How to Get More Storage for Your Gmail Account

Find out what is — and isn't — taking up your Google storage space

by
Heinz Tschabitscher
Heinz Tschabitscher
Writer
A former freelance contributor who has reviewed hundreds of email programs and services since 1997.
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Heinz Tschabitscher
Updated on April 23, 2021
reviewed by
Jon Fisher headshot
Jon Fisher
Lifewire Tech Review Board Member
Jonathan Fisher is a CompTIA certified technologist with more than 6 years' experience writing for publications like TechNorms and Help Desk Geek.
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Article reviewed on Dec 09, 2020
Jon Fisher

What to Know

  • Log into Google account and select profile image > Manage your Google Account. View your storage space under Account storage.
  • To buy more, go to Manage storage and scroll down to view storage add-on options.
  • Workaround: Sign up for another Gmail account with 15 GB storage and forward recent messages there.

Every Google user receives 15 GB of free online storage for use with Google Drive and Google Photos, but your Gmail account is tied in there, too. If you have a hard time deleting messages or frequently receive large email attachments, you could easily approach that 15 GB limit. When this happens, Google will sell you additional storage space on its servers. 

How to Buy More Storage for Your Gmail Account

To see how much Google storage you have left or to buy more storage, go to the Drive Storage screen of your Google account. Here's how:

  1. Log in to any of your Google apps.

  2. Select your profile image.

    Google account with the profile image highlighted

  3. Select Manage your Google Account.

  4. Go to the Account storage section to see how much storage you've used and how much is allotted to your account.

    If you're already a Google One subscriber, this option is called Go to Google One. From there, you can use the Free up account storage link to find those options, or select See plans at the bottom of that page to upgrade for more storage.

    Google Account page with the account storage usage highlighted

  5. Select Manage storage.

    Google Account page with the Manage Storage button highlighted

  6. You'll see a breakdown of how you use your storage by type.

    Google current storage

  7. To buy more storage, scroll down to see available storage options. Then, select the storage plan you want to buy. When you've made a choice, follow the purchase instructions.

  8. If you don't want to buy more storage and want to find ways to free up your existing storage, scroll up a little and select Free up account storage.

  9. Explore the options presented for clearing out your existing storage.

Other Solutions

Beyond clearing out existing storage, there are other ways to gain more storage.

  • If you don't need your mail in one place, forward it to a different email service. When you do, choose an option that deletes the copy from your Gmail account.
  • Sign up for another Gmail account with 15 GB storage and forward recent messages there. Then, use your current address with the new account.
  • Download your mail to a desktop email program and remove it from the Gmail account. The messages remain, but instead of being online and taking up online storage space, messages are saved to your computer's hard drive or an external hard drive.
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