Delete an item - Outlook - Microsoft Office Online

Warning: You are viewing this page with an unsupported Web browser. This Web site works best with Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 or later, Firefox 1.5, or Netscape Navigator 8.0 or later. Learn more about supported browsers.

Email this link

Printer-Friendly Version Bookmark and Share

Delete an item

Applies to: Microsoft Office Outlook 2003

Do one of the following:

Show Manually delete items from the view

Do one of the following:

Open the item.
Select one or more items in the main Microsoft Outlook window.
To select adjacent items (item: An item is the basic element that holds information in Outlook (similar to a file in other programs). Items include e-mail messages, appointments, contacts, tasks, journal entries, notes, posted items, and documents.), click the first item, and then hold down SHIFT and click the last item.
To select nonadjacent items, click the first item, and then hold down CTRL and click additional items.
To select all items, click the Edit menu, and then click Select All.

Note Changing the view (view: Views give you different ways to look at the same information in a folder by putting it in different arrangements and formats. There are standard views for each folder. You can also create custom views.) for items can make selecting specific items easier. For instance, if you want to select all messages that have the same subject, in the folder containing the messages, on the View menu, point to Arrange By, and then click Subject. Select the messages you want from the view.

On the toolbar, click Delete Button image . The items are moved to the Deleted Items folder.

To permanently delete the items, empty the Deleted Items folder. Do one of the following:

Show Automatically empty the Deleted Items folder

On the Tools menu, click Options, and then click the Other tab.
Select the Empty the Deleted Items folder upon exiting check box.

Note To turn off automatic emptying of the Deleted Items folder, clear the Empty the Deleted Items folder upon exiting check box.

Show Manually empty the Deleted Items folder

On the Go menu, click Folder List (Folder List: Displays the folders available in your mailbox. To view subfolders, click the plus sign (+) next to the folder. If the Folder List is not visible, on the Go menu, click Folder List.).
In the Navigation Pane (Navigation Pane: The column on the left side of the Outlook window that includes panes such as Shortcuts or Mail and the shortcuts or folders within each pane. Click a folder to show the items in the folder.), right-click the Deleted Items folder, and then click Empty Deleted Items Folder on the shortcut menu.

Show Backup or delete items using AutoArchive

Do any of the following:

Show Specify default AutoArchive settings for all Microsoft Outlook folders

AutoArchive is turned on by default. However, you can change its default settings.

On the Tools menu, click Options, and then click the Other tab.
Click AutoArchive.
With Run AutoArchive every x days selected, specify how often to run AutoArchive.
Select the options that you want.

Note If you change the archive file listed under Move old items to, it's changed for all folders that use the default AutoArchive settings.

Show Specify AutoArchive settings for individual folders

On the Go menu, click Folder List.
In the Navigation Pane (Navigation Pane: The column on the left side of the Outlook window that includes panes such as Shortcuts or Mail and the shortcuts or folders within each pane. Click a folder to show the items in the folder.), right-click the folder you want to specify settings for, and then click Properties on the shortcut menu.
Click the AutoArchive tab.
Specify whether you want to archive this folder and if so, whether to use the default AutoArchive settings or your own settings.

To archive to a file other than the default one, specify a different file name in the Move old items to box. The next time AutoArchive runs on this folder, Outlook will automatically create the new archive file for items in this folder.

Show Archive items manually

On the File menu, click Archive.
Specify whether to archive all folders using their AutoArchive settings (that is, either the default settings, or per-folder settings you specified for individual folders) or whether to archive an individual folder using the options you specify in this dialog box.

Note To archive to a file other than the default one, specify a different file name in the Archive file box. Outlook automatically creates another archive file for items in the selected folder.

Show Automatically delete or move junk e-mail messages

On the Tools menu, click Options.
Click Junk E-mail.
Select the options you want.