howtosimply.com/guides/gmail-storage-full-on-android-how-to-find-big-emails/ · Checked October 2026 · Samsung Galaxy A57 5G (SM-A576B), One UI 8.5, Android 16

In this guide

Search by size
Delete what you do not need
Empty the Trash
Check what else uses the space
If you do not see this option
If this does not work
Good to know
Sources

Quick answer

In the Gmail app search for larger:10M to list emails bigger than 10 MB. Open the ones you do not need, delete them, then empty the Trash. Your storage is shared with Google Drive and Google Photos, so check those too.

2 of 4 steps with real screenshots · 3 official sources below

Device: Android
Shown on: Samsung Galaxy A57 5G (SM-A576B), One UI 8.5, Android 16
App: Gmail
Real screenshots: 2 of 4 steps
Checked: October 2026
Sources: 3 official, linked below

Step by step

Search by size
Type larger: and a size into the Gmail search box, for example larger:10M for over 10 MB. We searched larger:1K howtosimply test so that only our test mail could match; the result row is blurred.
Done
Delete what you do not need
Open a mail you do not need and tap the bin at the top of the mail. A bar at the bottom confirms the delete and offers Undo. In our picture it says 1 deleted: we deleted our test mail from the search results, so the list behind it is now empty and says No matches.
Done
Empty the Trash
Deleted mail still counts against your storage for 30 days. Open the menu at the top left, tap Trash and then Empty trash now at the top. We did not empty ours.
Done
Check what else uses the space
Storage is shared with Google Drive and Google Photos. The Google One app or one.google.com/storage shows the split. We did not capture that page, because it shows the account.
Done

If you do not see this option

There is no Empty trash now button Google puts Empty trash now at the top of the Trash itself. Open the menu at the top left and tap Trash first. Source: Delete or recover Gmail messages
Your account is from work or school Google says some of its storage rules apply differently to Google Workspace and education plans, so your admin may set the limit. Source: How your Google storage works

If this does not work

Storage is still full after deleting Google counts the Spam and Trash folders against your storage, so empty both. Files in Google Drive and photos in Google Photos share the same space. Source: How your Google storage works
Mail still does not arrive Google says that while you are over your storage limit, sending and receiving email can be affected. Get back under the limit first. Source: How your Google storage works

About this guide

When your Google storage is full, Gmail stops receiving mail. Big attachments are usually the quickest win. Our Gmail account is a real one, so addresses, senders and subjects are blurred; the only mail we touched was a test message we sent to ourselves.

The screenshots are from the Gmail app on a Samsung Galaxy A57 5G with Android 16 and One UI 8.5, in dark mode. The app looks the same on other Android phones; only the phone's own settings screens differ by brand.