Are you running out of Gmail storage and hesitant to pay for more? This clever, free workaround can help you reclaim 15GB of storage without losing your valuable files. Whether you’re a digital power user or simply looking for a fresh start, here’s how you can archive your messages and media while starting anew.
Why Gmail Storage Fills Up Quickly
Google generously provides 15GB of free storage for every account, but this space is shared across Gmail, Google Drive, and Google Photos. With newsletters, spam, and large media files piling up, your inbox can get full in no time. Instead of deleting everything or paying for additional storage, follow this step-by-step guide to transfer your data and reclaim your space.
Step 1: Back Up Your Gmail Files
Before making any changes, ensure your emails and files are safely backed up. Use Google Takeout to download your data.
- Visit Google Takeout.
- Select “Google Photos” and/or “Drive” as the products to export.
- Follow the prompts to download your data.
This process may take a few hours depending on your file size. For example, backing up 75,000 emails might take two hours.
Step 2: Prepare Your Gmail for Data Transfer
Once your backup is complete, enable email forwarding in your existing Gmail account:
- Log in to your account and click the gear icon > “See all settings.”
- Navigate to the Forwarding and POP/IMAP tab.
- Select “Enable POP for all mail.”
- Under “When messages are accessed with POP,” choose “Delete Gmail’s copy.”
- Click Save Changes to apply the settings.
Step 3: Create a New Gmail Account for Archiving
Create a second Gmail account to serve as your archive.
- Sign up for a new Gmail account.
- Log in to the new account and go to settings > Accounts and Import.
- Under “Check mail from other accounts,” click Add a mail account and enter your old Gmail address.
- Choose “Import emails from my other account (POP3).”
- Follow the prompts, including entering your old Gmail account’s password.
If prompted, create a temporary 16-digit Google App Password to complete the process. Visit Google App Passwords to generate one.
Step 4: Sync and Transfer Your Emails
To finalize the transfer:
- Enter the Port as 995.
- Check these boxes:
- Always use a secure connection (SSL).
- Label incoming messages.
- Archive incoming messages.
- Click Add Account to start syncing.
The migration process may take hours or days, depending on the volume of emails. For instance, transferring 75,000 emails might take two days.
Step 5: Clean Your Original Account
Once the transfer is complete, Gmail will move your old emails to the Trash. Empty the Trash manually to free up space. Note that Drafts and Spam folders won’t transfer, so review them before proceeding.
Step 6: Stop the Transfer and Enjoy Your Clean Inbox
After completing the transfer:
- Log in to your new account and go to settings > Accounts and Import.
- Under “Check mail from other accounts,” delete the connection to your old account.
- Confirm the deletion.
Final Thoughts
This process is much simpler than manually sorting through thousands of emails. With your new archive account in place, you can enjoy a clean inbox with an additional 15GB of free storage—no monthly fees required! Save yourself the hassle and get back to inbox zero effortlessly.
Now you can have the best of both worlds: a fresh start in your Gmail and a secure backup of your old messages.
