I Used This Hack to Get 15GB of Free Gmail Storage

As a seasoned Gmail user since 2008, I've accumulated thousands of unread emails that have been piling up over the years. But with my inbox in disarray, I knew it was time to take drastic measures – or risk paying extra for storage space. That's when I stumbled upon an ingenious hack: using a second Gmail account as an archive to store all of my old messages and free up 15GB of precious storage.

Since there's no restriction on the number of Google accounts you can own, I decided to create a new Gmail archive account as a dedicated space for storing all my current emails. This plan worked like a charm, and it even helped me tackle another common problem: school or business Gmail accounts that are deactive once you leave.

Transferring your Gmail messages is a great strategy if you have an old account that you won't be able to access anymore. Most universities and businesses will deactivate your account when you're no longer a student or employee, leaving you with nothing but memories of past correspondence.

The Simple Process of Transferring Your Emails

Transferring your Gmail messages is a relatively straightforward process that may take several hours or days depending on the number of emails involved. Here's how to do it:

  1. Back up your emails first by downloading them to your computer or an external hard drive using Google Takeout.
  2. Login into your original Gmail account and click on the gear icon in the top right corner, then select See all settings.
  3. Select the Forwarding POP/IMAP tab and enable POP for all mail. Select delete Gmail's copy to automatically remove emails from your original account after the transfer.
  4. Create a new Gmail archive account by logging into it and selecting See all settings, then adding the original account as a "check mail from other accounts" source.
  5. Select Import emails from my other account (POP3), enter the password of your original Gmail account, and create a Google app password if necessary.
  6. Check boxes to use a secure connection when retrieving mail, label incoming messages, and archive incoming messages (skip the inbox).

Keep in mind that you might need to create a temporary "app password" to sync your accounts. This passcode works exactly like your Google password but is used for less secure apps or devices.

The Result: 15GB of Free Storage and an Inbox Zero Experience

By transferring my emails to the new archive account, I was able to free up 15GB of storage space in just a few hours. The process may take longer depending on the number of messages involved.

Before transferring my messages, my test account used around 12GB of Google's free 15GB – but after completing the transfer, it only occupied 0.66GB of that space.

Potential Issues to Consider

Keep in mind that there are a few potential issues you should be aware of:

  • Gmail won't transfer messages from your Drafts or Spam folders – you'll need to handle those manually.
  • Spam messages will be automatically deleted every 30 days, so you can let Gmail take care of that for you.
  • If you don't plan to use your archive account regularly, make sure to sign in at least once every two years to keep the account active.

This hack has given me a new lease on life for my old Gmail account. With an inbox zero experience and ample storage space, I can finally breathe easy knowing that all my old emails are safely stored away.