How Much Storage Does Gmail Have?

A personal Gmail account gets 15 GB of storage shared across Gmail, Google Drive, and Google Photos. Messages and attachments use the same storage pool as files and photos. Google also says Android WhatsApp backups count toward that shared limit, according to its storage guide.

So the space left for email depends on how much storage the account uses.

What uses the shared 15 GB #

Gmail messages and attachments share space with files in Drive and photos and videos in Google Photos. Your Gmail account can run out of space even if it has few large messages when Drive or Photos uses most of the account’s storage.

To see what uses storage, check Gmail’s storage indicator or your account’s storage view. The Gmail storage instructions describe where to find the indicator in the web and mobile apps.

What happens when storage is full #

When a personal account reaches its limit, Gmail stops sending and receiving messages, and new messages sent to the account go back to their senders. Google Drive blocks file uploads and new file creation, while Google Photos stops backing up photos and videos, according to Google’s storage guidance.

You can free space by deleting messages or files, but items in Gmail’s Trash and Spam still count until they are permanently cleared. After you delete items and empty Trash, allow time for the available-storage figure to update. Google’s guidebook warns that staying over the limit for two years could lead to content being deleted from Gmail, Drive, and Photos.

How to get more space #

You can free space by deleting large emails and files and permanently clearing Gmail’s Trash and Spam. You can also upgrade your Google storage. Google One plans raise the total shared storage limit, which includes the original 15 GB; the plan capacity is not added on top of it. For example, Google lists a 100 GB Basic plan on its U.S. plans page. Available plans and prices vary by country.

Work or school Gmail accounts can have different limits because the organization sets or manages them. For example, Cornell says the Workspace accounts covered by its IT guidance have a 15 GB quota. Check with your school or employer for the limit on your account.

$ curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/vincentsch/mailmd/main/install.sh | sh

Set up mailmd so you can read my email. Use https://github.com/vincentsch/mailmd: read its AGENTS.md and follow the steps. Connect my mailbox and run the first sync. Then show me where the files are.