Freeing up space doesn't recover missing invoices
A supplier says they sent an invoice, but you can't find it, even in spam. Meanwhile, Gmail says your storage is full. Before changing filters or trying more search terms, check whether you can receive mail. Google says that when storage runs out, Gmail cannot receive messages and incoming mail is returned to the sender. You won't find that invoice in your mailbox because it never reached it.
Once delivery is working again, there's still another job to do: identify the invoices you expected and ask for any that are missing. Don't assume the next new message will bring all the earlier invoices with it. Each gap needs an actual document, not just a storage warning that has disappeared.
Source for this section: Google's explanation
Check the account and its available space first
Open the storage overview for the account your suppliers send invoices to. If you have both a work and a personal Google account, check the email address shown. Otherwise, you could be clearing space in the wrong account.
For a personal account, Gmail, Google Drive and Google Photos share the same storage. Email may not be the cause. Messages in the bin and spam also take up space, so moving messages to the bin alone doesn't finish the job.
Choose data you no longer need and check what it contains before permanently deleting it. Don't delete old invoices just because of their age or attachment size. If you're saving important files elsewhere, open the downloaded copies first. The aim is to restore incoming mail without losing documents you already have.
For a business Google Workspace account, involve your administrator: they control the quota. Buying a personal Google One plan may not solve a limit on your work mailbox.
Source for this section: What counts towards Google storage · Google's explanation
Test delivery with a new message
After freeing up space, ask someone to send a short test from another address with a recognisable subject, such as 'Delivery test after freeing up storage'. Look for it directly in Gmail on the web. Note when it actually arrived. Use that time as an approximate end to the period you need to check.
If the test doesn't arrive, ask the sender to check for a delivery failure notice. A full mailbox is only one possible cause; the error may point somewhere else. Google's help on bounced emails can guide your next step.
A storage change may not take effect immediately either. Google says a plan upgrade can take up to 24 hours to become available; recalculating used space after deleting a lot of data can take longer. What matters for your next handover is a test message that actually arrived, not a guess that mail 'should be working by now'.
Source for this section: Help with bounced emails · What counts towards Google storage · Google's explanation
Check the affected period against the invoices you expected
In this example, you noticed the full-storage warning on Friday. Your last confirmed trouble-free exchange was on Monday, but you don't know exactly when the problem began. You therefore check the whole working week, not just Friday. This is a working estimate of the period to review, not a verified outage duration.
Open your list of recurring services and purchases from that period. For each item, compare what you expected with what you've already saved or sent to your accountant. A short note for this example week might look like this:
| Expected invoice | What I've checked | What I'll do next |
|---|---|---|
| September hosting | The PDF is already in the folder sent to the accountant | No need to request it again |
| August phone bill | Missing from email, available in the supplier portal | Download it and add it to the records |
| One-off equipment purchase | I have the order, but not the invoice | Ask the supplier to send the invoice again |
What this check still leaves open
This check doesn't reconstruct all your mail. It helps you catch known purchases and recurring invoices. If you don't have a list and the timing of the problem is uncertain, extend your check to recent orders and payments. Don't mark the records as complete just because three new invoices arrived on Friday.
Ask for the invoice again, then close the gap
You could write to the supplier: 'Hello, our mailbox wasn't receiving messages this week. Could you please resend the invoice for order [number], issued to [company]? We've now confirmed that this address can receive mail. Thank you.' Identify the purchase so they don't have to guess which invoice you need.
When it arrives, open the attachment and compare it with your note. Also check whether you've already downloaded the same invoice from the portal. Only then mark it as received and send it to your accountant in the usual way. If you've already handed over the month's records, send just the additional documents and explain what you've added.
For next time, add an available-storage check to your routine, especially if you also use the account to back up photos. You can finish dealing with today's problem when you have two things clear: new mail is demonstrably arriving, and you know which missing invoices you've recovered and which you're still waiting for.