How to select all emails in Gmail
The Select box at the top of Gmail only ticks the emails on the current page. One more click selects every email in the folder or search, which is how you delete or archive thousands at once.
On a computer, open a folder or run a search, tick the Select box at the top left, then click the blue link that offers to select all conversations. Keyboard shortcut: * then a. In the Gmail app, touch and hold one email, then tap Select all (about 50 at a time).
On a computer
- Open the folder (Inbox, Promotions, All Mail) or search for what you want, such as
from:[email protected]. - Tick the Select box at the top left. This selects the emails on the current page.
- A line appears above the list with a link to select all the conversations in that view or search. Click it.
- Choose what to do: Delete, Archive, Mark as read or move to a label.
Shortcut: with keyboard shortcuts on, press * then a to select all conversations.
Why the "select all conversations" link does not show
- Everything already fits on one page. The link only appears when there are more emails than are shown. If they all fit, the Select box already has them all.
- You are in the app. The link is a computer-only feature.
- Show more per page. Gmail can show up to 100 conversations per page, which makes small clean-ups quicker. Change it under Settings › See all settings › General.
In the Gmail app (iPhone and Android)
- Touch and hold any email until a tick appears.
- Tap Select all at the top. This selects the emails loaded on screen (about 50).
- To include more, scroll down so more emails load, then tap Select all again.
- Tap the action you want, such as the bin icon to delete.
For thousands of emails, a computer is much faster.
Questions people ask
- How do I select all unread emails in Gmail?
- Search for
is:unread, tick Select, then click the link to select all conversations. Then choose Mark as read or Delete. - Is there a limit to how many emails I can select?
- On a computer, the select-all link covers every conversation in the view or search. In the app, Select all covers the emails loaded on screen, about 50 at a time.
- Will selecting all and deleting remove my emails forever?
- Not straight away. Deleted emails stay in Trash for 30 days, so you can move them back.
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