Delete a folder you created yourself

Right-click on the folder name in your folder list on the left side of Outlook. A menu will pop up. Click Delete Folder. Outlook will ask you to confirm — click Yes to remove it permanently.

The folder and everything inside it will be deleted. If you change your mind immediately, you can undo this action by pressing Ctrl+Z on your keyboard right away. After you close Outlook or perform other actions, the undo option disappears.

If you cannot right-click on the folder (this sometimes happens with folders that are synced from other accounts), try clicking the folder once to select it, then pressing the Delete key on your keyboard. This works the same way.

Key Takeaways

  • Right-click any folder you created and select Delete Folder to remove it permanently along with all messages inside.
  • Outlook asks you to confirm the deletion — click Yes to proceed, or click No to cancel.
  • You can undo a deletion immediately by pressing Ctrl+Z, but this option disappears once you close Outlook or perform other actions.
  • Built-in folders like Inbox, Sent Items, and Drafts cannot be deleted, but you can empty them by right-clicking and selecting Empty Folder.
  • If a folder belongs to a shared mailbox or another account, you may need permission from the mailbox owner before you can delete it.

Empty a folder instead of deleting it

If you want to keep the folder but remove all the messages inside, right-click the folder and select Empty Folder. This removes every message but leaves the folder structure in place so you can use it again later.

This is useful when you have a folder full of old messages you no longer need, but you still want to organize new messages into that same folder. The empty folder stays in your list and works exactly as before.

Why you cannot delete built-in folders

Outlook has folders that come with every account: Inbox, Sent Items, Drafts, Deleted Items, and Junk Email. These folders cannot be deleted because Outlook needs them to function. If you right-click one of these folders, you will see Empty Folder as an option, but not Delete Folder.

If a built-in folder is cluttering your view, you can hide it instead. Right-click the folder, select Hide This Folder, and it will disappear from your list. You can unhide it later by going to the Folder tab at the top, clicking Folders, and then Show Hidden Folders.

Deleting folders in shared mailboxes

If you are working with a shared mailbox or a calendar that belongs to someone else, you may not have permission to delete folders. The right-click menu might show Delete Folder, but when you click it, Outlook will display an error message saying you do not have the necessary permissions.

To delete a folder in a shared mailbox, you need the mailbox owner or an administrator to give you that permission first. Ask the person who manages the mailbox to grant you delete rights, or ask them to delete the folder themselves.

What happens to messages when you delete a folder

When you delete a folder, all the messages inside it are moved to your Deleted Items folder. They stay there until you empty the Deleted Items folder, at which point they are permanently removed from your computer or account.

This gives you a safety window to recover messages if you delete a folder by mistake. Open your Deleted Items folder, find the messages you need, and move them back to another folder. Once you empty Deleted Items, those messages cannot be recovered.

Deleting folders on different Outlook versions

The steps above work for Outlook on Windows and Outlook on Mac. If you use Outlook on the web (the version you access through a browser), the process is slightly different. Right-click the folder name, select Delete, and confirm your choice. The folder moves to a Deleted Folders section for 30 days before permanent removal.

On Outlook for Mac, right-click the folder and select Delete Folder just as you would on Windows. The process is identical. If you use the Outlook mobile app on a phone or tablet, tap and hold the folder name, then select Delete from the menu that appears.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I recover a folder I deleted by accident?

Yes, if you deleted it recently. Check your Deleted Items folder — the folder and its messages should be there. Right-click the folder and select Move, then choose where you want to put it back. If you already emptied Deleted Items, the folder cannot be recovered.

What if the Delete Folder option is grayed out?

This usually means the folder is a built-in folder (Inbox, Sent Items, etc.) or you do not have permission to delete it. If it is a built-in folder, you can only empty it, not delete it. If it belongs to a shared mailbox, contact the mailbox owner to request delete permissions.

Do deleted folders take up space on my computer?

Not after you empty your Deleted Items folder. Once you empty Deleted Items, the messages are permanently removed and no longer use storage space. Until then, they occupy space in your mailbox.

Can I delete a folder that has subfolders inside it?

Yes. When you delete a folder, all subfolders and all messages inside them are deleted as well. They all move to Deleted Items together, so you can recover the entire structure if you need to.