How to Delete Deleted Emails From Your iPhone

Empty the trash folder to keep fewer deleted emails

by
Heinz Tschabitscher
Heinz Tschabitscher
Writer
A former freelance contributor who has reviewed hundreds of email programs and services since 1997.
our editorial process
Heinz Tschabitscher
Updated on April 14, 2021

What to Know

  • Go to the Mailboxes menu and select Trash > Edit. Tap the specific emails you want to permanently remove, then choose Delete.
  • Alternatively, select Edit > Select All > Delete to remove all the emails at once

When you delete emails from your iPhone, they go into the Trash folder so that they can be easily restored if deleted accidentally. It's a good idea to occasionally delete these emails so that they don't use up storage space. Removing deleted items from the Trash folder frees up storage on your phone and declutters the Trash folder. We'll tell you how to remove deleted emails using iOS 12 through 14.

How to Remove Deleted Emails

You have two options for deleted emails that have been sent to Trash. Either choose which ones to permanently remove or empty everything in the Trash folder.

  1. Open the Mail app and navigate to the Mailboxes menu.

  2. Select Trash.

    If you have more than one email account on your phone, find the Trash folder that corresponds to the account from which you want the emails deleted.

  3. Select Edit, select the specific emails you want to permanently remove, then choose Delete. Or, to remove all the emails at once, select Edit > Select All > Delete.

    Back, Trash, Checkboxes in iOS Mail

  4. The emails you deleted are gone from the Trash folder and cannot be recovered.

Another way to delete emails from the Trash folder is through the webmail site for your email provider. For example, access the Trash folder at Gmail.com to delete removed items. This method deletes emails from the iPhone Trash folder only if IMAP is set up.

Was this page helpful?