Gmail Filters – How to Mass Delete Emails While Keeping Certain Addresses

deletegmailgmail-filters

I would like to delete the majority of the emails in my inbox. I have read ways of doing this, here is the method:

  1. Open your web browser, head to Gmail, and sign into your account.

  2. Next to the Search the Web button up top, click Create a filter.

  3. In the "Has the words" field, type before:2011/01/01. That's just an example date; it would delete all messages received prior to January 1 of last year. You can use any date you want, as long as it conforms to the format YYYY/MM/DD.

  4. Click Next step.

  5. Check the box marked Delete it, then check the box for Also apply filter to ### conversations below. (Tip: If you want to preserve your mail while still getting it out of your inbox, choose Skip the inbox (Archive it) instead.)

  6. Finally, click Create Filter. Depending on how many messages meet the filter criteria, the deletion process may take a minute or two.

Using the above method is there a way to do this but tell it not to delete email from username@gmail.com, usaername2@gmail.com, etc.?

Best Answer

  1. Use labels/filters to tag the emails from the ones you want to keep.
  2. Use the filter to Archive the emails with those labels.
  3. Everything else remaining in the inbox can be assigned to a new label called "deleteme"
  4. archive everything with that label

At this point there should be nothing in the inbox. Of course all the emails still exist, the archive function just removes inbox label.

If you are running out of space, then go to the label "deleteme", select all the messages, and click the delete button.

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