Level 1

9 points

Mail folder taking excessive space - orphan files suspected

In the process of getting rid of uneccessary files to free up space, I found that my Mail folder is very large - 46.74 GB. Probing further, although have a lot of saved mail, it appears these can account for only a relatively small portion of the used space. I suspect that somehow over the years orphaned files have accumulated. Can anyone suggest a way to clean this up (without losing my saved mail)?

[Edited by Moderator]

MacBook Pro 13″, 14.7

Posted on Jul 6, 2025 1:41 PM

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5 replies

Level 6

10,430 points

Jul 6, 2025 9:42 PM in response to TJM-Tom

On Mac:

Open the Mail app and go to the mailbox where you want to search.

Click on the search field in the toolbar.

Type "attachment" in the search field.

Choose "Messages with attachments" in the suggested suggestions or press Enter.

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Level 6

10,430 points

Jul 6, 2025 2:19 PM in response to TJM-Tom

Search for mail with attachments. They can take up a lot of space. Additional tip: move your large music library to an external drive.

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Level 10

101,395 points

Jul 7, 2025 4:53 AM in response to TJM-Tom

Same issue though different focus

Settings Storage used does not match Find… - Apple Community

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Level 1

9 points

Jul 6, 2025 4:09 PM in response to mulberry58

I have a lot folders for my mail (On My Mac). Is there some easy way to search for mail with attachments other than going from folder to folder?

Good suggestion to move the music library. Why didn't I think of that? Duh! My Photo library is already on an external drive.

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Level 6

10,430 points

Jul 6, 2025 2:34 PM in response to TJM-Tom

I don't see a photo library on your screenshot. Did you move it to an external drive or can you find it in the documents folder?

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Mail folder taking excessive space - orphan files suspected

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