To delete deleted items in Outlook by date, you typically manage the contents of your Deleted Items folder using sorting, automated cleanup features like AutoArchive or Retention Policies, or by applying a specific rule based on the item's original date.
Clearing old items from your Deleted Items folder helps manage mailbox size and organization. Here are common ways to achieve this based on date:
1. Manual Deletion by Sorting
This is the most direct method for a one-time cleanup.
- Navigate: Go to your Deleted Items folder in Outlook.
- Sort: Click on the column header (usually "Received" or "Deleted On") to sort the items by date. Click again to toggle between ascending and descending order. Sorting by "Received" date is often useful if you want to delete items based on when they originally arrived.
- Select: Scroll to the date range you want to delete. Click the first item, hold down the Shift key, and click the last item in the range to select multiple consecutive items. Alternatively, hold down the Ctrl key to select individual items.
- Delete: Press the Delete key or right-click the selected items and choose Delete (or Permanently Delete if available and configured). Note that deleting from Deleted Items often moves items to a "Recoverable Items" folder before permanent deletion, depending on your Outlook setup.
2. Using AutoArchive
AutoArchive is an automated feature that can periodically clean out items from specific folders, including Deleted Items, based on their age.
- Access AutoArchive Settings: Go to File > Options > Advanced. Look for the AutoArchive section and click AutoArchive Settings.
- Configure Deleted Items: Select the option Run AutoArchive every... days.
- Find the Deleted Items folder in the list.
- Check the box for Clean out items older than: and specify the time period (e.g., 3 months).
- Ensure Permanently delete old items is selected for the Deleted Items folder.
- Click OK.
AutoArchive will now run automatically on your specified schedule to delete old items from the Deleted Items folder.
3. Applying Retention Policies
In many corporate or Microsoft 365 environments, administrators set up Retention Policies. These policies automatically move or delete items after a specified period. Your Deleted Items folder may already be subject to such a policy that clears items older than, for instance, 30 or 60 days. These policies operate automatically based on the age of the item in the folder.
You might see a policy name or duration next to the Deleted Items folder name, indicating how long items are kept before being moved or deleted.
4. Creating and Applying a Rule
While less common for clearing the Deleted Items folder specifically compared to AutoArchive, you can create a rule to identify items received before a certain date and apply it manually to the folder.
Based on the provided reference, you can create a rule with the following logic:
- Condition: Received Before a specific date.
- Reference: "Click the Select a condition dropdown menu and choose the Before option under Received. Specify the date before which you want to delete the emails."
- Action: Delete the message.
- Reference: "Move to the Select an action dropdown menu, and choose the Delete option."
- Optional: Add more conditions as needed.
- Reference: "(Optional) Add more conditions if you want to delete only certain old emails."
Here's how you would typically set this up and apply it:
- Go to the Home tab, click Rules > Manage Rules & Alerts.
- Click New Rule.
- Choose Apply rule on messages I receive or Apply rule on messages I send (though for Deleted Items, the former is more relevant, you'll run it manually later). Click Next.
- Under "Step 1: Select condition(s)", check the box for received on a specific date.
- Under "Step 2: Edit the rule description", click the underlined "a specific date". A date picker will appear. Select the desired date before which you want to delete items. Click OK.
- Click Next.
- Under "Step 1: Select action(s)", check the box for delete it.
- Click Next.
- Set exceptions if needed, then click Next.
- Name your rule (e.g., "Delete Items Received Before [Date]"). Check Run this rule now on messages already in "Deleted Items". Ensure "Deleted Items" is selected in the dropdown if prompted.
- Click Finish.
This will run the rule once on your Deleted Items folder, deleting items that match the "Received before date" condition. You can then delete the rule if it was only for a one-time cleanup.
Here's a quick summary table of the methods:
| Method | Description | Automation Level | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manual Sorting | Go to folder, sort by date, select range, delete. | Manual | One-time cleanup |
| AutoArchive | Automatically deletes items older than X days/months on a schedule. | Automated | Ongoing cleanup |
| Retention Policy | Policy (often admin-set) that automatically deletes items after a period. | Automated | Ongoing cleanup |
| Create & Apply Rule | Create rule based on received date, manually run on Deleted Items folder. | Manual (apply) | Specific cleanup |
Choose the method that best suits whether you need a one-time cleanup or prefer ongoing automated management of your Deleted Items folder.
