If you’ve received the dreaded “Account Storage is Full” notification in Gmail, you might be wondering whether you need to delete years’ worth of emails. Fortunately, there’s a better way to regain storage space without losing any emails.
Instead of paying for extra Google storage, you can transfer your emails to a new Gmail account for free. This method lets you keep all your messages while freeing up space in your primary inbox. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the step-by-step process to move your emails and reclaim up to 15GB of free Gmail storage.
Why Does Gmail Storage Fill Up So Fast?
Gmail provides 15GB of free storage, but it’s shared across Gmail, Google Drive, and Google Photos. If you frequently send or receive large files, your storage can fill up quickly.
Once your storage is full, you can’t send or receive emails, making it essential to take action. While Google offers paid storage plans through Google One, there’s a free alternative that involves moving emails to a second Gmail account.
How to Transfer Gmail Emails to a New Account
Before starting the transfer, back up your emails using Google Takeout to ensure you don’t lose any important data. Once your backup is complete, follow these steps:
Step 1: Enable POP Access in Your Old Gmail Account
- Log in to your original Gmail account.
- Click the gear icon in the top-right corner and select See all settings.
- Go to the Forwarding and POP/IMAP tab.
- Under POP download, select Enable POP for all mail.
- Choose delete Gmail’s copy to free up space after transferring emails.
- Click Save Changes.
Step 2: Set Up Your New Gmail Account
If you don’t already have a second Gmail account, create a new one at accounts.google.com.
- Log in to your new Gmail account.
- Click the gear icon and go to See all settings.
- Navigate to the Accounts and Import tab.
- Under Check mail from other accounts, click Add a mail account.
- Enter your old Gmail address and click Next.
- Select Import emails from my other account (POP3) and click Next.
- Enter your old Gmail password. If it doesn’t work, you may need to create an App Password (myaccount.google.com/apppasswords).
- Set Port to 995.
- Check the boxes for:
- Always use a secure connection (SSL)
- Label incoming messages
- Archive incoming messages (Skip the Inbox)
- Click Add Account.
Step 3: Monitor the Transfer Process
Once you’ve linked the accounts, Gmail will start transferring emails automatically. This process can take a few hours to a couple of days, depending on the number of messages.
After the transfer is complete:
- Check your Trash folder in the old account and manually empty it to free up storage.
- Ensure that important emails have been successfully moved.
What Happens After Transferring Emails?
Once the emails are transferred, your old Gmail inbox will be empty, and you’ll have freed up storage without deleting emails. You can still log in to your new Gmail archive account anytime to access your old messages.
To stop auto-syncing, go to your new Gmail account’s Settings > Accounts and Import and remove the old account under Check mail from other accounts.
Alternative Ways to Free Up Gmail Storage
If you don’t want to create a second Gmail account, here are some additional ways to free up space:
1. Delete Large Emails
Use the search query:
size:10M
This will show all emails larger than 10MB. Delete or download attachments to save space.
2. Clear Google Drive and Photos
Since Gmail storage is shared with Google Drive and Google Photos, deleting unnecessary files and photos can also free up space.
3. Empty Spam and Trash Folders
Gmail automatically deletes spam after 30 days, but manually clearing these folders can free up some space immediately.
Final Thoughts
If your Gmail storage is full, don’t rush to delete old emails or pay for extra storage. Instead, transfer your emails to a new Gmail account and reclaim your 15GB of free space.
By following this guide, you can keep all your messages, avoid unnecessary expenses, and continue using Gmail without interruptions.
