How to delete emails at once on an Android phone
If you have an Android phone, then your default mailbox application is Gmail. One of the main drawbacks of the Gmail app is that it’s not very convenient or intuitive to mass delete Gmail emails within the app. The process can be time-consuming, depending on how many emails you have.
In this guide, we’ll explain:
- How to delete selected messages at once in the Gmail app.
- How to mass delete emails in the Gmail app for Android.
- How to filter and delete all your unread emails in Gmail.
- How to swipe individual emails to the trash folder, making deleting or archiving easier going forward.
1. How to delete multiple emails at once in your Gmail inbox
This is an excellent option if you want to delete several emails at once. If you want to delete more than 50 emails at once in Gmail, read the next section.
- Open your Gmail app.
- Tap the round sender profile icon next to any message you want to delete.
- The round icon will change into a check mark.
- Select specific messages by tapping on the round sender icons one by one.
- Once you’ve selected all the emails you want to remove, tap the trash can in the top menu to move them to the trash folder.
- All deleted emails are stored in the trash folder for 30 days before they get deleted permanently.
2. How to delete more than 50 emails in Gmail
There is a way to delete more than 50 emails at once in Gmail, and even more than that, but it’s not immediately apparent. Here’s how:
- Open your Gmail app.
- Tap the round sender profile icon on the left side of any message you want to delete.
- The round icon will change into a check mark.
- A box—“select all”—will appear above the list of emails.
- Tap the checkbox to select all emails that load on the first page by default. The number of emails selected this way will likely be 50.
- To select more than that, uncheck “select all” and start scrolling down so that more emails load. Continue doing that until you reach the end of the list if you want to delete all the emails in your inbox (or in other folders). Then tap the “select all” checkbox again. For me, this returned 212 emails because that’s all the emails I have in this mailbox.
- Once all the emails you want to remove are selected, tap the trash icon in the top menu to move them to the trash folder.
Be aware that Google does not instantly delete any emails you move to trash. These emails will still be stored in the trash folder for 30 days before Google automatically empties the folder.
3. How do I delete all unread emails in the Gmail app?
To delete unread emails in the Gmail mobile app, you will need to first filter them out. This is yet another functionality available for mobile Gmail users but hidden from view.
Here’s how to select all unread messages in the Gmail app for Android:
- Open your Gmail app.
- Tap the search bar at the top of the screen.
- You’ll see a “search emails” bar with a swipe menu below.
- Swipe the menu to the left to select “is unread.”
- You can delete any of the unread messages by tapping the round profile icon on the left side.
- Then, follow the same process as when deleting emails in bulk.
- Scroll down to load all unread messages in this folder.
- Tap “select all.”
- Tap the trash icon in the menu on the top to move them to the trash folder. Google will permanently delete them after 30 days.
4. Use the swipe-to-delete option to keep your inbox clean
Deleting many emails at once on Android is not very intuitive, and depending on the number of messages you have, it can take a while to scroll through all of them.
If you don’t want to do it again, focus on prevention. The Gmail app allows you to delete (or archive) emails with a simple gesture.
Here is how to set it up:
- Select the three horizontal lines in your Gmail app in the upper-left corner.
- Tap “settings.”
- Tap “general settings.”
- Tap “swipe actions.”
- Choose whether you want to use the right or left swipe to delete messages.
- Tap “change” above the swipe you want to use to delete messages.
- Select “use left/right swipe to delete.”
You can now use the swipe gesture to quickly delete messages from your Gmail app.
Related articles
- How to delete multiple emails in Gmail on phone
- How to delete all promotions in Gmail
- How to clear your Gmail inbox
FAQ
How do I delete emails older than one year in Gmail?
Use the filter to delete Gmail emails older than a certain date. To do that, open your Gmail mobile app and tap the search bar near the top; a menu will appear. Tap “date” and enter the period you’re looking for. Then tap on the sender icon of any email you want to delete from this list and delete it by clicking the trash can button in the upper-right corner.
How do I delete thousands of Gmail emails on an Android phone?
If you want to delete all Gmail emails on your Android device:
1. Click on the round sender icon next to any email you want to delete.
2. Allow the list of your emails to load.
3. If necessary, scroll down to the very bottom of the list.
4. Go back to the top and check the box next to “select all.”
5 .Click the trash icon to delete them all instantly.
How do I quickly clean my Gmail inbox?
To quickly clean your Gmail inbox, click the round sender icon next to any message you wish to delete. Allow your email list to load fully, scrolling down to the bottom if needed. Once the entire list is visible, return to the top and check the box next to “select all.” Finally, click on the trash icon to delete emails in bulk.
How do I select all emails in Gmail Mobile?
To select all your emails in Gmail Mobile, follow these steps: Open the Gmail app, tap and hold on the round sender icon next to the first email you want to select. The option “select all” will appear just above.
