The basic way to delete a single email
To delete one email, open it and look for a trash, delete, or bin icon — usually near the top of the message. Click it. The email moves to your Trash or Deleted Items folder, where it typically stays for 30 days before your email provider removes it permanently.
If you cannot see a delete button, try right-clicking the email. A menu should appear with a delete option. On a phone or tablet, swipe left or right on the email (depending on your app), and a delete button usually appears.
The exact location and appearance of the delete button varies by email provider. Gmail shows a trash icon at the top. Outlook displays a trash icon or a "Delete" label. Yahoo Mail has a trash icon in the toolbar. Apple Mail on a Mac shows a trash icon in the toolbar; on iPhone, swipe left on the email in the list.
Key Takeaways
- Single emails delete to a Trash or Deleted Items folder first and stay there for about 30 days before permanent removal.
- To delete many emails at once, select them by checking boxes or using keyboard shortcuts, then click delete once.
- Permanently deleting from Trash requires a second action — usually "Empty Trash" or "Permanently Delete" — and cannot be undone.
- Deleting email from your inbox does not delete it from your email account; you must also empty the Trash folder to remove it entirely.
- Different email providers store deleted mail for different lengths of time, ranging from 30 to 90 days, before automatic permanent removal.
Deleting multiple emails at once
Selecting and deleting many emails together is faster than deleting one at a time. In your inbox, look for small checkboxes next to each email. Click the checkbox next to the first email you want to delete, then hold Shift and click the checkbox next to the last email in the range. All emails between them are now selected. Click the delete button once to remove them all.
If the emails are not in a row, click individual checkboxes while holding Ctrl (on Windows) or Command (on Mac) to select them one by one, then delete. On a phone, tap and hold one email until it highlights, then tap other emails to add them to the selection, and tap delete.
Many email providers also let you select all emails on the current page or in the current folder. Look for a checkbox at the top of the email list — clicking it selects every email visible. Be careful with this option; it selects only what you see on screen, not your entire inbox.
The difference between deleting and permanently deleting
When you click delete, your email moves to a Trash, Deleted Items, or Bin folder — it is not gone yet. To remove it permanently, you must open that folder and delete it again. Look for an option called "Empty Trash," "Empty Deleted Items," or "Permanently Delete." Clicking this removes the emails for good and cannot be undone.
Gmail keeps deleted emails in Trash for 30 days, then removes them automatically. Outlook keeps them for 30 days. Yahoo Mail keeps them for 7 days. Apple Mail behavior depends on your settings and whether you use iCloud Mail. If you want to keep an email but do not want to see it, move it to a folder instead of deleting it — this keeps the email in your account without removing it.
Some email providers let you recover permanently deleted emails for a short time if you contact support, but this is not may provide. Once you empty Trash, assume the email is gone.
Deleting email from your phone or tablet
On an iPhone using Apple Mail, open your inbox, tap "Edit" in the top left, then tap the circle next to each email you want to delete. Tap "Delete" at the bottom right. The emails move to Trash. To permanently remove them, open the Trash folder, tap "Edit," select the emails, and tap "Delete" again.
On Android using Gmail, open the app, tap and hold an email until it highlights, then tap other emails to select more. Tap the trash icon at the top. The emails move to Trash. To empty Trash, open the menu (three horizontal lines), tap "Trash," tap the three dots at the top right, and select "Empty Trash."
On Android using Outlook, swipe left on an email to reveal the delete button, or select multiple emails by tapping the circles next to them, then tap the trash icon. To permanently delete, open the Deleted Items folder, select the emails, and tap delete again.
Deleting email from a web browser
Open your email account in a web browser and log in. In Gmail, click the checkbox next to an email or multiple emails, then click the trash icon at the top. To empty Trash, click "Trash" in the left sidebar, select all emails (or individual ones), and click "Delete Forever."
In Outlook on the web, click the checkbox next to emails, then click the trash icon or select "Delete" from the toolbar. To permanently delete, click "Deleted Items" in the left sidebar, select emails, and click "Delete" again. In Yahoo Mail, click checkboxes next to emails, then click "Delete." To empty Trash, click "Trash" in the left sidebar and click "Empty Trash."
If you use Apple Mail through iCloud.com, click an email to open it, then click the trash icon at the top. To empty Trash, click "Trash" in the left sidebar, click "Edit" in the top right, select all emails, and click "Delete."
Organizing instead of deleting
Deleting is permanent (after you empty Trash), so consider whether you might need the email later. If you want to keep emails but remove them from your inbox, create folders and move emails there instead. In Gmail, create a label by clicking the label icon on an email and selecting "Create New." In Outlook, right-click in the left sidebar and select "New Folder." In Yahoo Mail, click the folder icon and select "Create Folder."
You can also use filters or rules to automatically sort incoming mail. In Gmail, open an email, click the three dots at the top right, select "Filter messages like this," and choose a label to apply automatically. In Outlook, click the three dots on an email, select "Create Rule," and choose a folder to move matching emails to. This keeps your inbox clean without losing emails you might need.
What happens to attachments when you delete email
When you delete an email with an attachment, the attachment is deleted along with it. If you need the file but not the email, download the attachment first, then delete the email. Open the email, right-click the attachment, and select "Download" or "Save." The file saves to your computer or phone.
If you have already deleted the email and emptied Trash, the attachment is gone. Some email providers let you search for attachments by filename even after the email is deleted, but this depends on your provider and whether the email is still in Trash. If the attachment is important, recover it from your computer's backup or cloud storage if you have one.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I undo a delete if I already emptied Trash?
No. Once you empty Trash or Deleted Items, the email is permanently removed and cannot be recovered through your email account. If you need the email, check your computer's backup or cloud storage. Some email providers may recover emails if you contact support within a few days, but this is not may provide.
Does deleting email free up storage space?
Deleting moves the email to Trash, which still counts toward your storage limit. You must empty Trash to free up space. Once Trash is empty, the storage is released. If you are running out of space, empty Trash first, then delete large emails or attachments from your inbox.
What if I delete an email by mistake?
Check your Trash or Deleted Items folder immediately. Open it, find the email, right-click it, and select "Restore" or "Move to Inbox." This works as long as the email is still in Trash and you have not emptied it. If Trash is already empty, recovery is unlikely.
Do I need to delete emails to keep my account secure?
Deleting old emails does not make your account more secure. Security depends on your password strength and whether you use two-factor authentication. Deleting emails is mainly about organization and freeing storage space. If an email contains sensitive information, delete it, but this is about privacy, not account security.
Will the person I emailed know if I delete their message?
No. Deleting an email from your inbox does not notify the sender or affect their copy of the email. They still have the message in their sent folder. Deleting is only visible to you.