The fastest way depends on your email provider
Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, and Apple Mail all let you delete large batches of emails, but the steps are different for each one. The method also depends on whether you want to delete everything or just emails matching certain words, dates, or senders. Most providers let you select hundreds or thousands of emails at once without doing them one by one.
Before you delete anything, understand that deletion is usually permanent after 30 days. Gmail, Outlook, and Yahoo move deleted emails to a Trash or Deleted Items folder first, where they stay for about 30 days before the provider permanently removes them. If you change your mind within that window, you can restore them. After 30 days, they are gone.
Key Takeaways
- Gmail, Outlook, and Yahoo all have a "select all" option that lets you mark hundreds of emails at once without clicking each one individually.
- Deleted emails sit in Trash or Deleted Items for roughly 30 days before permanent removal, giving you time to restore them if you change your mind.
- You can narrow down what you delete by searching for a sender, subject word, or date range before selecting all results.
- Permanently emptying your Trash or Deleted Items folder is a separate step — deleting emails does not automatically empty it.
- If you use email on your phone or computer through an app, deleting from the app may not delete from the provider's server, so use the website instead.
How to delete all emails in Gmail
Go to Gmail.com and sign in. In the search box at the top, type in:anywhere to find every email in your account. Hit Enter. A list of all your emails will appear, starting with the newest.
At the top left of the email list, you will see a checkbox. Click it. A popup will appear asking if you want to select all conversations. Click Select all conversations that match this search. Gmail will now mark every email in your account. At the top of the page, click the trash icon (or the three dots menu and choose Delete). All selected emails move to Trash.
To permanently remove them, click Trash in the left sidebar. At the top, click Delete forever. Gmail will ask you to confirm. Click Delete forever again. Your emails are now permanently gone.
If you only want to delete emails from a certain time period or sender, modify your search before selecting all. For example, type from:sender@example.com before:2020/01/01 to delete only emails from that sender before January 1, 2020. Then follow the same selection and deletion steps.
How to delete all emails in Outlook (Microsoft)
Go to Outlook.com and sign in. Click the search box at the top and type a search that captures what you want to delete. To delete everything, search for is:anywhere. Press Enter.
At the top left of your email list, click the checkbox to select all visible emails. A menu will appear. Click Select all (or Select all items in this view). Outlook will mark every email matching your search. Click the trash icon at the top of the page. The emails move to your Deleted Items folder.
To permanently remove them, click Deleted Items in the left sidebar. At the top, click Empty Deleted Items. Outlook will ask you to confirm. Click Empty. Your emails are permanently deleted.
Outlook also lets you set an automatic cleanup: go to Settings (gear icon) > View all Outlook settings > Mail > Automatic processing. You can choose to empty Deleted Items automatically after 30 days.
How to delete all emails in Yahoo Mail
Go to Mail.Yahoo.com and sign in. Click the search box and type your search. To delete all emails, search for * (a single asterisk). Press Enter.
At the top left, click the checkbox next to From to select all emails on the current page. A dropdown menu will appear. Click Select all messages on all pages. Yahoo will mark every email matching your search. Click the trash icon at the top. The emails move to Trash.
To permanently delete them, click Trash in the left sidebar. At the top right, click Empty Trash. Yahoo will ask you to confirm. Click Empty. Your emails are permanently gone.
How to delete all emails in Apple Mail (iCloud)
Go to iCloud.com and sign in. Click Mail. In the search box at the top, search for what you want to delete. To delete all emails, search for *. Press Enter.
Click the first email in the list. Then press Ctrl+A (Windows) or Command+A (Mac) to select all emails matching your search. At the top, click the trash icon. The emails move to Trash.
To permanently remove them, click Trash in the left sidebar. Click Edit at the top right, then Select All. Click the trash icon again. Apple will ask you to confirm. Click Delete. Your emails are permanently deleted.
Why deleting from an app does not always work
If you use Gmail, Outlook, or Yahoo on your phone through the official app or a third-party app like Spark or Thunderbird, deleting emails from the app may not delete them from the provider's server. The app might only hide them from your view. To make sure emails are actually deleted, always use the website version instead.
The same applies if you use email on your computer through Outlook (the desktop program) or Apple Mail (the Mac app). These programs sync with the provider's server, but deletion behavior can vary. If you are unsure whether your deletions stuck, log into the website and check.
What to do if you want to keep some emails
If you only want to delete certain emails and keep others, use your provider's search and filter options before selecting all. You can search by sender name, subject line, date range, or keywords. For example, in Gmail you could search from:newsletter@example.com to delete only emails from a specific sender, or before:2023/01/01 to delete only emails older than January 1, 2023.
Another option is to use labels or folders. In Gmail, you can create a label, move emails into it, then delete only that label. In Outlook, you can move emails to a specific folder and delete that folder. This way you can delete in batches without risking emails you want to keep.
If you receive a lot of unwanted emails from a specific sender, consider unsubscribing or marking them as spam instead of deleting them one by one. Most newsletters have an unsubscribe link at the bottom. Marking emails as spam teaches your provider to filter future emails from that sender automatically.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I recover emails after I empty the trash?
No. Once you empty Trash or Deleted Items, the emails are permanently gone. Your provider keeps them for about 30 days before removing them from their servers entirely. If you think you deleted something by mistake, check your Trash folder when ready — do not empty it until you are sure.
What if I only want to delete emails older than a certain date?
Use your provider's search to narrow down by date before selecting all. In Gmail, search before:2020/01/01. In Outlook, search before:1/1/2020. In Yahoo, use the date filter in the search menu. Select all results, then delete. This way you keep newer emails and only remove old ones.
Will deleting all my emails affect my account?
No. Deleting emails does not close your account, change your password, or affect your ability to send and receive new mail. Your account will work exactly as it did before. You will straightforward have an empty inbox.
How long do emails stay in trash before they are gone forever?
Gmail, Outlook, and Yahoo keep deleted emails in Trash or Deleted Items for about 30 days. Apple Mail keeps them for 30 days as well. After that period, your provider permanently removes them from their servers. The exact number of days can vary slightly by provider.
Can I delete emails on my phone the same way as on a computer?
The steps are similar but may look slightly different on a phone. However, using the website version on your phone's browser is more reliable than using the app, because apps sometimes do not sync deletions properly with the provider's server. Open your email provider's website in your phone's browser and follow the same steps as you would on a computer.