How to Permanently Delete Emails in Outlook

A two-step process — here’s every method on every platform

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Deleting an email in Outlook doesn’t permanently remove it immediately — it moves to the Deleted Items folder where it stays until you clear it.

Permanently deleting requires a second step to empty that folder or bypass it entirely.

Here’s every method for permanently deleting emails in Outlook across desktop, web, and mobile.

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Why Deleted Emails Aren’t Gone Immediately

Outlook uses a two-stage deletion process by default. When you delete an email, it moves to the Deleted Items folder — a safety net that lets you recover accidentally deleted messages. The email stays there until you explicitly empty Deleted Items or until automatic cleanup removes it.

For Exchange and Microsoft 365 accounts, a third stage exists — the Recoverable Items folder — which holds permanently deleted items for a retention period (typically 14 to 30 days depending on your organization’s policy) before they’re truly gone. For personal accounts without server-side retention, emptying Deleted Items is the final step.

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Method 1: Delete Directly Without Going to Deleted Items

The fastest way to skip the Deleted Items folder entirely is using the keyboard shortcut that permanently deletes without moving to trash first.

Select the email or emails you want to delete. Press Shift + Delete.

A confirmation dialog appears asking whether you want to permanently delete the selected items. Click Yes.

The email bypasses Deleted Items entirely and goes straight to permanent deletion. On Exchange and Microsoft 365 accounts it still goes to Recoverable Items on the server side — but it won’t appear in your Deleted Items folder and won’t be visible through normal Outlook navigation.

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Method 2: Empty the Deleted Items Folder

The standard two-step approach — delete normally, then empty Deleted Items.

On Outlook desktop:

Right-click the Deleted Items folder in the folder panel on the left. Select Empty Folder. Confirm when prompted. All items in Deleted Items are permanently removed.

Alternatively, go to the Folder tab in the ribbon and click Empty Folder while Deleted Items is selected.

On Outlook on the web:

Right-click Deleted Items in the left folder panel and select Empty Folder. Confirm the deletion.

On Outlook mobile:

Tap the folder menu, find Deleted Items, tap the three dots next to it, and select Empty Folder.

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Method 3: Delete Individual Items From Deleted Items

If you want to permanently delete specific emails from Deleted Items rather than clearing the entire folder, select the emails within Deleted Items and press Delete or Shift + Delete.

Pressing Delete while inside Deleted Items immediately permanently deletes the selected items — you don’t need Shift + Delete here because you’re already in the deletion stage.

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Method 4: Auto-Empty Deleted Items on Exit

Outlook can automatically empty Deleted Items every time you close the application, removing the need to manually empty it.

On Outlook desktop:

Go to File → Options → Advanced. Under the Outlook Start and Exit section, check Empty Deleted Items Folders When Exiting Outlook. Click OK.

With this enabled, closing Outlook triggers a confirmation prompt asking whether you want to empty Deleted Items — or empties it silently depending on your version. All items are permanently deleted every session.

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Method 5: Delete and Purge on Exchange Accounts

For Exchange and Microsoft 365 accounts, emails that have been permanently deleted from Deleted Items still exist in the Recoverable Items folder on the server — accessible through the admin center or through the Recover Deleted Items feature. To remove them from the Recoverable Items folder as well:

Go to the Deleted Items folder in Outlook desktop. Select Recover Deleted Items from the Folder tab or right-click menu — this shows items in the Recoverable Items folder. Select the items you want to purge. Click Purge Selected Items or Delete from the Recover Deleted Items dialog.

Note: On organizationally managed accounts, your IT administrator’s retention policies may prevent purging from Recoverable Items regardless of what you do in Outlook. Legal holds, compliance requirements, and data retention policies override user-level deletion. If this applies to your account, contact your IT department.

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Permanently Delete Multiple Emails at Once

To select and permanently delete many emails simultaneously:

Click the first email, hold Shift and click the last email to select a continuous range. Or hold Ctrl and click individual emails to select non-consecutive items. Press Ctrl + A to select all emails in the current folder.

After selecting, press Shift + Delete to permanently delete all selected items at once without going through Deleted Items.

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Permanently Delete Emails by Search

If you want to permanently delete all emails matching specific criteria — all emails from a particular sender, all emails with a specific subject, all emails older than a certain date — use search to find them first.

Use Outlook’s search to filter emails by your criteria. Select all results with Ctrl + A. Press Shift + Delete to permanently delete all matched emails.

For large-scale cleanup, the Clean Up and Sweep features in Outlook’s Home tab help identify redundant or old emails before deletion.

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On Outlook for Mac

The process on Mac mirrors the Windows version:

Shift + Delete permanently deletes selected emails without moving to Deleted Items.

Right-click Deleted Items → Erase Deleted Items empties the folder.

Outlook → Preferences → General — look for options to empty Deleted Items on exit.

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On Outlook Mobile (iPhone and Android)

On the Outlook mobile app, the delete behavior depends on account type.

Swipe an email left or tap the delete icon to move it to Deleted Items. To permanently delete from Deleted Items, navigate to that folder, select items, and delete them again.

For immediate permanent deletion on mobile, press and hold an email to select it, then look for a Move to Deleted Items option followed by navigating to that folder and deleting again. Mobile apps don’t always have a direct Shift + Delete equivalent — emptying Deleted Items is the most reliable mobile approach.

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Archive vs. Delete

A common source of confusion — archiving an email moves it to the Archive folder where it remains searchable and accessible. It’s not deletion. If you’re archiving emails thinking you’re removing them, they’re still in your account taking up space and remaining discoverable.

To free up space and remove emails entirely, use the deletion methods above rather than archiving.

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A Quick Reference

Goal	Method
Skip Deleted Items entirely	Select email → Shift + Delete → confirm
Empty all of Deleted Items	Right-click Deleted Items → Empty Folder
Delete specific items from Deleted Items	Open Deleted Items → select items → Delete
Auto-empty on Outlook close	File → Options → Advanced → check Empty Deleted Items on Exit
Purge from Recoverable Items (Exchange)	Folder tab → Recover Deleted Items → select → Purge
Delete all emails in a folder	Ctrl + A → Shift + Delete

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The Bottom Line

Permanently deleting emails in Outlook requires either using Shift + Delete to bypass Deleted Items entirely or emptying the Deleted Items folder after standard deletion. The two-step process is a deliberate safety net — Shift + Delete is the fastest way around it when you’re certain you don’t need the email.

For Exchange and Microsoft 365 accounts, server-side retention in Recoverable Items means emails persist beyond the Deleted Items stage until the retention period expires or they’re explicitly purged — and organizational policies may prevent purging entirely.

Delete moves it to trash. Shift + Delete skips the trash. Empty Folder clears the trash. Pick the method that matches how permanently you need it gone.