linnyleona
Level 1 (4 points)
Notebooks

Q: want to delete Mail app and just use gmail

I have a Macbook Air and keep getting message "iCloud storage full".  I would like to free up space and delete the emails in my Mail app.  How do I do this? Thank you.

MacBook Air (11-inch Late 2010), OS X Yosemite (10.10.5)

Posted on Sep 3, 2016 6:22 AM

by W. Richard Glendon,Apple recommended
W. Richard Glendon W. Richard Glendon
Level 4 (1,131 points)
A:

Before you start deleting email (potentially leading to a loss of email for IMAP-style accounts such as iCloud and Gmail) I recommend looking to see if email is even the problem with your iCloud storage. Below is my iCloud storage (boosted up to 50 GB for $0.99 (US) per month. The point is that mail is taking up a small fraction of the storage.

Screen Shot 2016-09-03 at 9.45.35 AM.png

 

Blue is Photos and Videos, yellow is backup (phone or ipad), green is (as it says) Documents, and orange is Mail. You can see this bar graph by going to Apple Menu, then System Preferences, then iCloud. You may even be surprised to find that there is more storage left than Apple's notifications are suggesting.

 

Personally, if adding to storage was not acceptable and yellow/backup is taking up a lot of space I would use iTunes to backup to your computer rather than iCloud storage.

 

Going back to the first sentence, if you are not clear what IMAP is or why deleting could lead to a loss of mail, that's understandable. No is born understanding acronyms. Getting clear on what IMAP or its cousin POP are takes some study. Nothing makes this clearer than searching "What is IMAP?" in these discussion groups. You head will be swimming before you get very far. But it could be time well spent if email is an important part of your life. Deleting email may not be necessary or the right choice for you.

 

I'm sure that I or others can continue this discussion and try to clarify the choices.

 

W R Glendon

Posted on Sep 3, 2016 7:16 AM

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linnyleona

Q: want to delete Mail app and just use gmail

  • All replies
  • Helpful answers

  • by Csound1,

    Csound1 Csound1 Sep 3, 2016 6:26 AM in response to linnyleona
    Level 9 (50,016 points)
    Desktops
    Sep 3, 2016 6:26 AM in response to linnyleona

    Open Mail, select some (or all) of the mail in it and delete.

  • by W. Richard Glendon,Apple recommended

    W. Richard Glendon W. Richard Glendon Sep 3, 2016 7:16 AM in response to linnyleona
    Level 4 (1,131 points)
    Sep 3, 2016 7:16 AM in response to linnyleona

    Before you start deleting email (potentially leading to a loss of email for IMAP-style accounts such as iCloud and Gmail) I recommend looking to see if email is even the problem with your iCloud storage. Below is my iCloud storage (boosted up to 50 GB for $0.99 (US) per month. The point is that mail is taking up a small fraction of the storage.

    Screen Shot 2016-09-03 at 9.45.35 AM.png

     

    Blue is Photos and Videos, yellow is backup (phone or ipad), green is (as it says) Documents, and orange is Mail. You can see this bar graph by going to Apple Menu, then System Preferences, then iCloud. You may even be surprised to find that there is more storage left than Apple's notifications are suggesting.

     

    Personally, if adding to storage was not acceptable and yellow/backup is taking up a lot of space I would use iTunes to backup to your computer rather than iCloud storage.

     

    Going back to the first sentence, if you are not clear what IMAP is or why deleting could lead to a loss of mail, that's understandable. Nobody is born understanding acronyms. Getting clear on what IMAP or its cousin POP are takes some study. Nothing makes this clearer than searching "What is IMAP?" in these discussion groups. You head will be swimming before you get very far. But it could be time well spent if email is an important part of your life. Deleting email may not be necessary or the right choice for you.

     

    I'm sure that I or others can continue this discussion and try to clarify the choices.

     

    W R Glendon