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How to Make Gmail IMAP Faster With Less Email Traffic

Limit emails and hide folders to speed up your Gmail

By Heinz Tschabitscher Heinz Tschabitscher Writer University of Vienna A former freelance contributor who has reviewed hundreds of email programs and services since 1997. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on February 4, 2022 Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email Email Gmail Yahoo! Mail

What to Know

Limit emails: Settings > Forwarding and POP/IMAP > Limit IMAP folders to contain no more than this many messages.Hide labels: Settings > Labels tab > clear Show in IMAP for labels or folders you want to hide. This article explains how to make Gmail IMAP faster by limiting email or hiding folders and labels.

Make Gmail IMAP Faster by Limiting Email

Gmail offers a way to limit the number of messages it shows to your email program in each folder. This can make synchronizing faster and your desktop email leaner while all the latest mail is still available. Here's how to limit the number of messages visible per folder in Gmail so your email program has less to download, cache, and keep in sync: Select the Settings gear in the upper-right corner of Gmail. Select See all settings from the menu that comes up. Go to the Forwarding and POP/IMAP tab. Make sure Limit IMAP folders to contain no more than this many messages is selected under Folder Size Limits. Select a desired number of messages to show in email programs; Gmail will select the most recent 1000, 2000, 5000, or 10,000 messages, depending on your choice. Select Save Changes.

Make Gmail Faster by Hiding Folders and Labels

You can also designate the labels and folders your email program sees. To prevent IMAP access to a Gmail folder or label: Select the Settings gear in the upper-right corner of Gmail. Select See all settings from the menu that appears. Select the Labels tab at the top of the window. Make sure that Show in IMAP is not checked for labels or folders you want to hide from your Gmail. For some labels, another option is to select Show if Unread. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire How to Hide Folders and Labels in Gmail IMAP How to Add a Preview Pane to Gmail How to Recover Missing Emails in Gmail How to Pick Folders to Push in iPhone Mail How to Select All Messages in Gmail How to Retrieve Archived Emails in Gmail How to Access Free Windows Mail in Gmail How to Download Gmail Chat Logs via IMAP How to Add A Picture To Your Gmail Profile How to Hide and Show Labels in Gmail How to Access Gmail With Thunderbird How to Access Gmail With Outlook for Mac Here Are the IMAP Settings You Need to Set Up Gmail How to Import Windows Mail or Outlook Emails Into Gmail How to Organize & Categorize Messages in Gmail with Labels Set Up an Out-of-Office Vacation Response in Gmail Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies