How to free email space with Email Disk Usage in cPanel

Email Disk Usage in cPanel helps you see how much space each mailbox uses and delete old or large messages from one screen. Use it when an email account is full, when the hosting account is close to its quota, or when you need to clean a mailbox without checking folder by folder in Webmail.

Important: the delete option is permanent. Before deleting email, confirm that you selected the correct mailbox and that you do not need to keep those messages for administrative, tax, or legal reasons.

Before you start

• Have access to cPanel for the account where the email account exists.
• Identify the mailbox you want to review, for example sales@yourdomain.com.
• If the email is checked through Outlook, Thunderbird, IMAP, or Webmail, notify the mailbox user before deleting messages.
• If you need to keep history, download or back up important email before cleaning.

Review usage by mailbox

1. Log in to cPanel.
2. Open the Email section.
3. Click Email Disk Usage. In some localized cPanel accounts, it may appear as Uso de disco de correo or a similar name.
4. If the Account menu appears, choose the email account you want to review.
5. Review the mailbox and folder table. The main columns show Mailbox Name, # of Messages, and Disk Usage.

Start with the folders that show the highest Disk Usage. The issue is usually in INBOX, Sent, Trash, or folders with large attachments.

Delete old or large messages

1. In the row for the mailbox or folder you want to clean, click Manage.
2. Choose a deletion option for the case:
   • 1 year old or more to delete messages that are one year old or older.
   • 30MB in size or more to delete very large messages.
   • Previously viewed to delete messages that were already read.
   • All messages only if you are sure you want to empty that entire folder.
   • Custom query… if support gave you a specific search.
3. Review the selected mailbox and chosen rule again.
4. Click Delete Permanently to confirm.

Avoid using All messages as your first option. It is safer to start with old or large messages, review the result, and repeat if you still need more space.

Verify that space was freed

1. Return to the main Email Disk Usage table.
2. Check whether the Disk Usage value decreased for the cleaned folder.
3. Go back to the cPanel home page and check the account’s general quota if the warning was about hosting storage.
4. Test sending and receiving a small email from the affected mailbox.

Values may take a few minutes to update because of server cache. If you just deleted many messages and the number does not change immediately, wait a few minutes and reload the screen.

Common errors

• The correct mailbox does not appear in Account → you are inside Webmail or another cPanel account → log in to the domain’s main cPanel account and open Email Disk Usage again.
• Space does not decrease after deleting messages → cPanel has not recalculated the quota yet or the cleaned folder was not the largest one → wait a few minutes and review the folders with the highest Disk Usage.
• Email you needed was deleted → the action was permanent → check whether you have a local backup, an IMAP copy on another device, or an available hosting backup before opening a ticket.

Related readings

• How to check disk usage in cPanel
• Why am I not receiving emails?
• How to review email delivery with Track Delivery in cPanel