The fastest way to delete an email in Outlook

To delete a single email, click it once to select it, then press the Delete key on your keyboard. The email moves to your Deleted Items folder. If you want to remove it permanently instead of moving it there first, select the email and press Shift + Delete — this bypasses the Deleted Items folder and erases it right away.

On the web version of Outlook (outlook.com or outlook.office.com), click the email to open it, then click the trash icon at the top of the message. The trash icon looks like a small bin. If you are in your inbox list view, you can hover over an email and a trash icon appears on the right side — click that instead.

On Outlook mobile apps for iPhone or Android, swipe left on the email (iPhone) or swipe right (Android) to reveal the delete button, then tap it. Some phones let you tap and hold an email to bring up a menu with a delete option.

Key Takeaways

  • Press Delete to move an email to Deleted Items, or Shift + Delete to erase it permanently without moving it first.
  • Deleted Items folder holds emails for 30 days before Outlook removes them automatically, giving you time to recover a message you deleted by mistake.
  • You can select multiple emails at once by clicking the first one, holding Shift, and clicking the last one, then delete them all together.
  • Permanently emptying your Deleted Items folder removes those emails from your account entirely and cannot be undone.

Deleting multiple emails at once

To delete several emails in one action, select them first. Click the first email, then hold Shift and click the last email in the group you want to delete — this selects everything between them. If the emails are not next to each other, click the first one, then hold Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac) and click each additional email you want to delete.

Once you have selected multiple emails, press Delete or click the trash icon. All selected emails move to Deleted Items at the same time. This is much faster than deleting them one by one, especially if you are cleaning out a folder with dozens of old messages.

On Outlook web, you can also click the checkbox next to each email to select it, or click the checkbox at the top of the list to select all visible emails on that page. Then click the trash icon to delete them.

Understanding the Deleted Items folder and permanent deletion

When you delete an email, it does not leave your account when ready. Instead, it goes to your Deleted Items folder, where it stays for 30 days. During that time, you can recover it if you change your mind. After 30 days, Outlook removes it automatically.

If you want to delete something permanently before those 30 days are up, open your Deleted Items folder, select the email or emails, and press Shift + Delete. This removes them from Outlook entirely. Once you do this, you cannot get them back — Outlook does not keep a recovery copy after permanent deletion.

To empty your entire Deleted Items folder at once, right-click the folder name in your folder list and select "Empty Folder" (Outlook desktop) or click the folder, then click the trash icon and confirm (Outlook web). This action cannot be undone, so make sure you do not need anything in that folder before you do it.

Deleting emails on Outlook desktop versus web

Outlook desktop (the program you install on your computer) and Outlook web (the version you use in a browser) work slightly differently. On desktop, you see your folders in a list on the left side, and you can drag emails between folders or press Delete to move them. On web, you click the trash icon or use keyboard shortcuts.

Both versions send deleted emails to the same Deleted Items folder, so if you delete something on desktop, you can recover it from the web version and vice versa. The 30-day recovery window applies to both. The main difference is that desktop Outlook lets you use keyboard shortcuts more easily, while web Outlook relies more on clicking buttons.

Recovering a deleted email

If you deleted an email by mistake and want it back, open your Deleted Items folder. In Outlook desktop, click "Deleted Items" in your folder list on the left. In Outlook web, click the folder icon, then click "Deleted Items" from the list. Find the email you want to recover.

Right-click the email (desktop) or click the three dots next to it (web) and select "Move" or "Move to folder". Choose the folder where you want it to go — usually your Inbox. The email moves back to that folder and is no longer in Deleted Items.

If you permanently deleted an email using Shift + Delete and it has been more than a few days, recovery becomes much harder. Outlook may still have a copy in a backup, but you would need to contact your email provider's support team to ask. For work email through Outlook at a company, your IT department might be able to help.

Organizing your inbox by deleting old messages

Deleting old emails is one way to keep your inbox manageable, but it is not always the best approach. Before you delete something, consider whether you might need it later. Receipts, confirmations, and important documents are usually worth keeping, even if they are old.

A better strategy is to move old emails to a folder instead of deleting them. Create a folder for each year or project, then move emails there rather than deleting them. This keeps your inbox clean without losing information. You can also use Outlook's search feature to find old emails quickly if you need them later.

If you do decide to delete, start with obvious candidates: promotional emails, newsletters you no longer read, and duplicate messages. These are unlikely to matter later and free up space in your account. Leave everything else until you are sure you will not need it.

Frequently Asked Questions

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

Once you empty Deleted Items, the emails are gone from your account and cannot be recovered through Outlook itself. If your email is through a work account, your IT department may have server backups they can restore from, but this is not may provide. For personal email accounts, the email is permanently lost.

Why is my deleted email still showing up in search results?

Outlook's search sometimes includes deleted emails that are still in your Deleted Items folder, even though they do not appear in your inbox. This is normal. Once the 30-day recovery period ends and Outlook removes them automatically, they will stop appearing in search results.

Does deleting an email free up storage space in my account?

Moving an email to Deleted Items does not free up space until Outlook removes it after 30 days. If you need to free up space when ready, permanently delete the email using Shift + Delete instead. This removes it from your account right away and makes room for new emails.

What happens if I delete an email that was forwarded to me?

Deleting an email only removes your copy. The person who sent it still has theirs, and anyone else it was forwarded to still has their copy. Deleting does not affect anyone else's account, only yours.

Can I set Outlook to automatically delete old emails?

Outlook does not have a built-in auto-delete feature for old emails, but you can use rules to automatically move old messages to a folder instead. In Outlook desktop, go to File > Manage Rules & Alerts to set this up. For Outlook web, the option is under Settings > Mail > Rules. Moving emails is safer than deleting them because you can still find them later if you need them.