Gmail Storage Full? How to Free Up Space or Buy More (2026)

Is your Gmail account full of large attachments? Back in 2007 Google first let users buy extra storage for Gmail and Picasa Web Albums. This updated guide explains how Gmail storage works today, what uses up your free space, and how to clean up or buy more through Google One.

Quick answer: Every Google Account gets 15 GB of free storage, shared by Gmail, Google Drive and Google Photos. Check what is using it on the Google storage page, delete large emails and files to free space, or buy a Google One plan if you need more. Picasa Web Albums no longer exists; your photos now live in Google Photos.

How Gmail storage worked in 2007

In 2007 Gmail offered a little over 2.8 GB free and Picasa Web Albums had a separate 1 GB. Google then added paid storage, paid via Google Checkout, that both services could share. At the time I wondered if Gmail would ever go unlimited, since Rediffmail and Yahoo Mail were promising unlimited email storage. Storage has grown a lot since then; here is what comes after terabyte.

Gmail never went unlimited. Instead Google moved to one shared storage pool for all its services, and paid storage became part of Google One. Google retired Picasa in 2016 in favour of Google Photos.

Gmail storage today: the 15 GB limit

According to Google’s storage help page, the free 15 GB is shared across Gmail, Drive and Photos. These count towards it:

• Gmail messages and attachments, including Spam and Trash
• Files in Google Drive, including recordings
• Photos and videos backed up to Google Photos (with some exceptions for older uploads)
• Google Docs, Sheets and Slides files created or edited after June 1, 2021
• Android backups such as WhatsApp backups and app data

When storage is full, you may not be able to send or receive new email, so keep an eye on it.

How to free up Gmail storage

1. See what uses your space on the Google storage page, which breaks usage down by Gmail, Drive and Photos.
2. In Gmail, search has:attachment larger:10M to find big emails, then delete the ones you don’t need.
3. Empty the Spam and Trash folders, as they count too.
4. In Google Drive, sort files by storage used and remove large old files.
5. In Google Photos, delete blurry shots, duplicates and long videos you no longer want.

How to buy more Google storage

If cleaning up isn’t enough, buy a Google One plan. The extra space is shared by Gmail, Drive and Photos, just like the 2007 paid storage was shared by Gmail and Picasa. Plans and prices vary by country, so check the Google One page for your region. A new plan can take up to 24 hours to show up in your account.

If you’d rather keep files elsewhere, see how to get more free Dropbox space, or what happened to the Flickr free storage offer. You can also save images and screenshots to Google Drive straight from the web.

FAQ

How much free Gmail storage do I get?

15 GB per Google Account, shared with Google Drive and Google Photos.

Does deleting emails free up space right away?

Only after they leave the Trash. Empty Trash to free the space immediately.

What happened to Picasa Web Albums?

Google retired Picasa in 2016. Photos are now stored and managed in Google Photos.

Can I buy storage just for Gmail?

No. Google One storage is shared across Gmail, Drive and Photos.