---
id: mac-storage-basics.why-is-gmail-in-apple-mail-so-big
url: https://storagestudio.us/faq/mac-storage-basics/why-is-gmail-in-apple-mail-so-big
category: "Mac storage basics"
subcategory: "Mail, Messages and chat apps"
question: "Why does a Gmail account take so much space in Apple Mail?"
alt_questions:
  - "gmail all mail duplicates apple mail"
  - "gmail imap storage mac"
  - "gmail labels duplicate mail mac"
short_answer: "Gmail exposes labels, including All Mail, as IMAP folders, so Mail may store messages more than once. Hide labels like All Mail from IMAP in Gmail settings and limit attachments."
tags: ["gmail", "mail", "imap"]
related: ["https://storagestudio.us/faq/mac-storage-basics/how-do-i-stop-mail-downloading-attachments", "https://storagestudio.us/faq/mac-storage-basics/why-is-apple-mail-using-so-much-space"]
applies_to: "all"
last_reviewed: 2026-10-01
---

# Why does a Gmail account take so much space in Apple Mail?

Gmail shows labels as IMAP folders, including **All Mail**, which contains every message. Apple Mail can end up downloading the same messages for several folders, so a Gmail account often uses much more space than its inbox suggests.

In Gmail's web settings under **Labels**, you can stop labels such as All Mail from being shown in IMAP, and in Mail you can limit attachment downloads for the account. Remove and re-add the account afterwards if you want Mail to rebuild a smaller local copy.