The three ways to delete an email in Outlook

You can delete a single email by selecting it and pressing the Delete key, clicking the trash icon in the toolbar, or right-clicking and choosing Delete from the menu. All three methods move the email to your Deleted Items folder, where it stays until you empty that folder — so deletion is reversible if you change your mind within a few days or weeks.

To delete multiple emails at once, click the checkbox next to the first email, then hold Shift and click the checkbox next to the last email in the group you want to delete. This selects everything in between. You can also click individual checkboxes while holding Ctrl to select emails that are not next to each other. Once selected, press Delete or click the trash icon. If you are using Outlook on the web (Outlook.com or your work account through a browser), the process is the same: select the email or emails, then click the trash icon or press Delete. The email moves to Deleted Items.

Key Takeaways

  • Deleted emails move to your Deleted Items folder and can be recovered unless you empty that folder.
  • You can select multiple emails at once using checkboxes and Shift+click or Ctrl+click to delete them together.
  • Permanently deleting emails requires you to empty your Deleted Items folder, which cannot be undone.
  • Outlook can automatically empty your Deleted Items folder after a set number of days if you turn on that setting.
  • Deleting emails is different from archiving them — archived emails stay in your account but move out of your inbox.

How to permanently delete emails

Moving an email to Deleted Items does not remove it from your account. To permanently delete it, you must empty your Deleted Items folder. Right-click on the Deleted Items folder in your folder list on the left side of Outlook, then select Empty Folder. Outlook will ask you to confirm — click Yes. Once you confirm, those emails are gone and cannot be recovered.

If you want Outlook to do this automatically, you can set it to empty Deleted Items on a schedule. In Outlook desktop, go to File > Options > Advanced, scroll down to Outlook start and exit, and check the box next to "Empty Deleted Items folder when exiting Outlook." This empties the folder every time you close the program. On Outlook on the web, go to Settings > Mail > Accounts > Forwarding, then look for the Deleted Items section and choose how long to keep deleted emails before they are removed automatically.

Recovering a deleted email

If you deleted an email by mistake, open your Deleted Items folder and look for it there. Right-click the email and select Move > Other Folder, then choose the folder where you want it to go — usually your Inbox. The email returns to that folder.

If you have already emptied your Deleted Items folder, recovery is much harder. In Outlook on the web, go to Settings > Mail > Recovery and look for Recover deleted items. You may be able to restore emails deleted within the last 30 days, depending on your account type. In Outlook desktop, deleted items cannot be recovered once the Deleted Items folder is emptied, so prevention is your best option — do not empty the folder unless you are certain you do not need anything in it.

Deleting emails versus archiving them

Archiving is different from deleting. When you archive an email, it moves out of your inbox and into an Archive folder, but it stays in your account and remains searchable. Deleting removes it from your inbox and puts it in Deleted Items, where it will eventually be permanently removed. Use archiving when you want to keep emails but clear them out of your inbox; use deleting when you do not need the email at all.

To archive an email in Outlook desktop, select it and press the Archive key (usually the Backspace key, or you can customize this in settings). In Outlook on the web, select the email and click the Archive icon — it looks like a box with an arrow. The email moves to your Archive folder, which you can access from your folder list.

Bulk deletion for cleaning up your inbox

If you have hundreds of old emails to delete, selecting them one by one takes too long. Instead, use Outlook's search and filter tools. Click in the search box at the top of your inbox and type a word or phrase — for example, "newsletter" or "promotion" — then press Enter. Outlook shows only emails matching that search. Click the checkbox at the top left to select all results on the current page, then look for an option to select all matching emails (Outlook will ask if you want to select all results across all pages). Once selected, press Delete.

You can also filter by date. Click the View tab, then Filter, and choose a date range. This shows only emails from that period. Select all of them and delete in bulk. Be careful with broad searches — make sure you are not deleting emails you want to keep.

Preventing accidental deletion

Outlook does not have a way to lock individual emails against deletion, but you can use categories and flags to mark important emails so you remember not to delete them. Right-click an email, select Categorize, and choose a color or create a new category called "Keep" or "Important." These emails stand out visually, making it less likely you will delete them by accident.

Another approach is to move important emails to a separate folder that you never clean out. Create a new folder called "Archive — Do Not Delete" and move emails there instead of leaving them in your inbox. This keeps your inbox clean while protecting emails you might need later.

What happens to deleted emails on shared calendars and groups

If you delete an email that was sent to a shared mailbox or a Microsoft 365 group, the deletion may affect other people who have access to that mailbox. In a shared mailbox, deleting an email removes it for everyone. In a group, deleting a conversation removes it from your view but may still be visible to others depending on group settings.

If you are unsure whether an email is shared, check the "To" line — if it shows a group name or shared mailbox address instead of individual names, other people may be affected by your deletion. Before you delete from a shared space, consider whether the email contains information others might need later.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I undo a delete if I already closed Outlook?

If you closed Outlook without emptying your Deleted Items folder, the email is still there. Open Outlook again, go to your Deleted Items folder, find the email, and move it back to your inbox. If you emptied the folder before closing, the email cannot be recovered in Outlook desktop. On Outlook on the web, you may be able to recover it within 30 days using the Recovery tool.

Why does my Deleted Items folder keep filling up?

Outlook does not automatically empty your Deleted Items folder — you have to do it manually or set it to empty on exit. If your folder is full, you are not emptying it regularly. Go to your Deleted Items folder, review what is there, and either delete it permanently or move important emails back to your inbox before emptying the folder.

If I delete an email from my phone, does it delete on my computer too?

Yes, if you use the same Outlook account on both devices. Deletion syncs across all your devices, so deleting an email on your phone moves it to Deleted Items on your computer as well. The email stays in Deleted Items until you empty that folder on either device.

Can I delete emails older than a certain date all at once?

Yes. Use the Filter tool under the View tab to show only emails from a specific date range, select all of them, and delete. Be very careful with this — make sure you review what the filter is showing before you delete, because you cannot undo a bulk deletion once you empty your Deleted Items folder.

What is the difference between Delete and Junk?

Deleting an email moves it to Deleted Items. Marking it as Junk moves it to your Junk folder and trains Outlook to treat similar emails as spam in the future. Use Junk for unwanted marketing emails and scams; use Delete for emails you no longer need but that are not spam.