{"id":10543,"date":"2026-06-11T10:27:47","date_gmt":"2026-06-11T08:27:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/?post_type=manual_kb&#038;p=10543"},"modified":"2026-06-11T10:27:48","modified_gmt":"2026-06-11T08:27:48","slug":"spring-cleaning-your-mailbox-how-to-safely-audit-archive-and-delete-old-data-to-free-up-space","status":"publish","type":"manual_kb","link":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/spring-cleaning-your-mailbox-how-to-safely-audit-archive-and-delete-old-data-to-free-up-space\/","title":{"rendered":"Spring Cleaning Your Mailbox: How to Safely Audit, Archive, and Delete Old Data to Free Up Space"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"translation-block translation-block-merged\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Running out of storage space can cause missed emails, failed backups, application issues, and other unexpected problems. Fortunately, a quick storage audit can help you identify what&#8217;s consuming space and safely reclaim it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Whether the storage is being used by email messages, website backups, logs, or application files, regular maintenance helps keep your account performing efficiently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_86 ez-toc-wrap-left counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/spring-cleaning-your-mailbox-how-to-safely-audit-archive-and-delete-old-data-to-free-up-space\/#Audit_Your_Storage_Usage\" >Audit Your Storage Usage<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/spring-cleaning-your-mailbox-how-to-safely-audit-archive-and-delete-old-data-to-free-up-space\/#Clean_Up_Email_Storage\" >Clean Up Email Storage<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/spring-cleaning-your-mailbox-how-to-safely-audit-archive-and-delete-old-data-to-free-up-space\/#Empty_Trash_and_Junk_Folders\" >Empty Trash and Junk Folders<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/spring-cleaning-your-mailbox-how-to-safely-audit-archive-and-delete-old-data-to-free-up-space\/#Find_Large_Messages\" >Find Large Messages<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/spring-cleaning-your-mailbox-how-to-safely-audit-archive-and-delete-old-data-to-free-up-space\/#Archive_Older_Messages\" >Archive Older Messages<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/spring-cleaning-your-mailbox-how-to-safely-audit-archive-and-delete-old-data-to-free-up-space\/#Review_Files_Using_FTP_or_SFTP\" >Review Files Using FTP or SFTP<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/spring-cleaning-your-mailbox-how-to-safely-audit-archive-and-delete-old-data-to-free-up-space\/#Old_Backup_Files\" >Old Backup Files<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/spring-cleaning-your-mailbox-how-to-safely-audit-archive-and-delete-old-data-to-free-up-space\/#Cache_Directories\" >Cache Directories<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/spring-cleaning-your-mailbox-how-to-safely-audit-archive-and-delete-old-data-to-free-up-space\/#Advanced_Storage_Analysis_Using_SSH\" >Advanced Storage Analysis Using SSH<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/spring-cleaning-your-mailbox-how-to-safely-audit-archive-and-delete-old-data-to-free-up-space\/#Manage_Log_Files\" >Manage Log Files<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/spring-cleaning-your-mailbox-how-to-safely-audit-archive-and-delete-old-data-to-free-up-space\/#Prevent_Future_Storage_Issues\" >Prevent Future Storage Issues<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-12\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/spring-cleaning-your-mailbox-how-to-safely-audit-archive-and-delete-old-data-to-free-up-space\/#Regularly_Empty_Deleted_Mail\" >Regularly Empty Deleted Mail<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-13\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/spring-cleaning-your-mailbox-how-to-safely-audit-archive-and-delete-old-data-to-free-up-space\/#Limit_Backup_Retention\" >Limit Backup Retention<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-14\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/spring-cleaning-your-mailbox-how-to-safely-audit-archive-and-delete-old-data-to-free-up-space\/#Monitor_Log_Growth\" >Monitor Log Growth<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-15\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/spring-cleaning-your-mailbox-how-to-safely-audit-archive-and-delete-old-data-to-free-up-space\/#Review_Storage_Periodically\" >Review Storage Periodically<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-16\" href=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/knowledgebase\/spring-cleaning-your-mailbox-how-to-safely-audit-archive-and-delete-old-data-to-free-up-space\/#Summary\" >Summary<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Audit_Your_Storage_Usage\"><\/span>Audit Your Storage Usage<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n<div id=\"mybox-561919928\" class=\"mybox-content mybox-entity-placement\"><div class=\"early-access-banner-inpost\">\r\n  <div class=\"banner-left-inpost\">\r\n    <div class=\"icon-box-inpost\">\r\n      <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/square-info-icon.svg\" alt=\"Info\">\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    <div class=\"text-box-inpost\">\r\n      <span class=\"label-inpost\"><span class=\"translation-block translation-block-banner-text\">Early access<\/span><\/span>\r\n      <h4><span class=\"translation-block translation-block-banner-text\">Still need help?<\/span><\/h4>\r\n      <p><span class=\"translation-block translation-block-banner-text\">Contact our customer service team.<\/span><\/p>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n\r\n  <div class=\"banner-right-inpost\">\r\n    <a href=\"https:\/\/panel.mybox.com\/helpdesk2\/v\/list\/\" class=\"banner-button-inpost\"><span class=\"translation-block translation-block-banner-text\">Message us<\/span><\/a>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n<div class=\"translation-block translation-block-merged\"><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Before deleting anything, determine where the storage is being used.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The most common sources of storage consumption are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Large email folders<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Website backups<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Application cache files<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Log files<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Media uploads<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Temporary files<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For email accounts, log in to your preferred mail client or webmail and check which folders consume the most space. Sent, Archive, Trash, and Junk folders are often the largest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For hosting accounts, you can use FTP, SFTP, or SSH access to review your files and identify unusually large directories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Clean_Up_Email_Storage\"><\/span>Clean Up Email Storage<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Empty_Trash_and_Junk_Folders\"><\/span>Empty Trash and Junk Folders<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Messages stored in Trash and Junk folders still consume storage space until they are permanently removed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Empty these folders regularly to reclaim space immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Find_Large_Messages\"><\/span>Find Large Messages<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sorting messages by size is often more effective than sorting by date.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Large attachments such as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>PDFs<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Presentations<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>ZIP archives<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Videos<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Images<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">can quickly consume mailbox storage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Download any important attachments you want to keep and remove the original emails if they are no longer needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Archive_Older_Messages\"><\/span>Archive Older Messages<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you need to retain old correspondence for business or compliance reasons, consider archiving it locally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Most desktop mail clients, including Outlook and Thunderbird, allow you to create local folders and move messages from the server to your computer. This preserves your email history while reducing server storage usage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Review_Files_Using_FTP_or_SFTP\"><\/span>Review Files Using FTP or SFTP<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">FTP and SFTP clients allow you to browse your hosting account and identify unnecessary files.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Popular clients include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>FileZilla<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Cyberduck<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>WinSCP<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After connecting to your account, review directories that commonly grow over time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Old_Backup_Files\"><\/span>Old Backup Files<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Many website backup plugins create ZIP or TAR archives that remain stored indefinitely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Look for old backups that:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Have already been downloaded elsewhere<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Are no longer needed<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Exist in multiple copies<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Before deleting any backup, make sure you have another valid copy available.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Cache_Directories\"><\/span>Cache Directories<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Applications often generate cache files to improve performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While cache directories can sometimes consume significant storage, only remove cache files if you understand how your application manages them. Most modern applications provide a built-in option to clear caches safely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Advanced_Storage_Analysis_Using_SSH\"><\/span>Advanced Storage Analysis Using SSH<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">SSH provides the fastest way to identify large files and directories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Connect to your account using an SSH client:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>ssh username@yourdomain.com\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To display the largest directories in your current location, run:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>du -h --max-depth=1 | sort -hr\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This command sorts directories by size, allowing you to quickly identify storage-heavy locations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You can then navigate into large directories and repeat the command to find the exact source of the storage usage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Manage_Log_Files\"><\/span>Manage Log Files<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Log files help diagnose application and server issues, but they can grow significantly over time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Common examples include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>error_log<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>debug.log<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>application logs<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If a log file becomes unusually large and is no longer needed for troubleshooting, you can safely clear its contents while preserving the file itself:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>&gt; error_log\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This resets the file size without removing the file.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Before clearing any logs, ensure the information is no longer needed for diagnostics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Prevent_Future_Storage_Issues\"><\/span>Prevent Future Storage Issues<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A few simple maintenance habits can prevent storage problems from returning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Regularly_Empty_Deleted_Mail\"><\/span>Regularly Empty Deleted Mail<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Configure your email client to periodically clear Trash and Junk folders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Limit_Backup_Retention\"><\/span>Limit Backup Retention<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If your website creates automated backups, configure it to retain only a reasonable number of recent copies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Monitor_Log_Growth\"><\/span>Monitor Log Growth<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Large or rapidly growing logs may indicate application errors that should be investigated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Review_Storage_Periodically\"><\/span>Review Storage Periodically<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Performing a storage review every few months can help prevent unexpected quota limits and keep your services running smoothly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Summary\"><\/span>Summary<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Storage usage naturally increases over time as emails, backups, logs, and application data accumulate. Regular maintenance helps keep your mailbox and hosting account organized while reducing the risk of service interruptions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">By periodically reviewing your email folders, backup files, cache directories, and log files, you can reclaim valuable storage space and maintain optimal account performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","format":"standard","manualknowledgebasecat":[25],"manual_kb_tag":[2761,3395,3592,4291,4292,4293,4294,4295,4296,4297],"class_list":["post-10543","manual_kb","type-manual_kb","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","manualknowledgebasecat-hosting","manual_kb_tag-backup-retention","manual_kb_tag-website-backups","manual_kb_tag-mailbox-cleanup","manual_kb_tag-storage-audit","manual_kb_tag-free-up-space","manual_kb_tag-email-storage","manual_kb_tag-email-cleanup","manual_kb_tag-archive-emails","manual_kb_tag-large-attachments","manual_kb_tag-old-backup-files"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/manual_kb\/10543","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/manual_kb"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/manual_kb"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/manual_kb\/10543\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10544,"href":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/manual_kb\/10543\/revisions\/10544"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10543"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"manualknowledgebasecat","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/manualknowledgebasecat?post=10543"},{"taxonomy":"manual_kb_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybox.com\/help\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/manual_kb_tag?post=10543"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}