When you delete an email, it is automatically stored in your trash folder for 30 days. Once this period is exceeded, the mail is permanently deleted and cannot be restored afterwards.
Read this article to know how to empty the Gmail trash and permanently delete all your trashed mails.
Empty trash on computer – Empty trash on phone
How to empty the Gmail trash using a computer?
On your computer, you can empty your Gmail trash by doing the following:
- Open Gmail
- Click the “More” tab on the left side of the page
- Select the Trash
- Check all the emails you want to delete permanently
- Once this is done, click on “Delete permanently”.
Where is the “More” tab?
Where is the trash?
See also: Gmail max attachment size
Where is the link to empty the trash?
If you want to delete all the messages in your trash, you can click “Empty Trash” directly. This saves you from selecting each mail one by one. Note however that this option of definitive deletion is only present in your trash. Emptying your trash helps you to clear Gmail storage.
Be careful not to confuse things: difference between a deleted and archived mail in Gmail
See also: How to delete my Gmail? and How to block spam emails in Gmail?
Empty the Gmail trash from a mobile phone
From your smartphone, do the following to empty your Gmail trash:
- Open the Gmail application
- Click on “Menu” at the top left
- Click “Trash” and then “Empty Trash”.
See also: Requesting a receipt in Gmail
Questions
When I empty the Gmail trash, can I undo it?
No! Once your emails are permanently deleted, you can’t restore them. So think twice before you delete your trash.
How to empty the Gmail trash in one go?
Go to the trash (link in the menu). Then, don’t select messages to delete them (it’s too long). The easiest way is to click on the “Empty Trash” link at the top of your computer screen. All your messages in the trash will be deleted at once.
How do I delete ALL the messages in my Gmail trash?
Go to the trash and click “Empty Trash”. This saves you from having to select each email one by one.
Where is the trash in Gmail?
On a computer, open Gmail in a browser then go to the left side of the page, scroll down and click on More then Trash.
On your phone, open the Gmail application, click “Menu” in the top left corner, then click “Trash”.
How do I delete the contents of the Gmail trash?
It’s very easy to delete your trash on Gmail, both on computer and on phone. Go to the Gmail trash and click on the Empty Trash link.
How do I delete ALL the messages in ALL my Gmail account?
You can do this by reading our time-saving tip: How to easily delete all your Gmail mail?
See also how to modify your Google password
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