How to Delete All Your Emails From Outlook at Once

The fastest way to delete all emails in Outlook

You can delete all emails from a folder in Outlook by selecting them all at once, then moving them to Deleted Items. The exact steps depend on whether you use Outlook on the web, Outlook desktop for Windows, or Outlook for Mac — but all three follow the same basic pattern: select all, delete, and confirm.

The important thing to know upfront: deleting emails from Deleted Items is permanent. Outlook keeps them in that folder for 30 days before they disappear entirely, but once you empty the Deleted Items folder itself, they cannot be recovered through Outlook. If you think you might need any of these emails later, move them to a folder or export them first.

Key Takeaways

In Outlook on the web, click the checkbox at the top of your inbox to select all visible emails, then click Delete — but this only selects what is currently shown on screen, not all emails in the folder.
In Outlook desktop (Windows), use Ctrl+A to select all emails in a folder, then press Delete to move them to Deleted Items.
Emails in Deleted Items stay there for 30 days before Outlook removes them permanently; you can recover them during that window by moving them back to another folder.
To delete emails permanently without waiting, right-click Deleted Items and choose Empty Folder, but this action cannot be undone.
If you want to keep some emails, use search or filters to select only the ones you want to remove instead of deleting everything.

Deleting all emails in Outlook on the web

Open Outlook.com or your organization's Outlook web portal in a browser. Click on the folder you want to empty — usually Inbox — and look for a checkbox at the very top left of the email list, above the first email. Click that checkbox to select all emails currently visible on the screen.

Once the checkbox is checked, a banner appears above your emails saying something like "All [number] items in this folder are selected." Click the Delete button (usually a trash icon) in the toolbar. The emails move to Deleted Items.

Here is the catch: if you have hundreds of emails, Outlook on the web may not show them all on one screen. Selecting the checkbox only marks the ones you can see. To delete truly everything, you may need to scroll to the bottom, select all again, delete, then repeat until the folder is empty. Alternatively, use the search box to find all emails by typing a wildcard like * or just leaving the search blank, then select all results and delete them together.

Deleting all emails in Outlook desktop for Windows

Open Outlook and click on the folder you want to empty. Press Ctrl+A on your keyboard to select every email in that folder at once. Unlike the web version, this selects all emails in the folder, not just the ones on screen.

Press Delete or right-click and choose Delete. The emails move to Deleted Items. If you want to delete them permanently right away instead of waiting 30 days, go to Deleted Items, select all emails there with Ctrl+A, then right-click and choose Empty Folder. Outlook will ask you to confirm; click Yes. This action cannot be undone.

Deleting all emails in Outlook for Mac

Open Outlook and click the folder you want to empty in the left sidebar. Press Command+A to select all emails in that folder. Click the Delete button in the toolbar or press the Delete key. The emails move to Deleted Items.

To permanently delete them, click Deleted Items in the sidebar, select all with Command+A, then right-click and choose Delete Permanently. Confirm when Outlook asks. On Mac, this empties the folder immediately rather than waiting 30 days.

Recovering emails after you delete them

If you deleted emails by mistake, you have 30 days to recover them in Outlook on the web and Outlook for Windows. Click Deleted Items in your folder list. Find the emails you want to keep, select them, right-click, and choose Move. Pick the folder where you want them to go — usually Inbox or a custom folder.

If you already emptied Deleted Items, recovery is not possible through Outlook itself. Some organizations back up email servers and may be able to restore deleted messages, but this varies by your email provider or company IT department. Contact your email provider or IT support to ask whether a backup exists.

Deleting only certain emails instead of everything

If you want to keep some emails but delete others, use Outlook's search or filter features instead of selecting all. Click the search box at the top of your email list and type what you are looking for — a sender's name, a date range, a subject word, or anything else that describes the emails you want to remove.

For example, typing "before:2020" in Outlook on the web shows only emails from before 2020. Typing a sender's name shows only emails from that person. Once the search results appear, select all of them with Ctrl+A (Windows) or Command+A (Mac), then delete. This way you delete only what you searched for, leaving everything else untouched.

Why you might want to delete emails in bulk

Large inboxes slow down Outlook, especially on older computers or slower internet connections. Deleting old emails frees up storage space — useful if your email account has a storage limit — and makes it easier to find current messages. Some people delete emails to reduce clutter; others do it for privacy reasons, removing old messages they no longer need.

Before you delete everything, think about what you might need later. Tax documents, receipts, confirmations, and important conversations are often worth keeping. Consider moving those to a separate folder or exporting them to a file before you delete the rest.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I undo deleting all my emails?

Yes, for 30 days. Go to Deleted Items, find your emails, select them, and move them back to another folder. After 30 days, Outlook removes them permanently and you cannot recover them through Outlook. Some organizations may have server backups, so contact your email provider or IT support to ask.

Will deleting emails free up storage space on my computer?

Deleting emails frees up space in your email account's storage limit, not your computer's hard drive. If you use Outlook desktop with a local data file (.pst), deleting emails does free up space on your computer, but you have to empty Deleted Items first. Outlook on the web only affects your email account's storage.

What happens if I delete emails from a shared mailbox or folder?

Shared mailboxes and folders work the same way — deleted emails go to Deleted Items and stay there for 30 days. Other people with access to that mailbox can also see and recover deleted emails during that window. If you delete something by mistake in a shared folder, ask another person with access to recover it from Deleted Items.

Can I delete emails automatically on a schedule?

Outlook does not have a built-in feature to delete emails automatically on a schedule. You can create rules to move old emails to a folder automatically, but you still have to delete them manually. Some third-party tools claim to do this, but they require giving them access to your email account, which carries security risks.

Does deleting emails from Outlook delete them from my phone too?

Yes, if your phone is set up to sync with Outlook. Deleting an email on your computer removes it from Deleted Items on your phone as well. The sync happens automatically when your phone connects to the internet. If you want to keep emails on your phone but delete them from your computer, move them to a folder instead of deleting them.

This guide is for general information only and is not medical, financial, legal, or other professional advice. For decisions specific to your situation, consult a qualified professional. See our Editorial Policy.