How-To

How to Check Gmail Storage

By Brian Burgess

Updated December 6, 2023

Google gives you 15GB of free storage when you sign up for a new account. So, it’s a good idea to check Gmail storage to manage space used.

Each Google account you sign up for has 15GB of free storage for documents, photos, and Gmail messages. But sometimes, you may want to check your Gmail storage to determine if you need to purchase additional space or clean some things up to reclaim used space.

Remember that your Gmail counts towards your storage in addition to photos and files. That includes emails, attachments, and items in Spam and Trash folders.

The good news is that checking your Google Drive storage breaks down the items saved in the cloud storage service. So, in addition to checking the space used by photos and files, you can also check the amount of storage space used by Gmail. We’ll show you how to do it in this guide.

How to Check Gmail Storage

To view the space used by files, photos, and Gmail, you must sign into your Google Drive’s storage section in settings from a web browser. The best way to check is from a computer, but you can use your phone or tablet via a browser if a computer isn’t available.

To check Gmail Storage from a Browser

1. Launch a browser on your computer, head to google.com/settings/storage, and sign in if you aren’t already.
2. Ensure the Storage tab is selected from the menu on the left.
3. In the center-right section of the page, you will see the breakdown of storage items, including Google Drive, Google Photos, and Gmail.
4. Click the arrow box icon next to Gmail to open your inbox and manage stored items. Remember, the items in the Trash and Spam folders also count against your Gmail storage space, so start cleaning there.
5. After cleaning out the Spam and Trash folders, you may want to find and delete the largest emails in Gmail to reclaim even more storage space.

Find Gmail Storage from Google Drive

Alternatively, you can check Gmail storage directly from the Google Drive online app.

1. Open your Google Drive account and sign in if you aren’t already.
2. Click the app selector icon next to your profile icon in the top right corner and select Google Drive.
3. Click the Storage option from the left panel.
4. Like the steps above, you will see a breakdown of items taking up storage in your Google Drive. Here, you can also sort by item type, modified, date, and choose to clean up space.

Check Gmail Storage on Mobile

While you can use a browser on your phone or tablet to check Gmail storage, you can also use the Gmail app.

1. Launch the Gmail app on your phone or tablet.
2. Tap your profile icon in the top right corner of the screen.
3. You will see the percentage of Gmail storage space used on the menu. To get additional information, tap the Storage used option on the menu.
4. On the following screen, you will see a breakdown of the space Gmail uses and other items like photos and documents.

Checking Gmail Storage on the Desktop or Mobile

If you need to check the amount of storage being used by Gmail, different options are available to get detailed information. You can use a browser on your computer or find it from the app on your mobile device.

Of course, if you need additional storage space, Google will offer it on the storage breakdown screens. Overall, the above options are a straightforward way to keep track of your Gmail storage and determine what other items are taking up your 15GB of space.