This article explains how to make Gmail IMAP faster by limiting email or hiding folders and labels.

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.

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 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.

  • 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.

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.

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