Your Gmail inbox is probably overflowing. If you have been hoarding thousands of messages, you have likely seen the dreaded 'storage full' warning. Fortunately, there is a way to reclaim your free 15GB of storage without paying a dime. The trick involves creating a second Gmail account and using Google's built-in POP3 tools to transfer all your old emails. But you need to act fast: Google is ending POP3 support this year.

Starting in the first quarter of 2026, new Gmail users can no longer use POP3. Existing users can still take advantage of the protocol until it is turned off later in 2026. After that, moving your emails to another account will become much more difficult. This makes now the perfect time to clear out your digital clutter and start fresh.

Why You Need More Gmail Storage

Every Gmail account comes with 15GB of free storage shared across Gmail, Google Drive, and Google Photos. That space fills up quickly. Large attachments, photos, and videos eat up gigabytes before you know it. Once you hit the limit, you cannot send or receive new emails. The quick fix is to upgrade to Google One, but that costs money. The free alternative is to archive your old messages to a new account and wipe your primary inbox clean.

Many users ignore the problem until it becomes an emergency. But with a little planning, you can transfer all your emails to a separate archive account and keep your main inbox lean and fast. The process is straightforward, and we will walk you through every step.

Before You Start: Back Up Your Emails

Before moving anything, back up your emails. Use Google Takeout to download a copy of all your Gmail messages to your computer or an external hard drive. This ensures you have a local backup in case something goes wrong. In a test with an account holding about 75,000 messages, the download took roughly two hours. Once you have the backup, you can proceed with the transfer.

Step-by-Step: How to Transfer Gmail Messages

Follow these instructions carefully. You will need both your old Gmail account (the one that is full) and a new, empty Gmail account (the archive). If you have not created the new account yet, do that first.

Step 1: Enable POP in Your Old Account

Log in to your original (old) Gmail account. Click the gear icon in the top-right corner and select 'See all settings'. Go to the 'Forwarding and POP/IMAP' tab. In the POP Download section, select 'Enable POP for all mail'. For the option 'When messages are accessed with POP', choose 'delete Gmail's copy' if you want to automatically remove the emails from your old account after the transfer. Then click 'Save Changes'.

Step 2: Set Up the New Account to Import

Now log in to your new archive account. Click the gear icon and select 'See all settings'. Go to the 'Accounts and Import' tab. Next to 'Check mail from other accounts', click 'Add a mail account'. Enter your old Gmail address and click 'Next'. Check 'Import emails from my other account (POP3)' and click 'Next' again.

You will be asked for the password of your old account. In many cases, your regular password will not work. You may need to generate a Google app password. This is a 16-digit code created specifically for less secure apps. To create one, go to https://myaccount.google.com/apppasswords (you must have 2-Step Verification enabled). Give the password a name like 'Transfer Bulk Email', click Create, and then copy the 16-digit code. Use this code instead of your regular password in the import setup.

Back in the import settings, enter the app password (or your standard password if it works). Set the port to 995. Check the following boxes: 'Always use a secure connection (SSL) when retrieving mail', 'Label incoming messages', and 'Archive incoming messages (Skip the Inbox)'. Then click 'Add Account'. After that, you can choose to allow sending mail from your old address from the new account (optional).

Step 3: Wait for the Transfer

Once the accounts are linked, your old emails will start moving to the new archive account. The process can take hours or even days, depending on how many emails you have. In our test with 75,000 messages, it took about two full days. You can check progress by looking at the new account's inbox and labels. All imported messages will appear under a label named after your old address.

Step 4: Empty the Trash

After the transfer completes, your old Gmail account will have placed all the moved messages in the Trash folder. You need to empty the trash manually. In our test, clearing 75,000 messages took about an hour. Once that is done, your old account will show significantly less storage used. For example, an account that was using over 12GB dropped to just 0.66GB after the transfer.

What Messages Are Not Transferred?

Gmail's POP3 import does not move Drafts or Spam messages. You will need to handle Drafts manually. Spam is automatically deleted after 30 days, so you can either wait or clear it yourself. Everything else – including sent mail, starred messages, and custom labels – should come over.

Final Steps: Stop the Automatic Transfer and Delete the App Password

Once all emails have been imported, you should stop the automatic syncing to avoid duplicates. Log in to your new archive account, go to Settings > Accounts and Import, and under 'Check mail from other accounts', click 'delete' next to your old account. Confirm the deletion. If you created a Google app password, go to the app passwords page and click the trash icon to remove it. This is a good security practice.

Your old account is now essentially empty. You can continue using it as your primary inbox, and you have a separate archive account for all your old messages. Just remember that Google deletes accounts that have been inactive for more than two years. Log in to your archive account at least once every two years to keep it active.

The Bottom Line: Act Before Google Ends POP3

Google's decision to phase out POP3 means this easy transfer method will not be available much longer. If you delay, you may have to rely on third-party tools or manual forwarding, which are more cumbersome. By following the steps above now, you can reclaim your full 15GB of free storage, organize your digital life, and avoid the panic of a full inbox. Do not procrastinate – set aside a few hours this week to set up your archive account. Your future self will thank you.

Source: CNET News