Does yahoo mail delete old emails

The eternal question!

Yahoo Mail, like many other email providers, has a policy of deleting old emails to free up storage space and improve performance. However, the exact timing and criteria for deleting emails vary depending on several factors.

Here are some general guidelines:

  1. Yahoo Mail's default retention period: Yahoo Mail typically retains emails for 1 year (365 days) before deleting them. This means that if you haven't accessed or interacted with an email in 1 year, it may be deleted.
  2. Storage space: If your Yahoo Mail account is running low on storage space, Yahoo may delete older emails to free up space. This is more likely to happen if you have a large number of emails or attachments in your account.
  3. Email size and type: Yahoo Mail may delete larger emails or those with attachments that exceed a certain size limit (typically 25 MB). This is to prevent storage issues and improve performance.
  4. Account inactivity: If your Yahoo Mail account has been inactive for an extended period (e.g., 6 months or more), Yahoo may delete old emails to maintain account hygiene.
  5. Purge of spam and junk emails: Yahoo Mail regularly purges spam and junk emails from your account to prevent clutter and improve performance.

To minimize the risk of losing important emails, consider the following:

  1. Regularly clean out your inbox: Periodically delete or archive emails you no longer need to keep.
  2. Use folders and labels: Organize your emails using folders and labels to keep them easily accessible and reduce clutter.
  3. Use a third-party email client: Consider using a third-party email client like Microsoft Outlook or Mozilla Thunderbird, which can help you manage your emails more effectively and potentially prevent deletion.
  4. Backup your emails: Consider using a third-party email backup service or exporting your emails to an external storage service (like Google Drive or Dropbox) to ensure you have a copy of your important emails.

Remember that Yahoo Mail's email retention policy is subject to change, so it's essential to regularly review your account settings and email storage to ensure you're not at risk of losing important emails.