# Managing e-mail disk usage in cPanel

> Use the Email Disk Usage tool in cPanel to see which mailbox folders take up space and delete old messages to free it up.

Source: https://helpcenter.ruachost.com/email/cpanel-email/managing-e-mail-disk-usage-in-cpanel/

Over time, e‑mail accounts can consume significant disk space, especially if large attachments or old messages are stored. cPanel provides an **Email Disk Usage** tool to help you monitor and clean up mailboxes efficiently.

## Accessing the Email Disk Usage Tool

1. **Log in to cPanel**.
2. On the **Tools page**, in the **Email** section, click **Email Disk Usage**.
3. From the **Account** dropdown, select the e‑mail account you want to review.

## Viewing Usage

For each folder (Inbox, Sent, Junk, Trash, custom folders), you’ll see:

- ### Number of messages
- ### Disk space used

This helps identify which folders are consuming the most space.

## Deleting Messages to Free Space

1. In the **Actions** column, click **Manage** next to the folder you want to clean.
2. Under **Messages to delete**, choose a filter:

   - **1 year old or more** → Deletes messages older than 12 months.
   - **30 MB in size or more** → Deletes very large messages.
   - **Previously viewed** → Deletes messages that have already been opened.
   - **All messages** → Deletes everything in the folder.
   - **Custom query** → Use advanced [Dovecot search queries](https://doc.dovecot.org/main/core/man/doveadm-search-query.7.html) to target specific messages (e.g., by subject, size, or age).
3. Click **Delete Permanently**.

**Warning:** Deleted messages cannot be recovered. Always double‑check before confirming.

> **Note:**
- Use **Custom query** for precise control (e.g., delete messages larger than 100 KB: Larger 100k).
- To prevent hitting storage quotas, regularly review and clean up large or old messages.
- Consider setting up **mail client rules** (e.g., in Outlook or Thunderbird) to auto‑archive or delete old mail.