How to Delete Multiple Emails in Outlook (Including Old Emails and One Sender)

To delete several Outlook emails at once, open the right folder, select the messages, and choose Delete. You can select a whole folder, search for one sender, or narrow the list by date before deleting. The steps below cover new Outlook and classic Outlook for Windows, plus Outlook in a desktop web browser.

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Christin Baumgarten

Operations Manager

Michael Bodekaer
Reviewer

Co-founder and CEO

Jose Lopez
Tester

Head of Growth Engineering

Authored By Christin Baumgarten Operations Manager

Christin Baumgarten is the Operations Manager at Mailbird, where she drives product development and leads communications for this leading email client. With over a decade at Mailbird — from a marketing intern to Operations Manager — she offers deep expertise in email technology and productivity. Christin’s experience shaping product strategy and user engagement underscores her authority in the communication technology space.

Reviewed By Michael Bodekaer Co-founder and CEO

Michael Bodekaer is a recognized authority in email management and productivity solutions, with over a decade of experience in simplifying communication workflows for individuals and businesses. As the co-founder of Mailbird and a TED speaker, Michael has been at the forefront of developing tools that revolutionize how users manage multiple email accounts. His insights have been featured in leading publications like TechRadar, and he is passionate about helping professionals adopt innovative solutions like unified inboxes, app integrations, and productivity-enhancing features to optimize their daily routines.

Tested By Jose Lopez Head of Growth Engineering

José López is a Web Consultant & Developer with over 25 years of experience in the field. He is a full-stack developer who specializes in leading teams, managing operations, and developing complex cloud architectures. With expertise in areas such as Project Management, HTML, CSS, JS, PHP, and SQL, José enjoys mentoring fellow engineers and teaching them how to build and scale web applications.

How to Delete Multiple Emails in Outlook (Including Old Emails and One Sender)
How to Delete Multiple Emails in Outlook (Including Old Emails and One Sender)
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To delete several Outlook emails at once, open the right folder, select the messages, and choose Delete . You can select a whole folder, search for one sender, or narrow the list by date before deleting. The steps below cover new Outlook and classic Outlook for Windows, plus Outlook in a desktop web browser.

Quick checklist

  • ☐ Open the correct account and folder.
  • ☐ Select a block, a whole folder, or messages narrowed by sender or date.
  • ☐ Check the selected subjects and dates before choosing Delete .
  • ☐ Inspect Deleted Items before emptying it.
  • ☐ Check the recovery area if you need to erase or restore messages.

Before you start

Check which account and folder are open. Save any messages you need to keep, and review a large selection before deleting it. You do not need an additional tool.

Delete normally moves messages to Deleted Items . Emptying that folder is a separate decision, and your account may still offer a recovery option afterward. [1] [2]

How to delete multiple emails at once

How to delete multiple emails at once

  1. Open the folder you want to clean. Make sure you are in the intended account. Selecting everything in the Inbox does not select mail in every other folder.
  2. Select the messages. In classic Outlook, click the first message and Shift -click the last to select a continuous block. Hold Ctrl while clicking to pick individual messages. In new Outlook or on the web, use the checkboxes beside messages; you may need to hover over a message to see its checkbox. [3]
  3. Check the selection, then choose Delete. Look at the highlighted subjects and dates before clicking Delete or pressing the Delete key. Open Deleted Items afterward to check the result. [1]

If some messages remain, repeat with a smaller group. For a whole folder, one sender, or a date cutoff, use the relevant method below to make the selection first.

Delete all emails in one Outlook folder

  • Classic Outlook: open the folder, click a message, and press Ctrl+A , then Delete . You can also right-click the folder and choose Delete All . If the message list is filtered, check what is selected before deleting. [3]
  • New Outlook: open the folder and use Select all if it appears, then choose Delete . If messages remain, select and delete them in manageable groups. [3]
  • Outlook.com: open the folder and use the selection box above the message list. Choose the available delete or empty-folder command and check the folder name before confirming. If Focused Inbox is on, check Focused and Other separately. [4]

Repeat for other folders if you mean to clear more than one. Do not assume that clearing the Inbox clears the entire mailbox.

Delete all emails from one sender

  1. Click Search , enter from: followed by the sender’s actual address, and press Enter . Check the search scope: use the current folder for a limited cleanup or a wider scope if you also want mail from other folders. [5]
  2. Review the results and select the messages you want to remove. A search for the address without from: can also find messages that merely mention it.
  3. Choose Delete , then check whether any matching messages remain.

Another option: in new Outlook or on the web, select a message from that sender in the Inbox and look for Sweep . Read its options before confirming: Sweep can also affect future messages or keep the newest one, depending on the action you choose. It is not a command to delete every email in your mailbox before a chosen date. [6]

Delete Outlook emails older than a date

Pick a cutoff first. For example, to remove mail received before January 1, 2025 , select only messages dated December 31, 2024 or earlier.

  • New Outlook or the web: if your search view offers received-date filters, set a range ending the day before your cutoff and check the folder or search scope. Review the results, select the messages, and choose Delete . You can also sort a folder by date and select its older messages in groups. [7]
  • Classic Outlook: sort the folder by received date and select the messages before your cutoff. To find messages by age in days instead, open File > Tools > Mailbox Cleanup , enter a number under Find items older than , and click Find . Review the matches before deleting. [8] See Outlook is slow .

In new Outlook, an Old mail Search Folder may offer another way to review messages across folders. Delete the messages you find there—not the Search Folder itself, which does not delete the underlying mail. [9]

What about Clean Up in classic Outlook?

Home > Clean Up targets redundant messages in conversations. It does not delete every message from a sender or every message older than a date. Use sender search or date sorting for those jobs, and check Deleted Items after running Clean Up. [10]

Empty Deleted Items and check recovery options

  1. Inspect Deleted Items. Check its subjects and dates before removing anything else. If you deleted the wrong message, select it and move it back to the appropriate folder. [2]
  2. Empty the folder only if you mean to remove everything in it. Right-click Deleted Items and choose Empty in new Outlook or Empty Folder in classic Outlook. On the web, open Deleted Items and choose Empty folder . This also removes messages you deleted on an earlier occasion. [11] [4]
  3. Check for a further recovery area if necessary. How to unarchive an email . In Outlook.com, items emptied from Deleted Items may appear under Recover items deleted from this folder . You can empty that area too, but only if you intend to remove all items there. Work or school accounts may have administrator-controlled recovery or retention rules; emptying Deleted Items does not necessarily mean immediate erasure everywhere. [4] [2]

Troubleshooting

  • Only some messages were deleted: check for remaining messages, then select and delete them in smaller groups. If you used search, check its scope.
  • Older mail is missing from search: confirm the account and folder, remove overly restrictive filters, or sort the folder by date instead.
  • Search shows messages from other people: use from: followed by the sender’s actual address rather than searching for the address alone, and inspect the results. [5]
  • Sweep is unavailable: search for the sender and delete the selected results instead.
  • The wrong email was deleted: look in Deleted Items , then check any available recovery area. For a work or school account, ask your administrator if you cannot find it. [2]

Frequently asked questions

How do I mass delete emails in Outlook without clearing the whole folder?

Use Shift-click for a continuous block in classic Outlook, Ctrl-click for individual messages, or message checkboxes in new Outlook and on the web. Check the selection before choosing Delete.

Can I delete all emails from one sender in Outlook?

Search for from: followed by the sender’s email address. Check the search scope, select the matching messages, and choose Delete.

How do I delete emails older than a specific date?

Use a received-date search filter if available, or sort the folder by date. Select only messages before your cutoff, then delete them.

Does Delete permanently remove an Outlook email?

Usually not at first: check Deleted Items. Emptying that folder removes its contents from there, but your account may have another recovery area or retention rules.

Sources

  1. Microsoft Support: Delete a message
  2. Microsoft Support: Recover and restore deleted items in Outlook
  3. Microsoft Support: Delete all email messages in Outlook
  4. Microsoft Support: Delete email in Outlook.com
  5. Microsoft Support: How to search in Outlook
  6. Microsoft Support: Sweep and other inbox tools
  7. Microsoft Support: Sort email messages in Outlook
  8. Microsoft Support: Reduce the size of your mailbox
  9. Microsoft Support: Use Search Folders
  10. Microsoft Support: Use Conversation Clean Up
  11. Microsoft Support: Empty the Deleted Items folder