting from Trash cannot be undone. Search in:trash or in:spam first and scan the results for anything that was filed there by a rule or a mistaken swipe. A legitimate message that landed in Spam is worth rescuing with Not spam before the folder is cleared.
The quota is shared. Gmail, Google Drive, and Google Photos draw on the same allowance, so an account that stays full after emptying Trash usually has a Drive or Photos problem instead. The storage page shows which product is responsible. The phone app carries the same Empty Trash now and Delete all spam messages now banner at the top of those two folders.
Sources. Delete messages in Gmail - Computer - Gmail Help, Report spam in Gmail - Computer - Gmail Help, Manage your storage in Drive, Gmail & Photos - Google One Help.