How to delete and purge IMAP e-mail in Outlook


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Support > How to delete and purge IMAP e-mail in Outlook

Problem: Outlook does not support IMAP very well. The two-phase deleting is counterintuitive and can sometimes be confusing. Sometimes items that have been deleted remain on the server for months. Additionally, when an item is permanently deleted, it cannot be retrieved by looking in the Deleted Items folder on Outlook. This support article attempts to address these issues and provide solutions.

Solution: The steps below will take you through two different ways delete IMAP e-mail. One way will permanently delete your e-mail from the server. The other way will save a copy of it in your hard drive in case you need to reference it later.

Follow these steps:

1) Click on the message(s) you wish to delete:

Select the message you wish to delete.

2) Dragging the file you wish to delete to a folder on your hard drive will serve two purposes: 1) It will save the e-mail for later, and 2) It will mark the e-mail for deletion from the server. Or, if the message is SPAM, and you just want to get rid of it, simply hit "delete".

To delete the message, either simply press the "delete" key on your keyboard OR if you think you may need the message in the future, DRAG the message to your Deleted Items folder (under Personal Folders).

3) For further clarification of #2, anything under "dslforum3" is saved on the server. Anything under "Personal Folders" or "Archive Folders" is saved on your hard drive.

4) You'll notice that now there is a line crossed through the message. This means the message is marked for deletion.

Notice that now there is now a line crossed through your message. That means it is marked for deletion. On some Outlook views, the message will disappear.

5) When you are ready to purge all your deleted messages from the server, Click Edit->Purge Deleted Messages. This action will only purge the messages from the IMAP folder you are looking at. This will not purge deleted messages from other folders.

6) Remember, this PERMANENTLY deletes these messages from the SERVER. If you are sure you want to do that, click "Yes" to the prompt below.

Other Resources:

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/kb/q185820/

http://www.microsoft.com/windows2000/en/advanced/help/default.asp?url=/windows2000/en/advanced/help/plsml_del_msg_imap.htm

Last updated: April 22, 2005

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Anthony Landa
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