Running out of Gmail storage can lead to emails bouncing back. If you've found yourself asking, "How do I retrieve Gmail emails not received due to storage full?" you're not alone.
In this post, we’ll walk you through potential ways to retrieve missed emails. We’ll also cover a few basic questions about Gmail storage and what it means when your emails bounce. So, if you’re ready to retrieve those lost messages, let’s get started!
If your Gmail storage is full, can you still receive emails?
No, when your Gmail storage is full, you can’t send or receive any more emails. If someone tries to send you an email, they’ll most likely receive a notification letting them know that your inbox is full.
Since Google One storage is shared across Gmail, Google Photos, and Google Drive, you also can’t upload more pictures or videos to Photos or files to Drive when your storage is full.
You should also know that Google can delete all your data in Gmail, Google Photos, and Google Drive if your Gmail continues to stay over the limit for more than two years.
What happens to emails when Gmail is full?
When your Gmail storage is full, you can’t send or receive any new emails. If someone tries to send you an email, they don’t get delivered, and the sender receives a notification saying the email can’t be delivered. These emails that don’t get delivered are known as ‘bounced emails.’
Soft bounce vs. hard bounce
When your inbox is full, emails sent to you will bounce. There are two types of bounces.
A soft bounce is a temporary email delivery failure. It can happen due to issues like a full inbox, a server being down, or a message size that’s too large. When someone’s inbox is full, the result is a soft bounce. It’s ok to re-attempt sending these messages later. Sometimes, soft bounces resolve on their own as well.
A hard bounce is a permanent message delivery failure, usually because the email address is invalid, non-existent, or blocked. Hard bounces are not retried, and the sender is typically advised to remove the address from their mailing list.
It’s important for email marketers to be aware of this distinction, as it directly affects open rates. Also, it helps to have an email marketing platform that clearly indicates the different types of bounces so that marketers can maintain the health of their email list.
Will emails be delivered once storage isn’t full?
No. Emails that bounce back due to full storage don’t get delivered on their own, even if you empty some storage. These emails have bounced back to the sender, and you can take the steps discussed below to get them back.
What to do when you don’t receive emails due to full storage on Gmail
Follow these steps if you think your emails have bounced back due to your storage being too full:
Step 1: Check your storage quota
The first thing you need to do is check your Gmail storage. If you navigate to your Google One page, you’ll be able to see how much storage you have left.
This is important because, first, you’ll be able to verify the cause of your emails not getting delivered. Second, it will give you a way of keeping an eye on how much storage you’re using as you implement the next step.
Step 2: Delete spam emails and large attachments
The easiest and safest way of freeing up some space on your Gmail is by emptying your spam folder. These are emails that you’ve marked spam or Gmail thinks are spam messages. Learn how to check your spam folder on desktop and mobile.
Once you’re in your spam folder, don’t forget to do a cursory manual check to ensure that important messages haven’t found their way there. Once you’re satisfied, select all messages and hit ‘Delete.’
Next, check your inbox for large attachments. You can use Gmail's search feature by typing larger_than:10mb to locate these emails quickly. You can then download and save important attachments to your computer and delete the originals from Gmail.
Step 3: Ask sender to resend when storage is freed up
With that, you may have cleared up some storage. Check to verify it on your Google One page. Now, you can contact the senders to inform them of the issue and ask if they can re-send the messages. Be specific about the emails you need, including any relevant details such as the subject or sender’s email address.
Want to better manage Gmail storage? See how in YAMM’s post on the topic
With the above steps, you may have freed up some storage, and you’ll be able to retrieve those bounced emails. This problem of Gmail storage running out is persistent, though, and needs to be managed regularly and consistently.
Luckily, there are many other ways through which you can organize and better manage your Gmail storage to use your free limit optimally. If you’d like to learn how to manage your Gmail storage better, head on over to the YAMM blog!