Outlook tips

Why you should maintain your Deleted Items folder size

Storing important emails in your Deleted Items folder is not a good practice — and a large Deleted Items folder can cause real problems with your mailbox.

The problem

What issues can a large Deleted Items folder cause?

A deleted email goes into your Deleted Items folder, which is also considered an unwanted email. Storing essential emails in your Deleted Items is not a good practice. Instead, file emails into folders you already have or can create.

We’ve seen that some users delete important emails and store them in the Deleted folder for long-term storage and archiving. The Deleted Items folder is only for emails you don’t want. You wouldn’t put your wallet or passport in the trash for safekeeping, would you?

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Unable to send or receive emails

This can lead to issues such as being unable to send or receive emails once the mailbox reaches its storage limit.

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Slow Outlook performance

A large Deleted Items folder can slow down Outlook’s performance, making navigating and managing your emails difficult.

The solution

How to manage your Deleted Items folder

1. Ideally, you would create subfolders in your inbox where essential emails can be safely stored and easily found later.

2. Regularly review the Deleted Items folder to ensure you are not keeping essential emails there.

3. Regularly emptying this folder helps keep the mailbox size manageable and ensures that Outlook runs smoothly.

4. If you don’t want to sort your emails into folders, you can use the Backspace key to easily move them into the Archive folder instead, keeping important emails out of the deleted items.

Note: Some Microsoft policies can automatically purge your deleted items folder to keep your mailbox clean. If essential emails were stored there, they would be lost permanently.