How do I empty the Gmail Trash all at once?

Last reviewed: October 7, 2026 · Markdown version

Open Trash and use Empty Trash now. You do not need to select anything first; the button clears the whole folder in one go. Where the button sits depends on the device, and it is permanent, so read the short section on what to check before you press it.

On a computer

In Gmail, on the left, click More, then Trash.
Look at the notice above the message list and click Empty Trash now.

Google gives this as a tip at the end of its own steps: "To delete all messages in your trash, in the notification at the top, click Empty Trash now." The longer route on the same page, ticking messages and clicking Delete forever, is for clearing only some of them (Delete messages in Gmail, read 7 October 2026).

In the Gmail app

Android and iPhone use the same three taps: open the app, tap Menu at the top left, then Trash, then Empty trash now at the top (Delete messages in Gmail (Android) and (iPhone & iPad), both read 7 October 2026). Unlike deleting from the inbox, where the app takes "up to 50 messages" per select-all, this one button covers the whole folder.

It makes no difference which device you use. Google's missing-mail page puts it in one line: "There’s only one copy of every email." (Gmail messages are missing, read 7 October 2026). Emptying Trash on your phone empties it on the computer too.

Spam is emptied separately

Spam is a different folder with its own button. On a computer: More, then Spam, then Delete all spam messages now (Report spam in Gmail, read 7 October 2026). Both folders count toward your storage until they are cleared, which is why Google's storage guidance names them together: "Empty trash and spam folders: This is the quickest way to recover space." (Manage your storage in Drive, Gmail & Photos, read 7 October 2026).

Check these before you press it

There is no undo. Before the 30 days are up you can still "recover the message from your trash"; once you delete it permanently, "After that, you can't recover the message." (the Delete messages in Gmail page above). What, if anything, can still be done afterwards is on recovering emails after emptying the Trash.
Scroll the folder first. Trash holds everything deleted in the last month, including mail removed from another device or by a filter. To keep one, tick it, click Move to, and choose a place for it (same page).
Drafts are not there. "When you delete a draft, you can't recover it from Trash." (same page). A discarded draft will not be in the folder to rescue.

When the storage figure catches up

Do not expect the number to drop the moment you click. Google's storage page gives two time frames for large deletions: "Allow time (up to 48–72 hours) for your storage to update after deleting multiple files at once", and, a few lines on, "If your account is still full after 30 minutes, you can perform advanced cleanup." (the Manage your storage page above). If you emptied Trash to get back under the limit, give it those days before deciding nothing happened. Whether the delete was worth it in the first place is the question on does deleting emails free up storage.

Where the Trash fills up from

If you clear a mailbox with Adinand Email Cleaner, everything it removes lands in this folder: the app moves mail to Gmail's Trash and has no empty-trash or permanent-delete capability of its own. That is deliberate, because it keeps Google's 30-day undo intact. In the app's own wording, the space "will free up after Trash clears", or you can empty Gmail's Trash to get it back today using the steps above.