How to Auto-Delete Emails in Gmail to Keep Your Inbox Clean (2024)

Don’t Let Unwanted Emails Ruin Your Inbox

When Gmail launched in 2004, the email service offered one gigabyte of storage space for free. Today, Gmail users get to enjoy 15 GB of free storage, but that’s still not enough for some. Why? Because spam messages account for around 45 percent of all email traffic.

Indeed, it doesn’t take much time for spam messages to accumulate and eat up gigabytes of valuable storage space, leaving little room for messages that are actually important. Sure, you could purchase additional storage space from Google and call it a day, but that would be akin to throwing in the towel and letting spammers win.

Instead, you should learn how to automate email management using the solutions described in this article so that you can enjoy a clean, organized inbox without wasting hours of your precious time.

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How to Auto-Delete Emails in Gmail to Keep Your Inbox Clean (1)

How to Auto-Delete Emails in Gmail

To set up Gmail for automatically deleting emails, you can create an inbox filter. Filters are basically Gmail rules where you set up a condition and then choose a subsequent action to take on emails matching your condition.

When you create a filter in Gmail to automatically delete emails, you can choose from the following conditions:

  • From
  • To
  • Subject
  • Has the words (keywords)
  • Doesn’t have (keywords)
  • Size
  • Has attachment

You may notice that unlike searching for emails in Gmail, the criteria available for filters lacks the Date within option. Fortunately, there is a workaround to filter and delete emails based on date, which we’ll show you below.

Let’s look at how to automatically delete old emails in Gmail as well as those with certain keywords.

Auto-Delete Old Emails in Gmail

Ridding your Gmail inbox of older messages that you no longer need is a perfect way to clean up your mailbox. If you’ve been using Gmail for many years, you can easily have emails that are close to 10 years old and no longer serve a purpose.

To create a filter to auto-delete Gmail after time, follow these steps:

  1. Visit Gmail on the web and sign in.
  2. Select the Settings icon (gear) on the top right and choose See all settings in the sidebar.
  3. How to Auto-Delete Emails in Gmail to Keep Your Inbox Clean (2)How to Auto-Delete Emails in Gmail to Keep Your Inbox Clean (3)

  4. Go to the Filters and Blocked Addresses tab.
  5. Scroll to the bottom and pick Create a new filter.
  6. How to Auto-Delete Emails in Gmail to Keep Your Inbox Clean (4)

  7. Use the Has the words field in the pop-up window to enter the timeframe. As examples, you can enter “older_than:1y” for messages older than a year or “older_than:6m” for those older than six months.
  8. Select Create filter.
  9. Check the box for Delete it.
  10. Select Create filter to apply and run the filter.

From now on, Gmail will delete emails older than the timeframe you selected.

💡 Note: Although you can use Gmail’s Search feature to include the Date within option and create a filter, you cannot do this for dates that are only before a certain date or timeframe. Additionally, you must include another condition to set up a filter from the Search tool.

How to Auto-Delete Emails in Gmail to Keep Your Inbox Clean (5)How to Auto-Delete Emails in Gmail to Keep Your Inbox Clean (6)

Auto-Delete Emails With Keywords in Gmail

You may have other types of emails in Gmail that are consuming space that you’d like to automatically delete. These could be promotional emails like limited-time deals from shopping sites or post notifications from social media networks.

You might not want to completely unsubscribe from messages from these senders, but instead, delete certain emails you receive from them.

To set up auto-delete in Gmail based on keywords, follow these steps:

  1. Follow Steps 1 through 4 above to open the Settings and choose Create a new filter.
  2. Use the available fields to enter the criteria. Here are a couple of examples:
    • To delete emails from any sender with “limited-time” in the email body, you’d use just Has the words: Limited-Time.
    • To delete emails from Twitter with “tweeted” in the subject, you’d use both of the fields From: Twitter and Subject: Tweeted.
  1. Select Create filter.
  2. Check the box for Delete it.
  3. Optionally check the box for Also apply filter to matching messages to delete existing messages in your inbox that match the criteria. If you prefer to start the filter moving forward and not delete existing matching messages, leave the box empty.
  4. Select Create filter to apply and run the filter.

Moving forward, Gmail will delete emails you receive that match your conditions.

If you want to edit or delete a Gmail filter, return to See all settings >Filters and Blocked Addresses. Note that you cannot turn off a filter temporarily. To pause a filter, you must delete it and then follow the above steps to set it up again when you’re ready.

Auto-Delete Emails in the Gmail Mobile App

Are you an on-the-go Gmail user? Unfortunately, you cannot currently create filters in the Gmail mobile app.

As an alternative, you can use the Clean Email app for Gmail on your mobile device. This allows you to set up Auto Clean rules for Gmail like those above, and more, which we’ll describe below.

How to Auto-Delete Emails in Gmail Using Clean Email

To automatically delete emails in Gmail using Clean Email, you can create a rule with the Auto Clean feature. This works just like the Gmail auto-delete using filters where you set up the condition and an action to take on matching messages.

When you create an Auto Clean rule in Clean Email to automatically delete emails, you can choose from the following conditions:

  • From
  • To
  • Email address or Domain
  • Subject, Sender, or Recipient (keywords)
  • Status
  • Date
  • Size
  • Flag/Star
  • Label, and more.

How to Auto-Delete Emails in Gmail to Keep Your Inbox Clean (7)How to Auto-Delete Emails in Gmail to Keep Your Inbox Clean (8)

Not only does Clean Email offer many conditions for creating your rule, or “filter,” but gives you a friendly interface and the flexibility to fine-tune your rule.

Let’s walk through how to automatically delete emails in Gmail using Clean Email, both on the web and your mobile device.


Auto-Delete Emails in Clean Email

If you want to automatically clean Gmail from old messages, emails with certain words, those that are large in size, or another condition, you can set this up easily.

  1. Open Clean Email and choose Auto Clean on the left.
  2. Select either Create Rule or the plus sign on the right.
  3. How to Auto-Delete Emails in Gmail to Keep Your Inbox Clean (9)How to Auto-Delete Emails in Gmail to Keep Your Inbox Clean (10)

  4. Give your rule and name and then pick the conditions. You’ll notice a few quick options to pick from including:
    • Old Mail lets you select a timeframe from one day up to 10 years.
    • Large Mail lets you pick messages from 1 KB to 500 MB in size.
  1. In the Any sender or recipients drop-down field, choose a criteria to filter your sender, e.g., the Sender Domain option. Start typing the domain name and click it from the search results below.
  2. How to Auto-Delete Emails in Gmail to Keep Your Inbox Clean (11)How to Auto-Delete Emails in Gmail to Keep Your Inbox Clean (12)

  3. In the Apply Action drop-down box, choose Delete to permanently remove the messages. Note that you can choose Trash instead which allows you to recover an email later if you like.
  4. Optionally, turn on the toggles for including the rule in Action History and applying it to existing messages.
  5. Click Create Rule to save and apply your rule.

You can see all the rules you create in the Auto Clean section of Clean Email. You can also return to this area to pause a rule. Yes, unlike Gmail, Clean Email lets you temporarily stop a rule without deleting it which is a handy feature.

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Auto-Delete Emails in the Clean Email Mobile App

Because Gmail doesn’t offer filters setup in the mobile app, you can use Clean Email’s Auto Clean feature to do this on your Android device or iPhone.

  1. Open the Clean Email app and select Auto Clean from the menu.
  2. Tap either Create Rule or the plus sign on the right.
  3. Give your rule and name and then pick the conditions. You have the same criteria set as on the website.
  4. How to Auto-Delete Emails in Gmail to Keep Your Inbox Clean (15)How to Auto-Delete Emails in Gmail to Keep Your Inbox Clean (16)

  5. In the Apply Action drop-down box, choose Delete or Trash per your preference.
  6. Optionally, turn on the additional toggles and tap Create Rule.
  7. How to Auto-Delete Emails in Gmail to Keep Your Inbox Clean (17)How to Auto-Delete Emails in Gmail to Keep Your Inbox Clean (18)

You can see your rules in the Auto Clean section of the mobile app, just like on the web. Plus, your rules sync across your devices, allowing you to pause and edit your rules at your desk or from your couch.


Keep Your Inbox Clutter-Free With Clean Email

Along with the Auto Clean feature for deleting Gmail messages in bulk, Clean Email gives you an advanced set of features for doing more to automate email tasks and keep your inbox neat and tidy.

Unsubscriber: To avoid the need to delete emails you no longer need such as promotional messages; an alternative is to unsubscribe from them. While Gmail gives you an Unsubscribe button to remove yourself from mailing lists, Clean Emails lets you unsubscribe from multiple emails at once and resubscribe later if you change your mind.

How to Auto-Delete Emails in Gmail to Keep Your Inbox Clean (19)How to Auto-Delete Emails in Gmail to Keep Your Inbox Clean (20)

Cleaning Suggestions: If you struggle to find the best ways to clean up your mailbox, the Cleaning Suggestions offered by Clean Email may be just what you need. You’ll see recommendations for messages you can mark as spam, archive, or move to the trash. Not only that, but you can use the suggestions to act on groups of emails at one time.

How to Auto-Delete Emails in Gmail to Keep Your Inbox Clean (21)How to Auto-Delete Emails in Gmail to Keep Your Inbox Clean (22)

Screener: Ever wonder how your email address got on a sender’s mailing list in the first place? With Clean Email’s Screener, you can view messages from new senders all in one spot. Then, either allow the email or unsubscribe immediately.

How to Auto-Delete Emails in Gmail to Keep Your Inbox Clean (23)How to Auto-Delete Emails in Gmail to Keep Your Inbox Clean (24)

All Clean Email features are available both on the web and in the mobile app. So, no matter where you choose to manage your messages, you can enjoy simple, safe, and secure inbox management with Clean Email.

Wrap-Up

Now that you know how to auto-delete old emails in Gmail or those based on keywords, you can save a ton of time. Because Clean Email offers this same automation with even more flexibility, you can not only get rid of unwanted messages in a snap but do it on both your laptop and mobile phone.

Ready to step it up a notch? Look at our guides for how to automatically move emails to a folder and how to auto-delete spam in Gmail.

How to Auto-Delete Emails in Gmail - FAQs

Can you set Gmail to auto-delete?

Yes, it can be configured to auto-delete emails that meet certain criteria using its filters. Alternatively, you can achieve the same result but more easily using a third-party inbox cleaner, such as Clean Email.

Why is Gmail automatically deleting emails?

Does Gmail auto-delete old emails on its own? It does, but only those that it considers to be spam. If you want Gmail to automatically delete promotions and other types of email messages as well, then you need to manually create corresponding email filters.

How do I turn off auto-delete in Gmail?

To turn off auto-delete in Gmail, go to your Gmail settings, then find the section related to "Filters and Blocked Addresses" or a similar category. Here, you can edit or remove any existing filters that might be set to automatically delete emails.

How do I stop Gmail from deleting old emails?

This mail provider automatically deletes emails that are older than 30 days from Trash and Spam. Unfortunately, there’s no way to automatically delete spam in Gmail using a different time interval at the moment.

How to Auto-Delete Emails in Gmail to Keep Your Inbox Clean (2024)

FAQs

How to Auto-Delete Emails in Gmail to Keep Your Inbox Clean? ›

Scroll to the Email and chat auto-deletion setting and choose an option: Do not delete email and chat messages automatically.

Can I set my Gmail to automatically delete emails? ›

Auto-Delete Old Emails in Gmail
  1. Go to the Filters and Blocked Addresses tab within Settings.
  2. Scroll down and hit 'Create a new filter.
  3. Use the 'Has the words' field to enter the timeframe, like 'older_than:1y' for emails older than a year.
  4. Check the box for 'Delete it' and hit 'Create filter.
Apr 20, 2024

How do I keep my Gmail inbox clean? ›

7 Ways to Clean Your Gmail Inbox
  1. Remove Old Attachments. ...
  2. Remove Unused Categories. ...
  3. Remove Yourself From Unnecessary Emailing Lists. ...
  4. Block Spammers and Unwanted Senders. ...
  5. Filter and Delete by Date, Sender, or Content. ...
  6. Use Labels. ...
  7. Use Spike to Organize and Clean Your Inbox.
Aug 19, 2024

How do I clean up thousands of emails in Gmail? ›

To quickly clean up thousands of emails in Gmail on the web:
  1. Open your inbox and type 'older_than:x days' in the search bar (replace 'x' with the number of days).
  2. Click the checkbox on the top-left to select all emails on the page.
  3. Click the 'Trash' icon to delete emails that were selected.
Sep 10, 2024

How to send auto delete email in Gmail? ›

What to Know
  1. Start a new email, then select the Confidential Mode icon (the lock and clock). In the app, select the three vertical dots > Confidential Mode.
  2. Choose how long you want the message to last and whether or not it requires a passcode in the options window. ...
  3. Compose your message and send it as normal.
Nov 5, 2021

How do I create a rule to delete emails in Gmail? ›

Use a particular message to create a filter
  1. Open Gmail.
  2. Check the checkbox next to the email you want.
  3. Click More .
  4. Click Filter messages like these.
  5. Enter your filter criteria.
  6. Click Create filter.

How do I keep Gmail emails forever? ›

Scroll to the Email and chat auto-deletion setting and choose an option: Do not delete email and chat messages automatically.

How do I declutter my Gmail email? ›

17 tips to organize your inbox
  1. Put more relevant emails on top. ...
  2. Get rid of tabs you don't use much. ...
  3. Use Labels to neatly organize Gmail. ...
  4. Automate emails to be assigned to your team (without forwarding) ...
  5. Stop writing emails for internal conversations. ...
  6. Archive emails you do not need in the near future.
Jul 26, 2024

Where is auto clean in Gmail? ›

Auto-Delete Emails in Clean Email
  1. Open Clean Email and choose Auto Clean on the left.
  2. Select either Create Rule or the plus sign on the right.
  3. Give your rule and name and then pick the conditions. You'll notice a few quick options to pick from including: Old Mail lets you select a timeframe from one day up to 10 years.

How do I stop filthy emails in Gmail? ›

When you block a sender, messages they send you go to Spam.
  1. On your computer, go to Gmail.
  2. Open the message.
  3. In the top right, click More .
  4. Click Block [sender].

What do I do when my Gmail inbox is full? ›

Free up space with Gmail. With the Google One Storage Management Tool, you can review and free up storage space by deleting emails in your trash, spam emails, or emails with large attachments. info Features are subject to availability. The steps may look different depending on your device.

How do I delete unnecessary mails in Gmail? ›

How to delete all messages in a category
  1. Log into your Gmail account.
  2. Click on the desired category on the left.
  3. Click the checkbox at the top to select all emails on the current page.
  4. Click Select all conversations in [category] above your emails.
  5. Hit the Trash bin icon. The emails will be sent to the Trash folder.
Sep 10, 2024

How do I clear my entire Gmail inbox? ›

How to delete all Gmail emails at once
  1. Check the box at the top of your inbox, to the left of the refresh button: This selects every email on the first page.
  2. At the top in gray text it now reads All 𝑥 conversations on this page are selected. ...
  3. Click Delete (the trash can):
Oct 27, 2023

How do I set Gmail to automatically delete emails? ›

How To Automatically Delete Old Emails In Gmail
  1. Open your Gmail account using the web browser.
  2. Click the Settings gear icon and select the See all settings option.
  3. Go to the Filters and Blocked Addresses tab.
  4. Click Create a new filter.
  5. Enter older_than:1y (or older_than:90d, etc.) in the Has the words field.
Sep 10, 2024

How long are emails kept in Gmail? ›

How far back does Gmail keep emails? Gmail can keep emails indefinitely. However, your individual email messages may be deleted after 2 years of inactivity. If your account (across all Google products) exceeds 15GB, you'll be unable to receive new emails.

How do I clear out old emails in Gmail? ›

How do I mass delete emails from Gmail by year?
  1. In the search bar at the top of your inbox, type after:YYYY/M/D before:YYYY/M/D .
  2. Fill in with the applicable dates to pinpoint a single year (or other date range).
  3. Select all the emails that show up, and click the Delete button.
Apr 16, 2024

How to automatically archive or delete old emails in Gmail? ›

You can filter emails by sender, subject, keywords, and more to select exactly which emails should be archived automatically. Click on Create filter at the bottom of the search options. In the next window, check the Skip the Inbox (Archive it) option so that all emails matching your criteria are archived.

How to automatically delete promotions in Gmail after 30 days? ›

Here's how to do this:
  1. Log into your Gmail account and go to the Promotions category.
  2. Click on the checkboxes next to the emails you want to auto-delete.
  3. Tap on the three dots on the bar right above the selected emails.
  4. Select Filter Messages Like These from the menu that pops up.
  5. Click Create Filter.
Mar 11, 2024

How do I automatically file away emails in Gmail? ›

How to move emails to a folder and remove them from the inbox? Create a filter in Gmail by going to Settings → Filters and Blocked Addresses. Set your criteria, select "Apply the label" to choose the folder, and check "Skip the Inbox (Archive it)" to remove them from the inbox.

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