The fastest way to delete an email in Outlook

In Outlook on your computer, select the email and press the Delete key, or right-click it and choose Delete. The email moves to your Deleted Items folder. In Outlook on the web (outlook.com or outlook.office.com), click the trash icon at the top of the message. On your phone, swipe left on the email (iPhone) or long-press and tap delete (Android).

Deleted emails stay in your Deleted Items folder for 30 days before Outlook removes them permanently. If you delete something by mistake, you can recover it from that folder within that window. After 30 days, the email is gone for good unless your organization has backup systems in place.

Key Takeaways

  • Press Delete or right-click to delete on desktop; use the trash icon on the web version.
  • Deleted emails sit in Deleted Items for 30 days before permanent removal.
  • You can recover deleted emails from Deleted Items at any point during those 30 days.
  • Permanently deleting from Deleted Items removes the email immediately with no recovery option.
  • On mobile, swipe (iPhone) or long-press (Android) to delete without opening the email.

Deleting emails on Outlook desktop

Open the folder containing the email you want to delete. Click once to select it, then press the Delete key on your keyboard. The email moves to Deleted Items immediately. You can also right-click the email, and a menu appears with a Delete option at the bottom.

To delete multiple emails at once, hold Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac) and click each email you want to remove. Then press Delete or right-click and choose Delete. All selected emails move to Deleted Items together. This is faster than deleting one at a time if you have several messages to remove.

Deleting emails on Outlook.com or Outlook on the web

Log into your account at outlook.com or outlook.office.com. Find the email in your inbox or another folder. A trash icon appears at the top of the message when you open it, or next to the subject line in the list view. Click the trash icon to delete the email.

The web version also lets you select multiple emails by clicking the checkbox next to each one, then clicking the trash icon at the top of the list. This works the same way as the desktop version for bulk deletions. Deleted emails go to your Deleted Items folder, where they remain for 30 days.

Deleting emails on Outlook mobile apps

On iPhone, open the email or find it in your inbox list. Swipe left on the email with your finger. A trash icon appears on the right side. Tap it to delete. You do not need to open the email first — swiping works from the list view.

On Android, long-press the email in your inbox until it highlights. A menu appears at the top with a trash icon. Tap the trash icon to delete. You can long-press multiple emails to select them all, then tap trash to delete them together. The process is the same whether you are using the Outlook app or the Gmail app with an Outlook account.

Recovering a deleted email from Deleted Items

Open your Deleted Items folder. On desktop, it appears in the folder list on the left side. On the web, click the folder icon and scroll down to find Deleted Items. On mobile, tap the menu icon (three lines) and scroll to Deleted Items.

Find the email you want to recover. Right-click it (desktop) or tap and hold (mobile) and choose Move. Select the folder where you want it to go — usually Inbox. The email moves back to that folder immediately. You have 30 days from the deletion date to recover it this way.

Permanently deleting emails so they cannot be recovered

If you want to remove an email completely instead of just moving it to Deleted Items, open Deleted Items and find the email. Right-click it and choose Delete Permanently (desktop) or Empty Deleted Items (to remove everything at once). On the web, select the email and click the trash icon again. On mobile, open Deleted Items, find the email, and delete it a second time.

Permanently deleted emails cannot be recovered through Outlook itself. However, if your organization uses Microsoft 365 or Exchange Server, your IT department may have backup copies that can be restored, but this is not may provide and depends on your company's backup policy. Personal Outlook.com accounts do not have this backup option.

Why emails sometimes do not delete right away

If you delete an email and it reappears in your inbox, your account may be syncing across multiple devices. Close Outlook completely on all your devices and reopen it. The deletion should sync and stick. If it still does not work, sign out of your account, wait a few minutes, and sign back in.

Another reason is that the email may be in a folder that is set to not delete items — some shared mailboxes or archive folders have this restriction. Try moving the email to your main Inbox first, then deleting it from there. If you are using Outlook through your workplace, your IT department may have set retention policies that prevent deletion of certain emails. Contact them to check.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I undo a delete if I already emptied Deleted Items?

No, once you permanently delete an email or empty Deleted Items, Outlook cannot recover it. If your organization uses Microsoft 365, contact your IT department to ask if they have server-side backups. Personal Outlook.com accounts do not have this option.

How long do emails stay in Deleted Items?

Deleted emails remain in Deleted Items for 30 days. After that, Outlook removes them permanently. The 30-day timer starts from the date you deleted the email, not from when you last opened it.

Does deleting an email remove it from all my devices?

Yes, if your devices are synced to the same Outlook account. The deletion may take a few minutes to appear on all devices. If it does not sync after an hour, sign out and back in on the device where the email still appears.

What happens to attachments when I delete an email?

Attachments are deleted along with the email. If you need the file, save it to your computer or cloud storage before deleting the message. Once the email is permanently deleted, the attachment is gone unless your organization has backups.

Can I delete emails automatically with a rule?

Yes. On desktop, go to Home, click Rules, and choose Manage Rules & Alerts. Create a new rule with conditions (like emails from a specific sender) and set the action to delete. On the web, click Settings, then Mail, then Rules. The rule will delete matching emails automatically going forward, but it does not affect emails already in your inbox.