iOS 26
iOS 18
iOS 17
iOS 16
iOS 15
iOS 14
iOS 13
iOS 12
Modifying this control will update this page automatically

Delete and recover emails in Mail on iPhone

You can delete or archive email messages you no longer need. If you change your mind, you can recover deleted messages.

The Mailboxes screen. Below iCloud, mailboxes are listed from top to bottom, including the Trash mailbox. Tap it to see recently deleted messages.

Delete emails

  1. Go to the Mail app on your iPhone.

  2. Do any of the following:

    • While viewing a Primary message: Tap the Delete button.

    • While viewing a message list: Tap Select, then select the messages you want to delete by tapping their checkboxes. Tap the Delete button at the bottom of the message list.

      Important: When you select a Transactions, Updates, or Promotions message, you’re selecting all the messages in that category from the sender.

    • While viewing a sender’s digest view: Swipe left on a message, then tap the Reply Actions button.

To turn off the deletion confirmation, go to Settings  > Apps > Mail, then turn off Ask Before Deleting (below Messages).

Recover a deleted email

  1. Go to the Mail app on your iPhone.

  2. Tap the Mailboxes button in the upper-left corner until you see Mailboxes.

  3. Tap Trash, then tap the message you want to recover.

  4. Tap the Mailbox button, then choose another mailbox.

Tip: To easily see all deleted messages, you can add a mailbox with deleted messages across all your accounts. Tap the Mailboxes button in the upper-left corner until you see Mailboxes, tap Edit at the top right, then select the All Trash mailbox.

Archive instead of delete

Instead of deleting email messages, you can archive them in the Archive mailbox.

  1. Go to the Settings app  on your iPhone.

  2. Tap Apps, then tap Mail.

  3. Tap Mail Accounts, then do one of the following:

    • If you’re using an iCloud email account: Tap iCloud, then tap Mailbox Behaviors.

    • If you’re using another email account: Tap an email account, tap Account Settings, then tap Advanced.

  4. Select Archive Mailbox (below Move Discarded Messages Into).

When this option is turned on, to delete a message instead of archiving it, touch and hold the Archive button, then tap Trash Message.

Decide how long to keep deleted emails

With some email clients, you can set how long deleted messages stay in the Trash mailbox.

  1. Go to the Settings app  on your iPhone.

  2. Tap Apps, then tap Mail.

  3. Tap Mail Accounts, then do one of the following:

    • If you’re using an iCloud email account: Tap iCloud, then tap Mailbox Behaviors.

    • If you’re using another email account: Tap an email account, tap Account Settings, then tap Advanced.

  4. Tap Remove, then select a time interval.

Note: Some email services might override your selection; for example, iCloud doesn’t keep deleted messages longer than 30 days, even if you select Never.

See alsoOrganize email in mailboxes on iPhoneChange your Mail settings on iPhoneAutomatically fill in one-time verification codes on iPhone
Morty Proxy This is a proxified and sanitized view of the page, visit original site.
Helpful?
Character limit: 250
Maximum character limit is 250.
Thanks for your feedback.
Morty Proxy This is a proxified and sanitized view of the page, visit original site.