Finding specific things

The attachments eating your mailbox

Updated 2026-07-31 · 3 min read

A mail account open for a decade holds gigabytes of attachments you will never open again.

Sort Mail by size

Apple Mail: View → Sort By → Size, or add a Size column in the message list (View → columns). Largest messages float up — almost always the ones with attachments.

See the total on disk

du -sh ~/Library/Mail 2>/dev/null
du -sh ~/Library/Containers/com.apple.mail 2>/dev/null

Both, since the split varies by macOS version. Tens of gigabytes is routine.

Storage settings does this too

System Settings → General → Storage → Mail lists large attachments with delete buttons — the friendliest route, and it spans accounts.

Reduce what Mail keeps

Mail → Settings → Accounts → [account] → Account Information → Download Attachments. Set archival accounts to Recent or None. Existing downloads then clear on the next sync, and the messages stay — only the local attachment copies go.

Removing attachments but keeping messages

Select a message → Message → Remove Attachments. The text stays; the file leaves. Good for the newsletter with a 30 MB PDF you will never reopen.

The server question

For IMAP/Exchange accounts the attachments also live on the server; removing local copies frees your Mac but not your quota. For the server side, delete the messages themselves or use the provider's own large-mail tools.

Finding a specific attachment first

Before deleting wholesale, the attachment you actually want is inside the Mail container where Spotlight will not show it — the mail-attachments article covers extracting it. Save anything worth keeping out to real folders, then clear with a clear conscience.

Common questions

How do I find large emails on a Mac?

Sort Mail by Size, or use System Settings → Storage → Mail which lists large attachments with delete controls.

Does removing attachments delete the email?

No — Message → Remove Attachments keeps the message text and drops only the files.