Return to Answer

You might have to get into a "systematic" trial-and-error method.

Below, there are some things that might be helpful to know you know about Gmail and about using it on a web browser.

1. Bulk operations might take some time to update your mailbox index and/or your web browser cache. After deleting a large number of messages, wait at least 24 hours.
2. Filters don't work with messages already stored in the Gmail mailbox. The Filter creation workflow might make people think it should work, but that is a wrong conclusion. The UI applies the filter query as a regular search for user convenience for basic verification, but in some circumstances, it will not show the expected results.
3. in: operator
   • in:inbox might be replaced by label:inbox
   • Regarding in:sent: don't use it. Contrary to other user interface built-in left panel links, Sent is not a label. Messages on this view are retrieved by an internal query, not by a search query for the content of a folder / for labeled messages.
4. Negative operator (-)
   • Ensure you use the required character, the hyphen / minus character, ASCII code 45. If you have copy pasted it from content rendered on a web browser, it might not be the correct character. Try using a local text editor that does not have rich text / text format features, i.e., in Windows, it might be Notepad.
     You might try to get the required character using a web engine search query, but you might not be really sure that there isn't something on the browser causing problems until you get into a deep analysis.

Alternative

• Option 0: Try a different search query crafting approach, i.e., instead of a negative approach, even if it might look to be the more efficient way to get the expected results, try a positive approach. This might imply that you might have to craft multiple search queries. I can't tell you the feasibility of this because I do not know about your mailbox content.

• Option 1: Use another email client / Gmail apps for iOS and Android

  • If the normal use of the search doesn't work, remember that you might use other email clients. It might require some work, but modern email clients make the setup process very easy for computer users having basic computer literacy.
  • Nowadays a large number of Gmail users have a smartphone. The Gmail iOS and Android apps are limited and might not be the best to handle massive message deletions. If you decide to go through this path, use a Wi-Fi connection and be prepared to have to wait until the app tell you and the task is done and to do the operation multiple times.

• Option 2: Use Google Apps Script.

• Option 3: Use a the Gmail API.

• Option 4: Use a third-party service.

You might have to get into a "systematic" trial-and-error method.

Below, there are some things that might be helpful to know you know about Gmail and about using it on a web browser.

1. Bulk operations might take some time to update your mailbox index and/or your web browser cache. After deleting a large number of messages, wait at least 24 hours.
2. Filters don't work with messages already stored in the Gmail mailbox. The Filter creation workflow might make people think it should work, but that is a wrong conclusion. The UI applies the filter query as a regular search for user convenience for basic verification, but in some circumstances, it will not show the expected results.
3. in: operator
   • in:inbox might be replaced by label:inbox
   • Regarding in:sent: don't use it. Contrary to other user interface built-in left panel links, Sent is not a label. Messages on this view are retrieved by an internal query, not by a search query for the content of a folder / for labeled messages.
4. Negative operator (-)
   • Ensure you use the required character, the hyphen / minus character, ASCII code 45. If you have copy pasted it from content rendered on a web browser, it might not be the correct character. Try using a local text editor that does not have rich text / text format features, i.e., in Windows, it might be Notepad.
     You might try to get the required character using a web engine search query, but you might not be really sure that there isn't something on the browser causing problems until you get into a deep analysis.

Alternative

• Option 0: Try a different search query crafting approach, i.e., instead of a "negative approach", even if it might look to be the more efficient way to get the expected results, try a "positive approach". Before going into this, ensure that you have waited enough time for the index and cache update due to the previous attempts. Changing from a negative to a positive approach might imply that you might have to craft multiple search queries. I can't tell you the feasibility of this because I do not know about your mailbox content.

• Option 1: Use another email client / Gmail apps for iOS and Android

  • If the normal use of the search doesn't work, remember that you might use other email clients. It might require some work, but modern email clients make the setup process very easy for computer users having basic computer literacy.
  • Nowadays a large number of Gmail users have a smartphone. The Gmail iOS and Android apps are limited and might not be the best to handle massive message deletions. If you decide to go through this path, use a Wi-Fi connection and be prepared to have to wait until the app tell you and the task is done and to do the operation multiple times.

• Option 2: Use Google Apps Script.

• Option 3: Use a the Gmail API.

• Option 4: Use a third-party service.

You might have to get into a "systematic" trial-and-error method.

Below, there are some things that might be helpful to know you know about Gmail and about using it on a web browser.

1. Filters don't work with messages already stored in the Gmail mailbox. The Filter creation workflow might make people think it should work, but that is a wrong conclusion. The UI applies the filter query as a regular search for user convenience for basic verification, but in some circumstances, it will not show the expected results.
2. in: operator
   • in:inbox might be replaced by label:inbox
   • Regarding in:sent: don't use it. Contrary to other user interface built-in left panel links, Sent is not a label. Messages on this view are retrieved by an internal query, not by a search query for the content of a folder / for labeled messages.
3. Negative operator (-)
   • Ensure you use the required character, the hyphen / minus character, ASCII code 45. If you have copy pasted it from content rendered on a web browser, it might not be the correct character. Try using a local text editor that does not have rich text / text format features, i.e., in Windows, it might be Notepad.
     You might try to get the required character using a web engine search query, but you might not be really sure that there isn't something on the browser causing problems until you get into a deep analysis.

Alternative

• Option 0: Try a different search query crafting approach, i.e., instead of a negative approach, even if it might look to be the more efficient way to get the expected results, try a positive approach. This might imply that you might have to craft multiple search queries. I can't tell you the feasibility of this because I do not know about your mailbox content.

• Option 1: Use another email client / Gmail apps for iOS and Android

  • If the normal use of the search doesn't work, remember that you might use other email clients. It might require some work, but modern email clients make the setup process very easy for computer users having basic computer literacy.
  • Nowadays a large number of Gmail users have a smartphone. The Gmail iOS and Android apps are limited and might not be the best to handle massive message deletions. If you decide to go through this path, use a Wi-Fi connection and be prepared to have to wait until the app tell you and the task is done and to do the operation multiple times.

• Option 2: Use Google Apps Script.

• Option 3: Use a the Gmail API.

• Option 4: Use a third-party service.

You might have to get into a "systematic" trial-and-error method.

Below, there are some things that might be helpful to know you know about Gmail and about using it on a web browser.

1. Bulk operations might take some time to update your mailbox index and/or your web browser cache. After deleting a large number of messages, wait at least 24 hours.
2. Filters don't work with messages already stored in the Gmail mailbox. The Filter creation workflow might make people think it should work, but that is a wrong conclusion. The UI applies the filter query as a regular search for user convenience for basic verification, but in some circumstances, it will not show the expected results.
3. in: operator
   • in:inbox might be replaced by label:inbox
   • Regarding in:sent: don't use it. Contrary to other user interface built-in left panel links, Sent is not a label. Messages on this view are retrieved by an internal query, not by a search query for the content of a folder / for labeled messages.
4. Negative operator (-)
   • Ensure you use the required character, the hyphen / minus character, ASCII code 45. If you have copy pasted it from content rendered on a web browser, it might not be the correct character. Try using a local text editor that does not have rich text / text format features, i.e., in Windows, it might be Notepad.
     You might try to get the required character using a web engine search query, but you might not be really sure that there isn't something on the browser causing problems until you get into a deep analysis.

Alternative

• Option 0: Try a different search query crafting approach, i.e., instead of a negative approach, even if it might look to be the more efficient way to get the expected results, try a positive approach. This might imply that you might have to craft multiple search queries. I can't tell you the feasibility of this because I do not know about your mailbox content.

• Option 1: Use another email client / Gmail apps for iOS and Android

  • If the normal use of the search doesn't work, remember that you might use other email clients. It might require some work, but modern email clients make the setup process very easy for computer users having basic computer literacy.
  • Nowadays a large number of Gmail users have a smartphone. The Gmail iOS and Android apps are limited and might not be the best to handle massive message deletions. If you decide to go through this path, use a Wi-Fi connection and be prepared to have to wait until the app tell you and the task is done and to do the operation multiple times.

• Option 2: Use Google Apps Script.

• Option 3: Use a the Gmail API.

• Option 4: Use a third-party service.

You might have to get into a "systematic" trial-and-error method.

Things that will help you know about Gmail, and about using in on a web browser.

1. Filters don't work with messages already stored in the Gmail mailbox. The Filter creation workflow might make people think it should work, but that is a wrong conclusion. The UI applies the filter query as a regular search for user convenience for basic verification, but in some circumstances, it will not show the expected results.
2. in: operator
   • in:inbox might be replaced by label:inbox
   • Regarding in:sent: don't use it. Contrary to other user interface built-in left panel links, Sent is not a label. Messages showing on this view are retrieved by an internal query, not by a search query for the content of a folder / for labeled messages.
3. Negative operator (-)
   • Ensure that you are using the right character, the hyphen / minus character, ASCII code 45. If you have copy pasted it from content rendered on a web browser, it might not be the correct character. Try using a local text editor not having rich text / text format features, i.e. in Windows it might be Notepad.
     You might try to get the right character using a web engine search query but you might not be really sure that there isn't something on the browser causing problems until you get into a deep analysis.

Alternative

• Option 0: Try a different search query crafting approach, i.e., instead of a negative approach, even if it might look to be the more efficient way to get the expected results, try a positive approach. This might imply that you might have to craft multiple search queries. We can't tell you the feasibility of this because we do not have any idea about your mailbox content.
• Option 1: Use another email client
  If the normal use of the search doesn't work, remember that you might use other email clients. It might require some work but modern email clients make the setup process very easy for computer users having basic computer literacy.
• Option 2: Use Google Apps Script.
• Option 3: Use a the Gmail API.
• Option 4: Use a third-party service.

You might have to get into a "systematic" trial-and-error method.

Below, there are some things that might be helpful to know you know about Gmail and about using it on a web browser.

1. Filters don't work with messages already stored in the Gmail mailbox. The Filter creation workflow might make people think it should work, but that is a wrong conclusion. The UI applies the filter query as a regular search for user convenience for basic verification, but in some circumstances, it will not show the expected results.
2. in: operator
   • in:inbox might be replaced by label:inbox
   • Regarding in:sent: don't use it. Contrary to other user interface built-in left panel links, Sent is not a label. Messages on this view are retrieved by an internal query, not by a search query for the content of a folder / for labeled messages.
3. Negative operator (-)
   • Ensure you use the required character, the hyphen / minus character, ASCII code 45. If you have copy pasted it from content rendered on a web browser, it might not be the correct character. Try using a local text editor that does not have rich text / text format features, i.e., in Windows, it might be Notepad.
     You might try to get the required character using a web engine search query, but you might not be really sure that there isn't something on the browser causing problems until you get into a deep analysis.

Alternative

• Option 0: Try a different search query crafting approach, i.e., instead of a negative approach, even if it might look to be the more efficient way to get the expected results, try a positive approach. This might imply that you might have to craft multiple search queries. I can't tell you the feasibility of this because I do not know about your mailbox content.

• Option 1: Use another email client / Gmail apps for iOS and Android

  • If the normal use of the search doesn't work, remember that you might use other email clients. It might require some work, but modern email clients make the setup process very easy for computer users having basic computer literacy.
  • Nowadays a large number of Gmail users have a smartphone. The Gmail iOS and Android apps are limited and might not be the best to handle massive message deletions. If you decide to go through this path, use a Wi-Fi connection and be prepared to have to wait until the app tell you and the task is done and to do the operation multiple times.

• Option 2: Use Google Apps Script.

• Option 3: Use a the Gmail API.

• Option 4: Use a third-party service.