Why You Need to Sort Gmail by Size
Emails with large attachments can quickly eat up your Gmail inbox space. Over time, you may no longer need these attachments, but the messages become buried in a growing inbox and are hard to find. The best practice: sort Gmail by file size to uncover your biggest storage hogs and delete them once and for all.
Sorting by size is as intuitive as organizing Gmail emails by sender or sorting Gmail by date and name. But it's not only about freeing up storage; it's about maintaining an efficient, clutter-free inbox. An organized mailbox ensures efficient operations, quicker searches, and a superior email experience.
And, as with any time you need to sort your emails, you can also enlist the help of tools like Clean Email for faster, automatic cleanup.
Let’s look at the specific steps to take.
How to Filter Gmail by Size on the Web
While Gmail doesn't allow direct ‘sorting’ by size like you might in a folder on your computer, you can use the Search Mail feature to find emails of a particular size.
- Log into your Gmail account and go to your inbox.
- Ensure the Primary tab is selected (this is your main inbox).
- Go to the Search bar and click the Show search options button to open the filter options.
- Within the Size field, select Greater than or Less than, then specify the file size. If you search Gmail for large attachments, you will likely use the ‘greater than’ option.
- Click the blue Search button.
- The results will automatically be displayed.
💡 Note: There are lots of other ways to sort mail in Gmail. For additional reference, check out our article on how to sort Gmail by unread emails.
Sort Gmail Emails by Size on Mobile with Clean Email
The method described above isn’t available on the Gmail mobile app as it lacks the ‘Size’ filter in its search options. In the app, you can mainly view messages with attachments.
For a more refined approach to filtering large messages, consider using a third-party tool like Clean Email. This email sorting app seamlessly integrates with your Gmail account, providing enhanced flexibility in how your emails are displayed. Best of all, you can manage your messages on the move, right from your mobile device.
💡 Note: Clean Email does more than just filter large emails. It genuinely allows you to sort Gmail messages by size, mirroring the functionality you'd expect in a standard folder system.
Below is a concise step-by-step guide on how to sort Gmail by size in Clean Email:
- Install the mobile app for iOS or Android. Alternatively, sign in with your Gmail account here.
- Select the folder on the left whose messages you want to sort, such as the Inbox or All Mail folder.
- You can also use the filters above the search bar, like Unread, to display, for instance, all unread messages.
- Next, click on the Newest on Top drop-down menu below the search bar, where you'll have options to sort in various ways, including Total Size (Large to small).
Using this approach, you can technically sort Gmail by size. Additionally, you can opt to sort from small to large if desired.
If you need to find emails of a certain size, here is how to do it:
- Select the Large Mail filter above the Search bar and choose the Email size.
- Use Group By or Newest on Top to further refine your search, e.g. to exclude emails from specific senders. Or, click Select and then Select All to choose all the displayed messages.
- Choose the action you'd like to apply to these messages, options include Trash, Mark Read, Archive, permanently Delete, and more.
Discover more about Clean Email's features and how they can elevate your inbox management in the conclusion of this article.
Search Gmail for Large Attachments and Remove Them
Large attachments can take up valuable space in your Gmail account. While sometimes you may need to keep these files, other times you can get rid of them and clear up precious space.
Finding the large files in your inbox can take some searching. If you have an idea as to the file size you’d like to find, you can use a simple search function to filter only those emails.
Here is how to find large emails in Gmail:
- Log into your Gmail account and open your inbox.
- Navigate to the Search mail bar and input size:[file size]M. For instance, if you aim to locate all emails exceeding 5 MB, type in: size:5M. Remember, the size you enter is in megabytes.
- Alternatively, to search within a file size range, type in the following format in the search bar: larger:[x]M smaller:[y]M. Here, replace [x] and [y] with your chosen size range.
- Press Enter.
- Select the checkbox next to a large email you want to get rid of.
- Click the Trash can icon.
Receiving large email files takes no effort on your part. If you need to send emails with a large attachment, see our guide on how to send large files via email.
To learn more, read our guide on how to remove attachments from Gmail.
Delete Large Emails in Gmail using Clean Email
Here’s how easy it is to delete all emails larger than a specific size using Clean Email:
On Desktop
- Go to https://app.clean.email/ and log in with your email account.
- Go to All Mail or your Inbox and use the Large Mail filter to find messages larger than 10 MB or any size you choose.
- Apply additional filters and sorting options. For example, you can sort emails by size, display the newest messages first, or organize them by the number of messages from a sender.
- Select the emails or groups of emails you want to delete.
- Click the Trash icon on the blue action panel to move the emails to the Trash folder.
- To permanently delete the emails, click the Delete option on the action panel and confirm the permanent removal from your Inbox.
On Mobile
Similarly, you can delete large Gmail emails using Clean Email on mobile:
- Go to the All Mail or Inbox folder and use the Large Mail filter to find large messages.
- Additionally, sort emails by size by tapping Sort (Newest on Top) and selecting Total size (Large to small).
- Select the groups of emails (or individual emails within them) that you want to delete.
- Tap Trash on the action panel to move the emails to the Trash folder. Alternatively, tap More → Delete to remove the emails permanently.
How Clean Email Can Simplify Email Management
With Clean Email, you can define parameters that will automatically sort Gmail by size or other factors. Once you set up these parameters, your inbox works on autopilot to help you check email faster, organize your incoming messages, and even remove messages you’re not interested in reading without any manual work.
The app offers the Smart Folders feature, which automatically groups similar types of emails together. This allows you to navigate through your inbox more quickly, ensuring you never miss an important message. For instance, you can easily locate finance-related emails, view all your social media notifications in one place, and so much more.
The app also provides Cleaning Suggestions based on messages you've cleaned in the past or ones that other app users often address. You can opt to use these suggestions or set up automated email rules to handle similar emails going forward.
The Screener tool serves as an extra barrier against unwanted mail. Once activated, it holds emails from unknown senders, letting you inspect them before they reach your primary inbox, thus reducing unwelcome messages.
The Unsubscriber feature provides a snapshot of all your current email subscriptions. In just a few steps, you can eliminate any unwanted subscriptions. Simply click the Unsubscribe button, and the app takes care of the rest: it processes requests, accesses unsubscribe links, and even completes forms to assist in unsubscribing you.
Most importantly, Clean Email takes user privacy as seriously as you do. The technology behind the tool analyzes senders and subject lines, never the content within the email or attachments. As a result, you can expect a neater, tidier inbox without the hassle of managing it manually and all the peace of mind that your data is safe.
FAQs on How to Sort Gmail by Size
Can I sort my Gmail by size?
No, Gmail doesn't directly allow you to sort by size. Instead, you can use Gmail's Search Mail feature to filter emails based on size and find large files. For precise searches, input specific file sizes or use the 'Show search options' for advanced filtering. Alternatively, Clean Email can help you sort Gmail messages by size and establish automatic sorting rules.
How do I filter emails by size?
In Gmail, you can filter emails by size using the Search Mail feature. Click on the ‘Show search options’ next to the search bar, and there you'll find the ‘Size’ option. Input a specific size or use qualifiers like ‘larger_than:’ or ‘smaller_than:’ followed by a size in bytes.
How do I delete large emails in Gmail?
To delete large emails in Gmail, filter them by size using the options provided in this article. After identifying these emails, select them and click the trash bin icon at the top. Don't forget to empty the trash to free up storage. A faster way to delete unwanted messages is to use a tool like Clean Email that can manage emails automatically based on predefined parameters.
What is the Gmail attachment size limit?
The maximum attachment size in Gmail is 25 MB per email. If your file exceeds this limit, Gmail will automatically upload it to Google Drive and send a link to the attachment instead. This ensures that even large files can be shared without exceeding the Gmail maximum attachment size.
