The fastest way to delete an email depends on which service you use

In Gmail, click the email to open it, then click the trash icon at the top of the message. If you want to delete without opening, check the box next to the email in your inbox and click the trash icon that appears above the list. In Outlook on the web, right-click the email and select "Delete", or select it and press the Delete key on your keyboard. In Apple Mail on Mac, select the email and press Command+Delete, or drag it to the Trash folder in the sidebar.

All three services move deleted emails to a trash or deleted items folder first — they don't vanish when ready. You can recover a deleted email from that folder for 30 days in Gmail, 93 days in Outlook, and until you empty the Trash in Apple Mail. After that window closes, the email is gone for good.

Key Takeaways

  • Gmail, Outlook, and Apple Mail all use a trash folder, so deleted emails stay recoverable for 30 to 93 days depending on your service.
  • You can delete a single email by opening it and clicking the trash icon, or delete multiple emails at once by checking boxes and using the delete button.
  • Permanently deleting an email requires emptying your trash folder, which cannot be undone.
  • Unsubscribing from a mailing list is faster than deleting emails one at a time if you want to stop receiving messages from a sender.

Deleting one email at a time in Gmail

Open the email by clicking on it in your inbox. At the top of the message, you will see a row of icons. The trash icon looks like a small garbage can and is usually on the right side of that row. Click it once. The email moves to your Trash folder when ready, and Gmail shows you a confirmation message at the bottom of the screen.

If you change your mind within a few seconds, click "Undo" in that confirmation message and the email returns to your inbox. If you wait longer than that, you can still recover it by opening the Trash folder (click the three horizontal lines on the left sidebar, scroll down, and select "Trash"), finding the email, opening it, and clicking the trash icon again — this time it will ask if you want to restore it to your inbox.

Deleting multiple emails at once in Gmail

In your Gmail inbox, check the small box to the left of each email you want to delete. You can check as many as you want. Once you have selected them, a trash icon appears above the email list. Click it, and all selected emails move to Trash at once.

If you want to select all emails on the current page, click the checkbox at the very top left of the email list (above the first email). A menu appears asking if you want to select all emails on this page or all emails that match your current search. Choose whichever applies. Then click the trash icon to delete them all.

Deleting emails in Outlook on the web

Open Outlook in your web browser and sign in to your account. Find the email you want to delete in your inbox. Right-click on it and select "Delete" from the menu that appears. The email moves to your Deleted Items folder.

To delete multiple emails, click the checkbox next to each one, or click the checkbox at the top to select all emails on the current page. Then click the "Delete" button in the toolbar above the email list. You can also select an email and press the Delete key on your keyboard to delete it when ready.

Deleting emails in Apple Mail on Mac

Open Apple Mail and find the email in your inbox. Click on it once to select it, then press Command+Delete on your keyboard. The email moves to the Trash folder. You can also right-click the email and select "Delete" from the menu, or drag the email directly to the Trash folder shown in the sidebar on the left.

To delete multiple emails, hold down the Command key and click each email you want to delete, then press Command+Delete. All selected emails move to Trash at once. If you want to select a range of emails, click the first one, hold Shift, and click the last one — all emails between them will be selected.

Permanently deleting emails so they cannot be recovered

Deleting an email to the trash folder is not permanent. To remove it completely, you must empty your trash. In Gmail, open the Trash folder, click "Empty Trash" at the top, and confirm. In Outlook, open Deleted Items, click "Empty Folder" at the top, and confirm. In Apple Mail, right-click the Trash folder in the sidebar and select "Empty Trash".

Once you empty trash, those emails are gone and cannot be recovered. Do not empty trash unless you are certain you will not need those emails again. If you are unsure about a particular email, recover it to your inbox first by opening it in the trash folder and clicking restore or moving it back manually.

Unsubscribing instead of deleting when you get repeated emails from the same sender

If you receive many emails from the same company or mailing list and want them to stop, deleting each one individually is slow. Instead, look for an "Unsubscribe" link at the bottom of the email. Click it, and you will be removed from that mailing list. Future emails from that sender will not arrive in your inbox.

In Gmail, you can also hover over the sender's name at the top of the email and click "Unsubscribe" if the option appears. In Outlook, right-click the sender and select "Unsubscribe" or "Junk" to move future emails from that sender to your junk folder automatically. Unsubscribing is much faster than deleting dozens of emails from the same source.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I recover an email after I empty the trash?

No. Once you empty your trash folder, the email is permanently deleted and cannot be recovered through your email service. If you need the email back, your only option is to contact the sender and ask them to resend it.

What happens if I delete an email by mistake?

Open your Trash or Deleted Items folder, find the email, and restore it to your inbox. In Gmail, open the email and click the restore icon. In Outlook, right-click the email and select "Move" to choose a folder. In Apple Mail, drag the email back to your inbox. You have 30 days in Gmail, 93 days in Outlook, and until you empty Trash in Apple Mail.

Does deleting an email delete it from the sender's inbox too?

No. Deleting an email only removes it from your own account. The sender still has a copy in their inbox unless they delete it themselves. Deleting does not affect anyone else's email account.

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

Yes. In Gmail, use the search box and type "before:2024/01/01" to find all emails before that date, then select and delete them. In Outlook, use the search box with filters to narrow by date. In Apple Mail, you can search by date and select multiple results. Check your service's search help for the exact syntax.