How to delete all emails from one sender in Gmail
Quick answer: search from:sender@example.com, click the
checkbox above the message list, then click “Select all conversations that
match this search” in the banner that appears, and press the trash icon. That
middle step is the one most people miss — without it Gmail deletes only the 50
messages on the current page.
Every few months you notice that some newsletter has quietly deposited a thousand emails in your account. Gmail can remove all of them in about fifteen seconds, but only if you know about one non-obvious link. This guide covers the full method, the variations worth knowing, and what actually happens to your storage afterwards.
Delete every email from a sender: step by step
-
Search for the sender. In the Gmail search box, type
from:sender@example.comand press Enter. You can also click a message from that sender, then copy the address from the header. - Select everything on the page. Click the empty checkbox at the top left of the message list. Gmail selects the conversations currently shown — 50 by default.
- Extend the selection to every match. A banner appears above the list reading “All 50 conversations on this page are selected.” Next to it is a link: “Select all 1,036 conversations that match this search.” Click it. This is the step that matters.
- Delete. Click the trash icon in the toolbar. Gmail may ask you to confirm a bulk action — confirm it.
- Empty the Trash, if you are reclaiming storage. Open Trash in the left sidebar and choose “Empty Trash now”. Until you do, those messages still count against your quota.
Gmail's header checkbox only ever selects the current page. The “select all conversations that match this search” link is the only way to act on the whole result set, and it appears only after you tick the header checkbox. If you have ever deleted a sender's mail and found it back the next week, this is almost certainly why.
Search operators worth knowing
Everything above works with any Gmail search. Combining operators lets you delete precisely what you mean to and keep the rest.
| Goal | Search |
|---|---|
| One exact sender | from:news@example.com |
| Every sender at a company | from:@example.com |
| Older than a year | from:news@example.com older_than:1y |
| Bigger than 10 MB | from:news@example.com larger:10M |
| Never opened | from:news@example.com is:unread |
| With attachments | from:news@example.com has:attachment |
| Keep anything starred | from:news@example.com -is:starred |
| Include Spam and Trash | from:news@example.com in:anywhere |
Age accepts d, m and y — so older_than:6m
is six months. Size accepts M and K. The minus sign excludes,
which is the safest habit to build: -is:starred costs nothing and protects
anything you have deliberately marked.
Delete all emails from a domain, not just one address
Companies rotate sending addresses — noreply-1@, marketing@,
offers@ — so deleting one address often leaves most of the mail behind.
Searching from:@example.com matches every address at that domain in one go.
Check the result count before deleting. A domain search can sweep up genuine correspondence, particularly for a company you actually have an account with.
Freeing up Gmail storage
A free Google account includes 15 GB shared across Gmail, Drive and Photos. When it fills, Gmail stops receiving mail — so storage cleanups are usually urgent when they happen.
Attachments, not message counts, are what fill a mailbox. Two searches do most of the work:
larger:10M— every message over 10 MB, regardless of senderhas:attachment older_than:2y— old mail carrying files you have long since saved elsewhere
Mail in Trash still counts against your quota. Gmail clears Trash automatically after 30 days, or you can empty it immediately. That 30-day window is also your safety net — see below.
What happens to deleted mail
- Deleted mail goes to Trash and is recoverable for 30 days.
- After 30 days Gmail removes it permanently. There is no undo after that.
- Emptying Trash yourself makes deletion immediate and permanent.
- Bulk actions cap out at roughly 1,000 conversations per operation. If you have more, repeat the same steps — the count simply drops each time.
Deleting versus unsubscribing versus archiving
| Action | What it does | Use when |
|---|---|---|
| Delete | Moves mail to Trash; gone after 30 days | You want the space back and will never need the messages |
| Archive | Removes from Inbox, keeps it searchable forever | You want a clean inbox but might need the mail later |
| Unsubscribe | Stops future mail; changes nothing already received | Always — pair it with a delete, or the pile rebuilds |
| Filter → delete | Auto-deletes matching mail on arrival | A sender you can never unsubscribe from |
Deleting without unsubscribing is the most common mistake. You reclaim the space and the sender refills it. Gmail shows an Unsubscribe link next to the sender's name on most bulk mail — use it first, then delete.
Auto-delete future mail with a filter
For a sender that ignores unsubscribe requests: open Settings → Filters and Blocked Addresses → Create a new filter, enter the address in From, click Create filter, then tick Delete it. New mail from that sender goes straight to Trash on arrival.
Doing it in two clicks instead
Disclosure: I wrote the free extension described below, after doing the steps above by hand one too many times.
Sweep collapses the whole sequence into one button. Open any email, click Similar, and it searches for that sender, waits for the results and applies the “select all that match” step for you. You press Delete.
It never asks to sign in, and it makes no network requests — unlike inbox-cleaning services, it has no server and cannot read your mailbox. It only works with the Gmail page already open in your browser, and it never deletes anything itself: it hands the selection to Gmail's own Delete button, so everything stays recoverable from Trash.
Get Sweep — free and open source| By hand | Sweep | Inbox-cleaning services | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clicks per sender | 5–6 | 2 | Varies |
| Needs a Google sign-in | No | No | Yes |
| Can read your mailbox | — | No server exists | Yes, by design |
| Cost | Free | Free | Usually subscription |
| Filter by age, size, read state | Manually, per search | Built in | Usually |
Frequently asked questions
Why does Gmail only delete 50 emails at a time?
Because the header checkbox selects only the current page, which holds 50 conversations by default. To act on every match you must also click “Select all conversations that match this search” in the banner that appears above the list.
Can I recover emails I deleted in bulk?
Yes, for 30 days. Bulk deletion moves mail to Trash rather than removing it, so you can restore anything within that window. After 30 days Gmail deletes it permanently.
How do I delete all emails from a whole company?
Search from:@example.com rather than a single address. That matches every
sender at the domain, which catches companies that rotate addresses.
Does deleting emails free up Gmail storage?
Only once the Trash is emptied. Deleted mail keeps consuming your quota until it is permanently removed — either by emptying Trash yourself or by waiting out the 30 days.
How do I delete old emails but keep recent ones?
Add an age operator: from:news@example.com older_than:1y. Add
-is:starred as well to protect anything you have starred.
Can I delete emails from multiple senders at once?
Yes. Use OR between addresses, in capitals:
from:(a@example.com OR b@example.com). The select-all and delete steps are
identical.
Does this work on the Gmail mobile app?
Partly. You can search and select on mobile, but the “select all conversations that match this search” link is only offered in the desktop web interface. For large cleanups, use a browser.