Delete in bulk and swipe to delete for quicker email management
What to Know
- Select the emails you want to delete. Then tap the Delete icon.
- Enable swipe deleting: Tap three horizontal lines > Settings > General settings > Swipe actions > Change > Delete.
This article explains how to delete Gmail emails in the official Gmail app for Android by deleting multiple emails at the same time or by swiping to delete single emails.
How to Delete Multiple Gmail Emails at Once
Follow these steps to delete more than one email at a time or to delete Gmail emails in bulk.
In the Gmail app for Android, open the folder that contains the emails you want to remove. If you don't see the app on your device, download the Gmail app from Google Play.
Tap the icon to the left of each email that you want to delete Or, long-press the email to select it.
Tap the Delete icon in the upper-right area of the screen.
There's no way to select every message in a folder using the Gmail app for Android. To remove every email in Gmail, access your account from a web browser.
How to Quickly Delete Single Gmail Emails
You can swipe one email after the other to quickly remove several messages. You don't even have to open an email to press the Delete icon.
To delete Gmail messages by setting up a swipe action:
Tap the three horizontal lines in the upper-left portion of Gmail, then scroll down and select Settings.
Go to General settings and tap Swipe actions.
Tap Change next to Right swipe or Left swipe (this is the direction that you want to swipe to delete your emails).
Select Delete in the list that appears.
Tap the Back arrow to return to your email, and then swipe in the appropriate direction (left or right) to delete emails.
If your Gmail account is set up to use IMAP, removing Gmail emails from your Android also deletes them from other devices connected to your account using IMAP.
FAQ
How do I delete a Gmail account?
To delete a Gmail account, go to your Google account settings, select Data & Privacy > Delete a Google Service, and sign in. Next to Gmail, select the trash can, enter the email address of the account you want to close, and follow the prompts. Google will send a confirmation email. Select the deletion link > Yes, I want to delete [account].
How do I delete all the emails on Gmail?
To empty your Gmail inbox quickly, go to the Gmail search field and enter in:inbox. Select the checkbox at the top of the Select column to choose all the emails, and then choose Archive to archive them or select the trash can to delete them.
How do I delete all unread emails in Gmail?
Go to your Gmail inbox and select the arrow next to the box at the top of the search bar. Select Unread to filter all your unread messages. Select your unread messages and select the trash can to delete them.
Thanks for letting us know!
Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day
Subscribe
How to Delete Email Folders in Gmail
Heard that Gmail is faster with fewer labels? A folder’s utility has run its course? Find out here how to delete email folders (i.e. labels) in Gmail.
First, Thelonious Monk Sees Keys on a Piano
Looking at a piano, inventive jazz pianist Thelonious Monk saw some eighty-eight keys and notes. He made good use of them and their wildest combinations. There were eighty-eight keys, after all, and none of them out of place.
“The piano ain’t got no wrong notes,”
he is said to have said, quite naturally.
Now, looking at your folders in Gmail, do you see some 88 as well—and some wrong ones?
How to Delete Email Folders in Gmail
In a Desktop Browser
Time needed: 2 minutes.
To remove a folder (and label) from Gmail using a desktop browser:
- Click
the three dots menu next to the folder you want to delete in Gmail.
See the folder list: If you do not see the list of folders (I.e. Gmail labels), hover the mouse cursor over the left toolbar and, if necessary, click ˅ More to see all folders.
- Select Remove label from the menu that has appeared.
- Now click Delete.
Folder hierarchy: If other folders are located nested in the folder you are deleting, these will also be removed.
No emails will be deleted: Deleting a folder in Gmail does not remove any emails; see below.
In the Gmail App for iPhone
To remove a Gmail folder using the app for iOS:
- Tap the hamburger menu button in the Gmail app.
- Select Settings.
- Now select the account from which you want to delete the folder.
- Select Label settings under Labels.
- Now choose the folder you want to remove.
- Tap Delete <label>.
- Now choose Delete to confirm.
How to Delete Email Folders in Gmail: FAQ
What happens when I delete a folder in Gmail
When you remove a folder in Gmail, you lose the label and organization but never messages:
- The label that corresponds to the folder disappears from Gmail.
- The label is deleted from all messages.
- The corresponding IMAP folders disappear from email programs.
- All emails remain in Gmail.
When you delete a folder in an email program using Gmail IMAP, the corresponding label typically does not disappear but moves:
- The label is renamed to [Gmail]/Trash/<label>.
- It’s best to delete the label in Gmail on the web afterwards. (See above.)
Can I remove a folder using Gmail Basic HTML?
Yes.
To delete a label in Basic HTML Gmail:
- Click Edit labels under the list of Gmail labels.
- Now click Remove next to the label you want to delete.
Important: Gmail will not wait for confirmation but delete without asking again.
Can I delete folders in the Gmail app for Android?
No, the app currently does not allow you to remove labels.
You can edit labels using the Gmail desktop version in a mobile browser.
(How to delete folders (labels) in Gmail tested in a desktop browser and the Gmail app for iOS; updated September 2022)