The fastest way to delete many emails at once
You can select and delete multiple emails in Outlook by clicking the checkbox next to the first email, then holding Shift and clicking the checkbox next to the last email in the group you want to delete. This selects everything in between. Once selected, press the Delete key or click the trash icon. The emails move to your Deleted Items folder, where they stay for 30 days before Outlook removes them permanently.
If the emails you want to delete are not next to each other, use Ctrl+Click instead. Click the checkbox next to the first email, then hold Ctrl (or Cmd on Mac) and click the checkbox next to each additional email you want to remove. This lets you pick and choose across your inbox without selecting the ones in between.
Both methods work the same way whether you are using Outlook on your computer, Outlook on the web, or Outlook on your phone — the steps are nearly identical.
Key Takeaways
- Use Shift+click to select a range of emails, or Ctrl+click to select individual emails scattered throughout your inbox.
- Deleted emails go to your Deleted Items folder and stay there for 30 days before permanent removal.
- You can search for emails by sender, subject, or date first, then select and delete the results as a group.
- Permanently deleting emails from the Deleted Items folder requires a second action — they do not disappear after one delete.
Selecting emails by range with Shift+click
Open Outlook and navigate to the folder containing the emails you want to delete — usually your Inbox. Look at the left side of each email row; you will see a small checkbox. Click the checkbox next to the first email in the group you want to remove.
Now hold down the Shift key on your keyboard and click the checkbox next to the last email in the range. Outlook highlights all the emails between the first and last one you clicked. You can see how many are selected in the toolbar at the top — it usually says something like "5 selected" or "12 selected".
Once you have selected the range, press the Delete key on your keyboard, or look for the trash icon in the toolbar and click it. The emails disappear from your inbox and move to Deleted Items.
Selecting scattered emails with Ctrl+click
If the emails you want to delete are spread throughout your inbox rather than grouped together, use Ctrl+click (or Cmd+click on Mac) instead of Shift+click. Click the checkbox next to the first email you want to remove, then hold Ctrl and click the checkbox next to the next email, and so on.
Each email you Ctrl+click gets added to your selection without selecting the ones in between. This is useful when you are deleting emails from different senders or dates that happen to be scattered in your inbox. The selection count at the top updates as you add each email.
When you have selected all the emails you want, press Delete or click the trash icon. They move to Deleted Items the same way as a range selection.
Using search to find and delete emails by topic
If you want to delete many emails from the same sender or with the same subject line, search for them first. This groups them together so you can select and delete them all at once without scrolling.
Click the search box at the top of Outlook and type what you are looking for — a sender's name, a subject line, or a word that appears in the emails. Press Enter. Outlook shows only the emails that match your search. Now click the checkbox at the very top left of the email list (above all the individual checkboxes). This selects every email in your search results.
Press Delete or click the trash icon. All the search results move to Deleted Items. This method is especially useful when you want to remove all emails from a particular sender or all messages with a certain word in the subject line.
Permanently removing emails from Deleted Items
When you delete an email, it does not disappear forever — it moves to your Deleted Items folder. Outlook keeps emails there for 30 days, then removes them automatically. If you want to delete them sooner, you can empty the Deleted Items folder yourself.
Open your Deleted Items folder by clicking it in the left sidebar. Select the emails you want to remove permanently using the same Shift+click or Ctrl+click methods described above. Right-click on one of the selected emails and choose "Delete" or "Permanently Delete" from the menu. The emails are now gone and cannot be recovered.
If you want to empty the entire Deleted Items folder at once, right-click on the Deleted Items folder itself in the left sidebar and look for an option like "Empty Folder" or "Purge". This removes everything in that folder permanently.
What happens when you delete emails on different devices
If you use Outlook on your computer, on the web, and on your phone, deleting an email on one device removes it from all of them. This is because Outlook syncs your folders across devices. When you delete an email on your phone, it moves to Deleted Items on your computer and in the web version too.
The 30-day hold in Deleted Items also applies across all devices. If you empty Deleted Items on your computer, those emails are gone from your phone and web version as well. This means you do not have to delete emails separately on each device — one deletion takes care of all of them.
Avoiding accidental deletion
Because deleted emails stay in Deleted Items for 30 days, you have time to recover them if you delete something by mistake. Open your Deleted Items folder, find the email you want to keep, right-click it, and choose "Move" or "Restore". Select the folder where you want it to go — usually your Inbox — and it returns to that folder.
If you permanently delete an email from Deleted Items, you cannot get it back. For this reason, take a moment to review your selection before pressing Delete, especially when selecting a large range of emails with Shift+click. It only takes a few seconds to make sure you are not removing something you need.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I undo a delete if I already emptied Deleted Items?
No. Once you permanently delete an email from Deleted Items, Outlook cannot recover it. However, if you deleted an email but have not yet emptied Deleted Items, you can still restore it. Open Deleted Items, find the email, and move it back to your Inbox or another folder.
What is the difference between Delete and Permanent Delete?
Delete moves an email to your Deleted Items folder, where it stays for 30 days. Permanent Delete (or Purge) removes it from Deleted Items when ready and cannot be undone. Use regular Delete unless you are certain you will never need the email again.
Can I select all emails in my inbox at once?
Yes. Click the checkbox at the very top left of your email list, above all the individual email checkboxes. This selects every email currently visible. If you have more emails than fit on the screen, Outlook asks if you want to select all emails in the folder or just the ones showing.
Do deleted emails take up storage space while in Deleted Items?
Yes. Emails in Deleted Items count toward your Outlook storage limit. If you are running low on storage, emptying Deleted Items frees up space. You can check your storage usage in Outlook settings under Account or File.
Will deleting emails from Outlook delete them from my phone too?
Yes, if your phone is synced to the same Outlook account. Deleting an email on your computer removes it from your phone and web version as well. The 30-day Deleted Items hold applies across all devices.