How to Delete Email Messages in Outlook 2019

Deleting email messages in Microsoft Outlook 2019 is a straightforward process, but it’s important to do it correctly to maintain an organized and efficient inbox, especially in roles like website development and server administration where email communication is frequent. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to delete email messages in Outlook 2019:

Steps to Delete Email Messages in Outlook 2019

1. Open Microsoft Outlook 2019

• Launch the Outlook 2019 application on your computer.

2. Select the Email(s) to Delete

• Navigate to your Inbox or the folder where the emails you want to delete are located.
• Click on the email you wish to delete to select it. If you need to delete multiple emails:
  • To select consecutive emails, click the first email, hold down the Shift key, and then click the last email.
  • To select non-consecutive emails, hold down the Ctrl key (or Cmd key on Mac) and click each email you want to delete.

3. Delete the Email(s)

• Once you have selected the email(s), there are several ways to delete them:
  • Using the Delete Button: Click the ‘Delete’ button in the Home tab in the ribbon. This is the most common method.
  • Right-Click Method: Right-click on the selected email(s) and choose ‘Delete’ from the context menu.
  • Keyboard Shortcut: Press the Delete key on your keyboard.
• The selected email(s) will be moved to the Deleted Items or Trash folder.

4. Empty the Deleted Items Folder

• To permanently delete the emails, you need to empty the Deleted Items or Trash folder.
• Right-click on the Deleted Items or Trash folder in the folder pane.
• Choose ‘Empty Folder’ to permanently delete all emails in the folder.
• Confirm the action if prompted.

Additional Tips and Considerations

• Recovering Deleted Emails: If you accidentally delete an email, you can recover it from the Deleted Items or Trash folder as long as you haven’t emptied it. Simply open the folder, find the email, and move it back to your Inbox or another folder.
• Permanent Deletion: Be cautious when permanently deleting emails. Once the Deleted Items or Trash folder is emptied, it’s very difficult to recover those emails.
• Archiving vs Deleting: For emails that you might need in the future, consider archiving them instead of deleting. Archiving moves emails out of your Inbox but keeps them in your account for future reference.
• Automating Cleanup: Outlook 2019 allows you to set up rules to automatically clean up your inbox, such as moving older emails to the archive or deleting them.

Conclusion

Regularly managing and deleting unnecessary emails in Outlook 2019 is key to maintaining an organized inbox, which is crucial in professional settings. By following these steps, you can manage your emails effectively, ensuring that your inbox contains only the emails that require your attention. Remember, once emails are permanently deleted, they are typically unrecoverable, so use the delete function judiciously.