How to Delete Multiple Emails at Once in Outlook

The fastest way to delete many emails at once

You can select and delete multiple emails in Outlook in three ways: by clicking checkboxes next to each message, by using keyboard shortcuts to select a range, or by using the search and filter tools to show only the emails you want to remove, then deleting them all at once. The method you choose depends on whether the emails are grouped together or scattered across different folders and dates.

The checkbox method works best when the emails you want to delete are already visible on your screen. The keyboard shortcut method is fastest when you have a continuous block of emails to remove. The search method is most useful when you're deleting emails by sender, subject line, or date — for instance, all emails from a particular address or all messages from a specific month.

Key Takeaways

Click the checkbox at the top of your email list to select all visible emails on the current page, then click the delete button or press the Delete key.
Use Ctrl+A (Windows) or Command+A (Mac) to select all emails in the current folder, but this only works after you have clicked inside the email list.
Hold Shift and click the first and last email in a range to select everything between them without clicking each one individually.
Use the search box or filter options to narrow down to only the emails you want to delete, then select and remove them all together.
Deleted emails move to your Deleted Items folder first — they do not disappear permanently until you empty that folder.

Selecting emails with checkboxes

Open Outlook and navigate to the folder containing the emails you want to delete. Look at the top of your email list, just above the first message. You will see a small checkbox. Click it, and Outlook will select every email currently visible on your screen. A blue highlight will appear around all selected messages, and a number will show how many you have selected.

Once the emails are selected, click the delete button (usually a trash can icon in the toolbar) or straightforward press the Delete key on your keyboard. The selected emails will move to your Deleted Items folder. If you want to select only some of the visible emails rather than all of them, click the checkbox next to each individual message instead of the checkbox at the top.

Selecting a range of emails with Shift+click

If your emails are listed in order and you want to delete a block of them — say, messages 5 through 15 on the page — use the Shift+click method. Click on the first email in the range you want to delete. Then hold down the Shift key, scroll if needed to see the last email in your range, and click on it. Outlook will highlight all emails between the two clicks.

This method is much faster than clicking each checkbox individually when you have many consecutive emails to remove. After the range is selected, press Delete or click the delete button to move them to Deleted Items.

Selecting all emails in a folder at once

To select every email in the current folder, click anywhere inside the email list to make sure it is active, then press Ctrl+A on Windows or Command+A on Mac. Outlook will select all emails in that folder, even ones you cannot see on the screen. A notification will appear showing the total number selected.

Be careful with this method — it selects everything in the folder, not just what is visible. If you only want to delete some emails, use the checkbox method or the Shift+click method instead. After you confirm the selection is correct, press Delete to move all selected emails to Deleted Items.

Using search and filters to find emails before deleting

When the emails you want to delete are scattered across different dates or folders, searching is faster than scrolling. Click the search box at the top of Outlook and type what you are looking for — a sender's email address, a subject line, or a date range. Outlook will show only the emails that match your search.

Once the search results appear, click the checkbox at the top of the list to select all visible results, then delete them. You can also use Outlook's filter options (usually found near the search box) to narrow results by sender, date, or other criteria. This approach is especially useful when you want to delete all emails from a particular person or all messages from a specific month without touching anything else.

Recovering emails from Deleted Items

When you delete an email, it does not disappear when ready — it moves to your Deleted Items folder. You can still recover it from there if you change your mind. Open your Deleted Items folder, find the email you want to keep, right-click it, and select "Move" to send it back to your Inbox or another folder.

Emails stay in Deleted Items until you empty that folder. In Outlook, you can right-click the Deleted Items folder and select "Empty Folder" to permanently remove everything in it. Some versions of Outlook also have a setting to automatically empty Deleted Items after a certain number of days — check your settings if you want to change this behavior.

What to do if Outlook is slow when deleting large batches

If you are trying to delete thousands of emails at once, Outlook may slow down or freeze temporarily. Instead of selecting everything at once, delete in smaller batches — select 100 to 200 emails, delete them, wait a few seconds, and repeat. This keeps Outlook responsive and prevents the program from becoming unresponsive.

If Outlook freezes while deleting, close the program completely and reopen it. Your emails will still be in Deleted Items, and you can try again with a smaller batch size. If you regularly need to delete large numbers of emails, consider using Outlook's archive feature instead, which moves old emails to a separate file rather than deleting them permanently.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I delete emails from multiple folders at the same time?

No — you can only select and delete emails from one folder at a time. If you need to delete emails from several folders, repeat the process in each folder separately. Using search is faster in this case, because you can search across all folders and delete the results together.

What is the difference between Delete and Shift+Delete?

Pressing Delete moves emails to Deleted Items, where you can still recover them. Pressing Shift+Delete (on Windows) permanently removes them without moving them to Deleted Items first. On Mac, there is no Shift+Delete shortcut — use Delete to move to Deleted Items, then empty that folder to permanently remove them.

Will deleting emails free up space on my computer?

Yes, but only after you empty your Deleted Items folder. straightforward moving emails to Deleted Items does not free up space. Once you empty Deleted Items, the space is recovered. If you use Outlook with an email account like Gmail or Outlook.com, deleting also frees up space on the server.

Can I undo a delete if I already emptied Deleted Items?

Once you empty Deleted Items, recovery is very difficult and depends on your email provider. Some services like Outlook.com keep a recovery option for a short time, but it is not may provide. The safest approach is to check Deleted Items before emptying it and move any emails you might need back to your Inbox first.

How do I delete emails without opening them?

You do not need to open an email to delete it. straightforward click the checkbox next to it in your email list, or use the search method to find emails by sender or subject, then delete them from the list view. This is much faster than opening each email individually.

This guide is for general information only and is not medical, financial, legal, or other professional advice. For decisions specific to your situation, consult a qualified professional. See our Editorial Policy.