Delete or recover deleted Gmail messages

When you delete a message, it stays in your Bin for 30 days. After that time, it will be permanently deleted from your account and it won't be possible to recover it.

Delete messages

When you delete a message, it stays in your Bin for 30 days. After this time, it will be permanently deleted. If you want to remove a message from your inbox but don't want to delete it, you can archive the message.

Delete a single message

1. On your computer, go to Gmail.
2. Point to the message.
3. On the right, click Delete .

Delete a single message from an email thread

1. Open the message.
2. Next to Reply , click More .
3. Click Delete this message.

Delete multiple messages

1. On your computer, go to Gmail.
2. Tick the boxes to the left of the messages.
3. At the top, click Delete .

Delete all messages in a category

1. On your computer, go to Gmail.
2. At the top left, tick the box to select all messages. If you have more than one page of messages, click Select all conversations.
3. At the top, click Delete .

Empty your Bin

If you don't want a message to stay in your Bin for 30 days, you can permanently delete it.

1. On your computer, go to Gmail.
2. On the left side of the page, click More.
3. Scroll to Bin.
4. Tick the box next to messages that you want to permanently delete. Then click Delete forever.
   • Tip: The ‘Delete forever’ option is only available in the Bin. You won’t be able to delete items permanently from the Search results view.
5. To delete all messages in your Bin, click Empty Bin now.

Recover messages

You can move messages out of your Bin if you've deleted them in the last 30 days.

Check the messages in your Bin

1. On your computer, go to Gmail.
2. On the left side of the page, scroll and click More  Bin.

Recover messages from the Bin

1. On your computer, go to Gmail.
2. On the left side of the page, scroll and click More Bin.
3. Tick the box next to the messages that you want to move.
4. Click Move to .
5. Choose where you want to move the messages.