Gmail’s search bar is the fastest cleanup tool it has. One search can find thousands of old promotions or every email over 10 MB, and Gmail can then select all of them at once.
The most useful Gmail cleanup searches are category:promotions older_than:1y for old store mail, larger:10M for storage hogs, is:unread older_than:6m for mail you never opened, and before:2020/01/01 -is:starred for anything old that you did not star. Type a search, press Enter, select all results, then delete or archive.
12 searches to clean up Gmail
| Type this | Finds | Usually do |
|---|---|---|
| category:promotions older_than:1y | Store and brand mail over a year old | Delete |
| category:social older_than:6m | Social network notifications over 6 months old | Delete |
| category:updates older_than:1y | Old shipping, account and app notices | Delete or archive |
| is:unread older_than:6m | Mail you never opened in 6 months | Skim senders, then delete |
| larger:10M | Messages 10 MB or bigger | Save attachments you need, then delete |
| has:attachment larger:5M older_than:2y | Big attachments over 2 years old | Save, then delete |
| filename:pdf | Mail with PDF attachments | Label receipts and statements |
| in:sent larger:5M | Big files you sent | Delete if saved elsewhere |
| before:2020/01/01 -is:starred | Everything before 2020 that is not starred | Archive or delete |
| older_than:3y has:nouserlabels | Old mail you never filed | Archive |
| subject:(receipt OR order OR invoice) | Receipts and orders | Label “Receipts” |
| from:[email protected] | Everything from one sender | Delete or filter |
Use the sender’s real address in the last search. Sizes use M for megabytes; ages use d, m and y for days, months and years.
How the operators combine
- A space means AND: category:promotions older_than:1y finds mail that is both a promotion and over a year old.
- OR finds either, written in capitals: subject:(receipt OR invoice).
- A minus sign excludes: add -is:starred to any search to skip starred mail.
- Quotation marks match an exact phrase: “boarding pass”.
Category searches only work if inbox categories are turned on, in Settings › See all settings › Inbox.
Delete every match at once
Before a big delete, add -is:starred to the search and check any labels you care about. Deleted mail stays in Trash for 30 days, so a mistake can be undone until you empty it. The full walkthrough is in how to bulk-delete Gmail messages on a computer.
Turn a search into a filter
Any search that finds mail you never want in your inbox can become a filter. Click the sliders icon in the search bar, then Create filter. See Gmail filters and labels for five ready-made recipes, and free Gmail storage while keeping important emails if space is the goal.
Searches for freeing storage
| Type this | Finds |
|---|---|
| larger:20M | The very largest messages, usually videos |
| has:attachment older_than:5y | Old attachments you likely saved elsewhere |
| in:sent has:attachment larger:5M | Big files you sent |
| in:anywhere larger:10M | Large mail in every folder, including Spam and Trash |
| has:drive | Emails with Google Drive links, which take no extra space |
Searches to check before any big delete
| Type this | Why |
|---|---|
| is:starred | Mail you marked as important |
| is:important | Mail Gmail flagged as important to you |
| has:userlabels | Anything you filed under a label |
| subject:(statement OR tax OR “1099” OR W-2) | Financial and tax records |
Add -is:starred or -has:userlabels to a cleanup search to protect these.
Questions
Do these searches work in the Gmail app? Most operators work in the app’s search box, but selecting every match at once only works on a computer.
Why does a search show conversations I starred? Gmail matches individual messages. A conversation can appear if at least one message in it matches, even when another message in it is starred.
What is the difference between older_than and before? older_than counts back from today (older_than:1y). before uses a fixed date (before:2020/01/01).
Can I search all folders at once? Yes. in:anywhere includes Spam and Trash.
Inbox Reset Kit for Gmail and Outlook · $7
The printable version with 20 searches, five filters, a 30-day reset plan at 15 minutes a day, Outlook.com steps and a weekly routine with a tracker.
Searches checked against Gmail Help and in Gmail on the web in November 2026.
Sources
- Gmail Help: Refine searches in Gmail
- Gmail Help: Delete or recover Gmail messages
