Home » Blog » How To » How to Archive Gmail Emails to Save Space: Best Methods

How to Archive Gmail Emails to Save Space: Best Methods

  author
Published By Jamie Kaler 
Rollins Duke
Approved By Rollins Duke
Published On July 10th, 2025
Reading Time 8 Min Read

Is your Gmail inbox overflowing with old or with less important emails but you don’t want to delete them? If it is so, then archiving them is the perfect choice. Gmail’s inbuilt archive feature helps you to clean up your inbox while preserving important messages. Whether you are managing a few emails or dealing with large datasets, this guide has got you covered. In this comprehensive article, we will get you familiar with all the ways to solve- how to archive Gmail emails to save space query, from simple manual methods to powerful third-party solutions. You’ll find an easy-to-follow step guide to keep your inbox data safe. So, let’s get started.

What Does “Archive” Mean in Gmail?

In Gmail, archiving simply means removing emails from your Inbox but saving them into the All Mail folder without deleting. When you archive a message, it disappears from the main inbox which helps in keeping an organized inbox and you can search or access those emails whenever required. In short, archiving helps to declutter your inbox without losing a bit of information.

Some users get confused between “Archive” and “Delete”, let me clear this confusion.

  • Archive refers to removing emails from Inbox but storing them in the All Mail folder in the Gmail client itself. In this, emails will not get deleted.
  • Delete refers when a user wants to clear all the unnecessary emails and send them to the Trash folder. From there, they get permanently deleted.

Reasons to Archive Gmail Emails

Here in this section we have listed some of the prime reasons which may lead you to archive emails in Gmail in bulk.

  • Helps in reducing inbox chaos by decluttering inbox emails without losing any information.
  • Archiving helps in keeping all the emails safe and secured in the All Mail folder. You can search for emails whenever you need, whether old or new conversations.
  • By archiving old or less relevant emails you can make an appropriate space for new or urgent emails, organizing them in a structured format.
  • Helps in efficient email management which also makes an impact on improving productivity by focusing on current conversations.
  • Using Gmail’s powerful search feature, users can easily locate or find the required emails, saving time.

How to Archive Gmail Emails to Save Space (on Mobile Phones)

  1. Open Gmail app.
  2. In your Inbox, tap and hold the first email.
  3. Then, tap more emails to archive.
  4. After that, click the Archive icon located at the top.
  5. Repeat this process again if you still have mails left to archive.

How to Archive Emails in Gmail in Bulk (on Desktop)

  1. Open Gmail on your web browser.
  2. Click on the checkbox next to the individual email and select it to archive particular emails from your inbox.
  3. To select all conversations, simply tap on the checkbox at the top left corner.
  4. After that, hit the archive button to archive Gmail emails.

Auto Archive Emails in Gmail by Date

  1. Go to your Gmail Account.
  2. Search the email by entering date range in the search bar like:
    before:YYYY/MM/DD – to find emails before the specific date.
    after:YYYY/MM/DD – to find emails after the particular date.
    after:YYYY/MM/DD before:YYYY/MM/DD – search emails between these two dates.
  3. After finding all the required emails, move to Select all Conversations option.
  4. Thereafter, hit the Archive icon to archive emails in Gmail.

Note: If you want to batch archive Gmail emails you can also use search operators to filter or find specially archived emails. Enter the related keyword, subject or sender’s name etc.

Some Tips to Effectively use Gmail Archive Feature

  • Always use Labels before archiving to categorize your emails without any clutter and faster.
  • Set up Filters to auto archive emails such as promotional or repetitive.
  • Instead of deleting emails, archive them to avoid losing any important messages.
  • Select multiple Gmail emails to archive them all at once, saving time.
  • Use search smartly and find archived emails using filters like from: or has:attachment.

Drawbacks of Archiving Emails in Gmail

  • Archiving only hides emails from the inbox which does not result in reducing your storage space.
  • You need to manually delete archived emails as Gmail does not support any auto-delete archive emails feature.
  • If archived emails, still their large attachments will take up storage space.
  • Archived emails may be missed if not labeled or organized properly.
  • It is not an ideal method for long-term offline storage as all emails get stored in the “All Mail” folder which can create mess over time.

Best Way to Archive Gmail Emails Using an Automated Solution

If you’re looking to efficiently manage your Gmail account and keep a secure offline backup of all the important Gmail emails, then we will suggest you to use the expert-trusted RecoveryTools Gmail Backup Tool. It is an ultimate solution which helps you solve your query- How to Archive Gmail Emails to Save Space & stores all important or sensitive messages on your local system preserving the storage space as well.
Whether you are a professional or an individual user you can download and manage large volumes of emails flexibly without facing any complications. Additionally, before purchasing the activation key you can try the free demo version. It allows users to migrate or export up to 25 emails per folder and test the workings of the robust tool. So, download the utility and enjoy a seamless experience.

Step Guide to Archive Emails in Gmail

  1. Download & Launch the software. Once done, enter your Gmail credentials to Login.
    how to archive gmail emails to save space
  2. Now, you can view all Gmail folders in the software panel. Choose all or required emails.
    choose gmail folders
  3. Then, from the saving options select one as per your convenience.
    choose saving option
  4. After that, browse the destination path and set advanced filters.
    select destination path
  5. Lastly, click the Backup button to archive Gmail emails.
    how to archive gmail emails to save space
Why Is This Tool a Better Archiving Alternative?
  • Create complete & secure offline backups of your Gmail inbox emails.
  • Allows to download and backup Gmail emails with attachments while preserving formatting.
  • Support multiple file formats such as PST, MBOX, PDF and more, to archive Gmail emails effortlessly.
  • Once you have downloaded emails, you can access them without any internet connection.
  • Preserve original file integrity and hierarchy throughout and even after the migration is complete.
  • Users can backup several Gmail accounts at once, saving time and effort.
  • Trial version offers a benefit to users to test the tool functionality before going for a licensed edition.
  • Compatible with all versions of Windows Operating system including latest and old.
FAQs

Q1. What is the Gmail archive feature and what is it used for?
The Gmail archive feature allows you to remove emails from Inbox but without permanently deleting them. It is used to free up your inbox space keeping the emails saved for later use. You can find them using the search function.

Q2. How long do archived emails stay in Gmail?
Archived emails stay in Gmail indefinitely; they are never deleted. You need to manually remove them until they will stay in the “All Mail” folder. You can access them even after years.

Q3. How do you unarchive archived email in Gmail?
To unarchive an email, simply open that email message and click on “Move to Inbox” option. This will restore your archived email back to your Inbox.

Conclusion

Archiving Gmail Emails is a smart way to clean up your inbox without deleting data or any important conversations. But to secure your data more precisely archiving is not enough. It is recommended to backup your data locally and save them in various formats to avoid any accidental deletion. For this, we have also mentioned the tool above. You simply need to visit and test it. If you face any issue, feel-free to contact our support team, they are available 24/7.

Also Read: How to Find Archived Emails in Gmail?