- The location of the ScanPST file can change based on the Office version.
- Litigation Hold, if enabled by the admin, will restrict the deletion of emails.
- Archive Email Box is a great option to reduce storage from mail account.
Fix 1. Mark Items for Deletion in Settings
This option only works with Microsoft Outlook accounts set up with IMAP.
Step 1: Close Microsoft Outlook and open the Control Panel on your PC.
Step 2: Click on Mail . If you don’t see the Mail option, change the View By filter to Small icons or use the search bar .
Step 3: Click on Email Accounts on the Mail Setup – Outlook pop-up window.
Step 4: The Account Settings window should open. Double-click your email to reveal its properties. Click on More Settings in the Change Account window.
Step 5: Select the Advanced tab. On the menu named Deleted Items, ensure the following items are ticked:
- Mark the items to be deleted, but don’t move them automatically. Under normal circumstances, when you mark items for deletion, they are permanently deleted upon purging the mailbox.
- Purge the items when switching the folders online.
Step 6: Click on OK .
Fix 2. Use the Inbox Repair Tool
The built-in repair tool can fix any corrupt PST file and diagnose and repair mail database files.
Step 1: Close Microsoft Outlook, navigate to the following path, and select your Office version (Office 14, 15, 16, etc.).
C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\root\
Step 2: Double-click SCANPST.EXE to run the file.
Step 3: Use the Browse button to select the PST file to be scanned and click on Start . Finally, click on Yes when asked to confirm backup creation.
Step 4: Close the tool after completing the process, re-launch Microsoft Outlook , and check if the problem is solved.
Fix 3. Restart Outlook in Safe Mode
Outlook’s safe mode ensures the disabling of all add-ons and third-party interference, which helps to check if the issue is because of it.
Step 1: Hold the CTRL key and click on the Outlook Shortcut .
Step 2: You will see a warning dialog box telling you to confirm if you want to launch Outlook in Safe Mode. Click on Yes .
Step 3: Check if the issue persists once Outlook opens.
Fix 4. Disable Litigation Hold (Ask IT Admin)
Litigation hold allows Office 365 admins to prevent other users from deleting emails for a specific period. This feature can only be disabled using an admin account, and if you have it enabled in your Office 365 admin end, you can’t delete the emails :
Step 1. Log in to your Office 365 admin account (or ask the administrator to do so)
Step 2. Then, navigate to Exchange Admin Center > Recipients > Mailbox .
Step 3. Now, select the affected email account and click Edit .
Step 4. Then, go to Mailbox Features > Litigation hold .
Step 5. Check if your organization has Litigation hold enabled and ask the admin if they can disable it.
Fix 5. Empty Deleted Items From Outlook on the Web
If you are in an exchange mailbox, you will face issues deleting emails on the desktop version of Outlook. You can try deleting the emails using the Outlook web version. Log in with your Exchange email on the Outlook website. Ensure to delete emails in smaller groups if you could not delete them earlier.
Fix 6. Turn on the Archive Email Box
Using the Archive Email box, users can clear storage space for their exchange email accounts and, in many cases, restore their ability to delete emails in Outlook:
Step 1. Log in to the Exchange Admin center .
Step 2. Go to Recipients > Mailboxes and select the mailbox for which you want to enable the Archive Email box.
Step 3. Now, go to the Others section for the respective mailbox.
Step 4. Find the Mailbox Archive section, click Manage Mailbox Archive , and turn on Mailbox Archive.
Yes, enabling this setting in Outlook can affect your ability to recover deleted emails. When you activate this option, it empties the Deleted Items folder automatically upon closing Outlook, bypassing the Recover Deleted Items folder, which serves as a temporary backup for deleted items. This step makes recovering emails more difficult, as they are permanently removed from your account.
To check your mailbox storage limit and usage, navigate to the File tab within Outlook > click on Account Settings > select Account Settings again from the dropdown menu. In the Account Settings window, choose the relevant email account and click on Folder Size . This will display your overall mailbox usage and storage limit. You can find more detailed information about storage usage by clicking on Server Data .
