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Should I archive or delete?

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When you're positive you won't need a message, use the Delete button to send it to Trash. Deleted messages and conversations are permanently removed from Gmail 30 days after you send them to Trash. Deleting unimportant mail is a great way to free up some of your storage, but with Gmail's free storage, you can probably keep those messages, too! If it's possible that you'll need a message or conversation in the future, we recommend using the Archive feature.

Archived mail moves out of your inbox and in to All Mail -- you won't be bothered with extra messages cluttering your inbox, but you'll still be able to find a message if you need it six years from now!

Help keep spam out of your inbox: We know it's fun to delete spam, but we hope you'll use the Report Spam button to flag unwanted mail. When you report spam, the Gmail Team can use your report to help improve our spam filters, and keep annoying messages out of your inbox.

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updated 8/19/2009

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