How to quickly delete or archive all your Gmail emails

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(Pocket-lint) – You’ve let your Gmail inbox get cluttered. If you’re tired of seeing all 14,160 unread emails, just delete them. The fastest way is to access Gmail from the web on your laptop or desktop. If you’re too afraid to delete something valuable, you can archive all your unread messages. We also explain how to do it.

Read: 14 of the best messaging apps to help you get to zero inbox.

How to delete all your Gmail emails at once?

From Gmail on the web via your computer, you can quickly delete multiple Gmail emails at once with just a few clicks.

1. On your computer, go to Gmail.com.
2. Check the boxes to the left of the messages you want to delete.
3. You can also check the box at the top left of your messages if you want to delete them all.
   • You can use the drop-down list next to the box to select all or nothing.
4. If you have more than one message page, click Select All Conversations.
5. Select the trash can icon at the top of your inbox, below the search field.

If you want to learn more about how to delete Gmail emails, visit Google Support.

What happens when you delete Gmail emails?

When you delete messages, they stay in your trash for 30 days. After that, they are permanently deleted. To find and recover them, just go to your trash.

How to Archive All Your Gmail Emails

If you want to remove a message from your inbox but don’t want to delete it, you can archive it.

1. On your computer, go to Gmail.com.
2. Check the boxes to the left of the messages you want to archive.
3. Or, check the box at the top left of your messages if you want to archive them all.
   • You can use the drop-down list next to the box to select all or nothing.
4. If you have more than one message page, click Select All Conversations.
5. Select the archive icon (box with arrow) at the top of your inbox, below the search field.

If you want to learn more about how to archive Gmail emails, visit Google Support.

What happens when you archive Gmail emails?

The messages you archived are not deleted and you can find them at any time.

For example, when you search Gmail, your results include archived messages. Similarly, if a message has been archived, you can find it by opening the All Mail label. Remember that archived Gmail messages still count against your storage quota.

Written by Maggie Tillman.