The fastest way to delete a single email

Open the email you want to delete and look for the trash or delete icon in the toolbar at the top of the message. In Outlook on the web, it looks like a trash can. Click it once, and the email moves to your Deleted Items folder. On the Outlook desktop app for Windows or Mac, the delete button is also in the top toolbar — same result.

If you are in your inbox or another folder viewing a list of emails, you can select the email by clicking it once, then press the Delete key on your keyboard. This also sends it to Deleted Items. You do not have to open the email first.

Deleted emails stay in your Deleted Items folder for 30 days before Outlook removes them permanently. If you change your mind within that window, you can recover the email by opening Deleted Items, right-clicking the message, and choosing Restore.

Key Takeaways

  • Click the trash icon in the toolbar while viewing an email, or select the email in your list and press Delete.
  • Deleted emails move to Deleted Items and stay there for 30 days before permanent removal.
  • You can recover a deleted email within 30 days by opening Deleted Items and clicking Restore.
  • To delete multiple emails at once, hold Ctrl (or Cmd on Mac) and click each one, then press Delete.
  • Permanently deleting an email from Deleted Items removes it immediately and cannot be undone.

Deleting multiple emails at the same time

If you want to remove several emails in one action, select them all first. Click the first email in your list, then hold Ctrl (on Windows) or Cmd (on Mac) and click each additional email you want to delete. All selected emails will highlight. Once you have chosen them all, press Delete or click the trash icon.

Another way is to click the checkbox next to the first email, then hold Shift and click the checkbox next to the last email in a group. This selects everything in between. Then press Delete. This method works well when the emails you want to remove are grouped together in your list.

Permanently removing emails from Deleted Items

When you delete an email normally, it goes to Deleted Items but is not truly gone. To permanently remove it, open your Deleted Items folder and find the email. Right-click it and choose Delete or Permanently Delete (the exact wording depends on your Outlook version). The email is then removed from your account entirely and cannot be recovered.

If you want to empty your entire Deleted Items folder at once, right-click the Deleted Items folder itself and select Empty Folder. Outlook will ask you to confirm. Once you confirm, all emails in that folder are permanently deleted. This action cannot be undone, so make sure you do not need anything in there first.

Finding your Deleted Items folder

In Outlook on the web, Deleted Items appears in the folder list on the left side of your screen. Click it to see all emails you have deleted. The folder usually shows a count of how many messages are inside.

On the Outlook desktop app for Windows, Deleted Items is in the folder pane on the left. On Mac, it may be labeled Trash instead. Both work the same way — they hold your recently deleted emails for 30 days.

What happens if you delete an email by mistake

You have 30 days to recover an email after you delete it. Open Deleted Items, find the email, right-click it, and select Restore. The email returns to its original folder. If you deleted it from your inbox, it goes back to your inbox. If you deleted it from a custom folder, it returns there.

If more than 30 days have passed, the email is gone permanently and cannot be recovered. Outlook does not keep a backup of permanently deleted messages. This is why it is worth checking Deleted Items before emptying the folder if you are not certain you want to remove everything.

Deleting emails on Outlook mobile apps

On the Outlook app for iPhone or Android, open the email and look for the trash icon, usually at the bottom of the screen. Tap it to delete the message. You can also swipe left on an email in your list (on iPhone) or long-press it (on Android) to see delete options.

Mobile Deleted Items folders work the same way as the desktop version — emails stay for 30 days before permanent removal. You can recover a deleted email by opening Deleted Items on your phone and tapping Restore on the message.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I undo a delete if I already closed the email?

Yes. As long as the email is still in your Deleted Items folder (within 30 days), you can recover it. Open Deleted Items, find the email, right-click it, and select Restore. It does not matter whether you closed it or not — the recovery process is the same.

What is the difference between Delete and Permanently Delete?

Delete moves an email to Deleted Items, where it stays for 30 days. Permanently Delete (or emptying Deleted Items) removes it from your account entirely and immediately. Once permanently deleted, the email cannot be recovered.

Do deleted emails take up storage space?

Yes, emails in Deleted Items count toward your Outlook storage limit. If you are running low on space, emptying Deleted Items can free up room. Permanently deleting emails is the only way to reduce your storage usage.

Can I set Outlook to automatically empty Deleted Items?

Yes, but the option is in settings and varies by version. In Outlook on the web, go to Settings, then Mail, then Deleted Items. You can choose to empty Deleted Items automatically after a certain number of days. On the desktop app, check Tools or File menu for similar options.

If I delete an email, does the sender know?

No. Deleting an email on your end does not notify the sender or affect their copy of the message. They will not see any indication that you deleted it.