How to delete emails from Gmail

Have you recently received several e-mail messages that you would like to permanently delete but are not sure how to act? Would you like to do some cleaning in your Gmail inbox but don’t want to waste too much time? If these are the questions you are asking yourself, you have come to the right place at the right time.

In today’s guide, in fact, I will show you how to delete emails from Gmail through the use of the classic Web panel of the service or through the official Gmail app for Android and iOS. Then, if you work from a computer and you all manage all your mailboxes from a traditional client, I will explain how to delete emails with the software of this type.

Are you curious to know more, aren’t you? In this case, let’s start immediately: sit comfortably and take a few minutes of your time to consult the suggestions I’m about to give you. All that remains for me is to wish you a good reading and, above all, a good job!

Index

• Delete emails from Gmail via Webmail
• Delete emails via the Gmail app
• Delete emails from Gmail via email client
  • Mail (Windows 10)
  • Mail (macOS)

Delete emails from Gmail via Webmail

Using the web panel of your inbox on Gmail, you can send and manage your emails without any difficulty and need for configuration. After logging in to the official Gmail website, in fact, you can delete a message sent or received in several ways, all of which are extremely intuitive.

First, since Gmail tends to concatenate multiple emails into a single conversation, you need to consider whether you want to delete the entire conversation or a single message.

In the first case, on the main screen, click on the conversation that encloses the last message received and the previous ones. Once this is done, press the icon with a trashcan that you find in the top bar: in this way, you will have moved the email, including any replies sent by you or other recipients, to the Trash tab. Alternatively, without opening the conversation, put a checkmark in the box alongside, on the left, and then click on the icon with a trash can located in the top bar.

In case you want to delete a single message from a conversation, click on it to access it and then another click on the message to remove. Now, then press the ⋮ icon, which you find on the right, and select the item Delete this message, in the screen you see. These same procedures, which I told you about in the previous paragraphs, can be applied to all the Gmail cards, reachable via the left side panel.

Once moved to the trash, the emails stay there for 30 days. If you want to delete them instantly, select the Trash item from the Gmail side menu, check the messages to be deleted and click on the Delete permanently item that appears at the top. Alternatively, to completely empty the Gmail trash, click on the item  Empty the trash now which is at the top.

Are you writing an email and want to delete it? In this case, on the composing message screen, click on the icon with a trash can in the lower right corner, in order to permanently remove the draft that was automatically saved.

Finally, if you want to delete messages in the Spam tab, in addition to the above methods, you can perform a procedure that will delete all messages in this tab. To do this, select the Spam item located in the left sidebar and click on the word Delete all spam messages now, which you find at the top. Whichever procedure you go through, remember that spam messages are not moved to the Gmail virtual trash, but are removed immediately, with no possibility of retrieving them.

Delete emails via the Gmail app

If you use the Gmail app, which is available on both Android and iOS, you can easily delete an email message so that it is no longer available even if you log in from other devices. Although the app doesn’t have the same message deletion functions as those already seen in the service’s web panel, you don’t have to worry, because in the next few lines I’ll explain in detail how to proceed.

First, start the Gmail app and tap the ☰ icon, located at the top left. In the screen you see, select the card containing the messages you want to delete by tapping on it. Now, in the list of emails you see, keep your finger pressed on the conversation you want to delete, so as to select it; at this point, tap on the icon with the trash can be located at the top, to move the conversation or message to the virtual trash.

Alternatively, tap on the conversation to view its content and then press on the icon with the trash can found in the top bar. The above procedures are valid for any form containing the mail messages sent or received. Unfortunately, since it is not possible to delete the individual messages of a conversation, you can perform this procedure from the web panel, consulting the suggestions I have indicated in this chapter.

After moving the conversations to the virtual trash, tap on the ☰ icon, located at the top left, and select the Trash tab, in the screen that is shown to you. Then tap on the word Empty the trash now, to permanently remove any email contained within it.

Are you filling out an email but have changed your mind and want to delete it? In this case, in the new message compilation screen, tap on the ⋮ icon, located at the top right and, in the screen you see, select the Delete item.

Finally, as far as spam messages are concerned, you can permanently remove them with a single tap, by clicking on Empty the spam folder now, located in the Spam tab. Alternatively, select the single message, holding your finger on it, and press the icon with the trash can at the top.

Delete emails from Gmail via email client

If you are using an email client, you can remove Gmail emails just as easily as the ones mentioned in the previous chapters. In the next few paragraphs, I’ll show you how to delete emails to Gmail using Windows Mail 10 and  Mail MacOS, that the default client of the two operating systems. Keep in mind that you can take a cue from the procedures that I will show you to delete messages from different email clients.

Mail (Windows 10)

The free Windows 10 Mail application allows you to manage the e-mails of Microsoft mailboxes (Outlook, Hotmail or Live), but also of external services, such as Gmail. If you want to remove emails through this application, the first thing you need to do is start Mail, either through its icon in the Start menu or by typing “ mail ” in the Cortana bar.

On the main screen, click the Inbox tab or any other tab and select the message you want to delete. Now, to move it to the trash, you have to click on the icon with a trashcan next to the name of the recipient or right-click on the same message and then select the Delete item in the context menu. Alternatively, after opening the message, move to the right area to view its content and press the Delete button in the top bar.

After moving the messages to the virtual trash, click on the Trash tab, located in the left sidebar, and perform the same procedure indicated in the previous lines to permanently delete a single message. Alternatively, right-click on the Trash tab and choose the Empty folder item, to delete all messages.

Are you filling out an email that you want to delete? In this regard, press the Ignore button at the top and, in the screen that is shown to you, choose the Remove button, to delete the email you were writing.

Mail (macOS)

On Macs, the default Mail application allows you to manage iCloud e-mail and that of other services, such as Gmail. If you already use this free application from Apple, you simply have to start it, through its icon that you find in the Dock or in the Launchpad.

On the main screen, click on any tab in the sidebar, such as Important, Work, Sent or Junk, and select one of the messages you see in the list in the center. Now, click on the trash can icon at the top to move the highlighted message to the Trash tab. Alternatively, right-click on the message and select the Delete item from the context menu.

After doing this, click on the Trash > Google entries and select the trash can icon to permanently delete the single message. Alternatively, right-click on the Google item, under the Trash tab, and select the item Delete deleted items; then press the Delete key to remove the deleted messages.

To delete the messages in the Spam folder, you can follow the same procedures that I indicated in the previous lines or right-click on the Google item, under the Junk tab, selecting the wording Delete junk mail and confirming with the Delete button.

Are you writing an email that you want to delete? In this case, press the X icon located at the top left and, in the screen you see, select the item Do not save, to delete the message.