How to delete Mail storage on Mac becomes a real concern once your system storage starts running low and you discover that the Mail app is quietly consuming gigabytes of space. This happens gradually. Attachments, cached message data, and background downloads accumulate over time, even if you rarely open old emails.
Mail storage is not just your inbox. macOS keeps local copies of attachments, message databases, and cache files to speed things up. While this improves performance, it can significantly inflate the storage footprint of the Mail app.
This guide walks you through practical, safe ways to delete Mail storage on Mac. You’ll learn how to check Mail’s storage usage, remove attachments without deleting messages, clean Mail downloads manually, and use reliable tools to speed up the process while avoiding data loss.
How to Check Mail Storage on Mac
Before deleting anything, it’s important to understand how much space Mail is using and why.
Steps to check Mail storage:
Open the Apple menu
Go to System Settings
Select General
Click Storage
Scroll down and locate Mail
This section shows the total disk space used by Mail, including attachments, cached data, and local message files. Seeing this number helps you decide how aggressively you need to clean up.
How to Delete Mail Attachments From Individual Emails
Apple Mail allows you to remove attachments while keeping the email message itself.
Steps:
Open the Mail app
Select an email with attachments
In the menu bar, click Message
Choose Remove Attachments
This removes all locally stored attachments for that message while preserving the email text. It’s safe and effective, but only practical if you have a small number of emails to clean.
How to Find and Delete Mail Downloads Using Finder
Mail stores attachments in hidden system folders, not in your regular Downloads folder. This is why deleting visible files often doesn’t reduce Mail storage.
Steps:
Open Finder
Click Go in the menu bar
Select Go to Folder
Type ~/Library/Mail/ and press Return
Use Finder search and type Attachments
Set the search scope to Mail
You’ll see one or more Attachments folders. These contain downloaded files from your emails. You can review them and delete large or unnecessary files in bulk.
Be cautious. Deleting these files permanently removes local attachment copies. If you need protection before cleaning, consider backing up first.
Get Backup Pro is useful for creating quick backups before deleting Mail files, while iBoysoft Data Recovery can help recover files if something is deleted accidentally.
How to Remove Mail Attachments Safely With Spark Mail
If you prefer not to dig through system folders, a smarter option is managing attachments directly through an email client.
Spark Mail allows you to search, sort, and delete attachment-heavy emails easily.
Steps:
Open Spark Mail
Search for “Attachments”
Sort emails by size or date
Delete or archive selected messages
Spark removes attachments along with the emails, giving you a safer, more visual cleanup method.
One-Click Way to Delete Mail Storage on Mac
For the fastest and safest cleanup, automation helps.
CleanMyMac includes a Mail Attachments cleanup module that scans your Mac for all Mail-related downloads and cached files.
Steps:
Open CleanMyMac
Run a Cleanup scan
Review Mail Attachments
Remove selected files
This approach deletes local Mail storage while keeping your email accounts and messages intact. It’s ideal if Mail storage has grown large over time.
How to Delete Attachments in Messages on Mac
Attachments in Messages are handled differently and can be deleted directly.
Steps:
Open the Messages app
Select a conversation
Click the info (i) button
Scroll to Photos or Files
Select attachments and delete
This instantly frees up space used by message attachments.
Change Mail Attachment Download Settings
You can prevent Mail storage from growing again by controlling how attachments are downloaded.
Steps:
Open Mail
Go to Mail > Settings
Click Accounts
Select your email account
Find Download Attachments
Choose All, Recent, or None
Selecting Recent or None can dramatically reduce storage usage, especially if you receive many attachments.
Reduce Incoming Mail With Unsubscribing Tools
Large inboxes generate more storage usage over time. Reducing email volume helps long term.
Leave Me Alone helps you unsubscribe from newsletters in bulk or bundle them into digests. This reduces inbox clutter and future attachment accumulation.
Keeping Mail Storage Under Control Long-Term
Mail storage grows silently, which is why it’s easy to overlook. Checking it periodically and removing attachments every few months prevents sudden storage issues.
Using tools like CleanMyMac, Spark Mail, and Get Backup Pro together creates a safe workflow for cleaning Mail storage without risking data loss. Many of these tools are available through Setapp, which simplifies Mac maintenance by bundling essential apps into one subscription.
