How to Delete a Folder in the iOS Mail App

Deleting folders in the email app on an iPhone or iPad removes the folder and the messages in the folder. It's one of the easiest ways to regain storage on the phone and to declutter your emails; we'll show you how to do it using the Mail app for iOS 13, iOS 12, and iOS 11.

How to Delete Folders in the Mail App

After you confirm the folder no longer contains any messages you need to keep, you can delete it.

To delete a folder:

1. Open the Mail app.

2. Go to the main Mailboxes screen.

3. Tap Edit. Then, tap the folder you want to delete.

4. Tap Delete Mailbox.

   

5. Confirm you want to remove the folder and any messages contained in it by tapping Delete again.

6. Select Done.

How to Move Email From a Folder

Make sure you no longer need the email messages in a folder before you delete it. Select any messages you want to keep and move the messages to a different folder.

1. Open the Mail app.

2. If the app opens on an individual mailbox instead of the main Mailboxes screen, tap Mailboxes at the top of the screen to go to the main screen.

3. Scroll down past the mailboxes until you see the folders. Each email account you use with the Mail app has its own section with folders. Expand the section if necessary and tap the folder you want to delete.

   

4. Review the messages inside the folder. If you see a message you want to keep, swipe right on it and tap Archive to move it to the Archive folder. If you prefer to move it to a different folder, swipe left, select More, tap Move Message, and select a folder.

   

5. If you want to move several messages out of the folder, and you don't want to do it one at a time, tap Edit at the top of the messages screen. Tap the circle next to each message you want to move out of the folder for safekeeping. Tap Move at the bottom of the screen and Move Message in the screen that opens. Select a folder for the messages.

   

You don't need to do anything with the messages in the folder that you don't want to keep. When you delete the folder, any remaining messages it contains are deleted with it.