How to Delete or Mass Delete All Emails at Once on an iPhone

What to Know

  • Here's how to delete all unread emails in Gmail on an iPhone: open the Mail app, tap Gmail, the Filter icon, Edit, Select All, then Trash.
  • To delete all unread emails on an iPhone, open the Mail app, tap All Inboxes instead of Gmail, the Filter icon, Select All, then Trash. It's easy!

Here's how to delete multiple unread emails at once on your iPhone, and how to delete all unread emails on an iPhone at once. This also works in Gmail, Yahoo, Outlook, and all other email accounts! Here's the hidden workaround for how to bulk delete emails on an iPhone, how to mass delete all emails, and get rid of unread emails quickly. 

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How to Delete All Unread Emails in Gmail & Other Email Accounts on Your iPhone & iPad

Here's how to delete Gmail emails on an iPhone. You can delete multiple emails or all emails in Gmail on your iPhone or iPad in a few easy steps! If you don't want to delete your entire account, here's how to delete multiple emails in Gmail, another email account, or all unread emails. 

  1. Open the Mail app.

    ipad and iphone mail app
  2. Tap All Inboxes, or select a specific email account.

    tap all inboxes to delete all unread emails in gmail
  3. Tap the Filter icon at the bottom of the screen, then tap Edit in the upper-right corner.

    tap the filter icon to delete all unread emails in gmail
  4. Without pressing, start at the empty circle to the left of the first email you want to delete and swipe down to bottom of the page with your finger and hold it there until all the unread emails are selected. 
  5. You'll see all the circles become highlighted in blue, and the number of emails you've selected at the top of the page. If a preview of the first email pops up instead, you have used too much pressure.
  6. Once you've selected all the emails you'd like to delete, tap Trash.

    tap trash to delete all unread emails in gmail
  7. Before I started this process, I had thousands of unread emails in my Inbox. After a few seconds of swiping, I deleted hundreds of unread emails!

If you realize at this point that you’ve messed up and don’t want to delete all unread emails on your iPhone or iPad after all, don’t panic. Undo the mass delete by using Shake to Undo. Just give your iPhone a shake and then tap Undo (it may take a while to restore the emails). Do you ever unsend text messages?

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How to Delete All Emails in Gmail, Yahoo, or the Whole Mail App on Your iPhone & iPad

If you want to delete all emails at once in Gmail, another email account, or even All Inboxes, you can. Let's go over how to delete all Gmail emails at once on iPhone or iPad, or any other email account!

  1. First, open the Mail app and tap the Mailbox you'd like to empty (you can delete all email on your iPhone at once by tapping All Inboxes, or tap a specific inbox like Gmail or Yahoo).

    tap trash to delete all unread emails in gmail
  2. Tap Edit.

    how to delete all gmail emails tap edit
  3. Tap Select All.

    how to delete all gmail emails tap select all
  4. Now, tap Trash, and all the emails in the Mailbox will be deleted.

    how to delete all gmail emails tap trash

If you're trying to clean up space on your device, consider learning how to delete apps from your iPhone and iPad. For more great email tutorials, check out our free Tip of the Day.

FAQ

  • How do I delete an email account from an iPhone or iPad? We have a tutorial on how to delete an email account from an iPhone in six easy steps!
  • What if I accidentally deleted email on my iPhone? You can either Shake to Undo, or find your deleted emails in the Trash of the email account you deleted it from.
  • How do I mass delete all emails from one sender? You can learn how to delete all emails from one sender in our tutorial. You just open the Mail app, tap the Search field, enter the name of the sender, then follow the rest of the steps. 

Now you know how to delete all unread emails in Gmail on an iPhone or iPad, how to delete all unread emails on an iPhone or iPad, and how to delete all email on an iPhone at once! Be sure to check back here at iPhone Life to learn things like the downsides of unsending text messages, as well as who can still see your deleted texts!

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Author Details

Sarah Kingsbury's picture

Author Details

Sarah Kingsbury

As the Editorial Director at iPhone Life, Sarah Kingsbury manages the online editorial team and oversees all website content. She is a long-time Apple enthusiast who never goes anywhere without her Apple Watch and owns way too many HomePods. Since joining iPhone Life in 2013, Sarah has done everything from writing hundreds of how-to articles to founding the Daily Tip newsletter. She even co-hosted the early episodes of the iPhone Life Podcast. When not at work, Sarah can be found hiking in the mountains and canyons around Las Vegas, where she lives with her partner and dogs.