How to Find Large Emails in Gmail

Gmail has no sort-by-size option, but the search box can filter by size. You will list the biggest emails, delete the ones you no longer need, and free the storage they were using.

Search by size

Type larger:10M in the search box and press Enter. This lists every email over 10 MB. Change the number to suit: larger:25M for only the largest, larger:2M for a wider net. size:10000000 does the same thing in bytes.

Narrow the results

Combine operators to target what you are willing to delete. larger:10M older_than:1y shows big emails more than a year old. larger:5M has:attachment limits the list to emails carrying files. larger:10M -is:starred skips anything you starred, and larger:10M in:sent finds big files you sent yourself.

Scan the list

Results appear in date order, not size order, since Gmail cannot sort by size. Open an email to see its attachments listed at the bottom of the message. Open anything you are unsure about before deleting it, and download any attachment you want to keep, since deleting the email deletes the file with it.

Delete what you do not need

Check the box next to each email you want gone, or click the checkbox at the top left of the list to select the whole page, then click the trash icon in the toolbar. If the line Select all conversations that match this search appears, clicking it selects every result, not just the visible page.

Empty Trash

Deleted mail still counts toward storage until Trash is emptied. Click More in the left sidebar, then Trash, then Empty Trash now at the top of the list. Gmail clears Trash on its own after 30 days if you do nothing.

Check your storage

Scroll to the bottom of any mailbox page, where Gmail shows how much of your quota is in use, or open the Google One storage page at one.google.com/storage to see the breakdown by product. The number can take a few minutes to update after emptying Trash.

Storage is shared. The quota covers Gmail, Google Drive, and Google Photos together, so a full account may be a Drive or Photos problem rather than a mail one. The Google One storage page shows which product is using the most.