How to Delete an Email in Outlook: A Complete Guide

Deleting emails in Microsoft Outlook sounds simple — and often it is. But depending on which version of Outlook you're using, which device you're on, and whether you want to delete one message or thousands, the process and its consequences can look very different. Here's what you actually need to know.

The Basics: What Happens When You Delete an Email in Outlook

When you delete an email in Outlook, it doesn't immediately disappear forever. By default, Outlook moves deleted messages to the Deleted Items folder (sometimes labeled Trash in newer versions). Think of this as a safety net — the email is out of your inbox but still recoverable.

This two-stage deletion process applies whether you're using:

• Outlook desktop app (Microsoft 365, Outlook 2019, 2021)
• Outlook on the web (outlook.com or your organization's webmail)
• Outlook mobile app (iOS or Android)

The email only gets permanently removed when you empty the Deleted Items folder — or when your email administrator's retention policies kick in automatically.

How to Delete a Single Email

In the Outlook Desktop App

1. Click the email you want to delete to select it
2. Press the Delete key on your keyboard, or click the Delete button in the toolbar, or right-click and choose Delete
3. The message moves to your Deleted Items folder

To skip Deleted Items and delete permanently in one step, select the email and press Shift + Delete. Outlook will warn you before doing this — the message won't be recoverable from your trash.

In Outlook on the Web

1. Hover over the email — a trash icon appears
2. Click the trash icon, or right-click the message and select Delete
3. The email moves to Deleted Items

In the Outlook Mobile App

Swipe left on the email (on iOS) or swipe right (on Android, depending on your swipe settings) to reveal the delete option. You can also tap and hold to select the email, then tap the trash icon.

How to Delete Multiple Emails at Once 🗑️

Bulk deletion saves significant time when you're clearing out a cluttered inbox.

Desktop app:

• Hold Ctrl and click individual emails to select multiple non-consecutive messages, then press Delete
• Hold Shift and click to select a range of consecutive emails
• Press Ctrl + A to select all emails in the current folder, then press Delete

Outlook on the web:

• Check the checkbox that appears when you hover over an email, then check additional messages
• Use Select All at the top of the message list to select everything visible in a folder

Mobile:

• Tap and hold one email to enter selection mode, then tap additional emails to add them to the selection

How to Permanently Delete Emails (Empty Deleted Items)

Moving emails to Deleted Items only goes so far — the folder can grow large and still consumes storage on your mailbox.

To empty the entire Deleted Items folder:

• Desktop: Right-click Deleted Items in the folder pane → select Empty Folder
• Web: Right-click Deleted Items → Empty folder
• Mobile: Tap and hold the Deleted Items folder → Empty folder (option varies by platform)

You can also configure Outlook desktop to automatically empty Deleted Items when you close Outlook: go to File → Options → Advanced and check the option under the Outlook Start and Exit section.

Recovering a Deleted Email

If you deleted something by accident, you have options — but a time limit.

From Deleted Items: Simply open the folder, find the email, and move it back to your inbox or another folder.

Recover Items Deleted from This Folder: Even after emptying Deleted Items, Outlook often retains a recoverable copy in a hidden "dumpster" layer. In the desktop app, go to the Deleted Items folder and click Recover Items Deleted from This Folder (under the Folder tab in the ribbon). In Outlook on the web, look for the Recover deleted messages link at the bottom of the Deleted Items folder.

⚠️ How long emails remain recoverable depends on your email account type. Microsoft 365 accounts typically retain deleted items for 14–30 days by default, though administrators can adjust this. Personal Outlook.com accounts follow Microsoft's own retention schedule.

Key Variables That Affect Your Experience

Not every delete works the same way. Several factors change what you can and can't do:

Deleting Emails vs. Archiving Them

Deletion and archiving are often confused. Archiving moves an email out of your inbox into an Archive folder (or a local .pst file), where it's kept indefinitely but out of the way. Deleting marks it for removal.

If you're clearing space but worried about losing something important, archiving preserves the email without keeping it in active rotation. Outlook's Archive button (the box-with-arrow icon) does this in one click on both desktop and web versions.

How Your Setup Changes What "Delete" Actually Means

For a home user on Outlook.com deleting a newsletter, the whole process is frictionless and low-stakes. For someone on a corporate Microsoft 365 account, IT policies may mean deleted emails are retained on Microsoft's servers for compliance purposes regardless of what their local Deleted Items folder shows. For someone using Outlook with a third-party IMAP account (like Gmail configured through IMAP), "delete" may behave differently still — some IMAP setups archive to an All Mail folder rather than deleting.

The mechanics of pressing Delete are identical across most scenarios. What happens behind the scenes — whether the message is truly gone, for how long it's recoverable, and where it lives in the meantime — depends entirely on your account configuration, your organization's settings, and the email protocol your account uses.