How to Delete All Emails in a Folder in iOS Mail

You don't need to open each email to delete it

What to know

  • iOS 10 through 12: Open the Mail app and navigate to the folder that contains the messages you want to delete.
  • Then, choose Edit, tap the circle next to each message you want to delete, and choose Trash.
  • To delete all folder messages in iOS 9, open the folder and choose Edit > Delete All > Delete All.

Accessing your email on any device is convenient, but messages can accumulate quickly. Learn how to delete all messages in a folder in the Mail app for iOS 9 through iOS 12.

Delete All Emails in a Folder in iOS Mail

To delete all the messages from a folder in iOS 12, iOS 11, or iOS 10:

  1. Tap the Mail app to open it.

  2. If the Mail app doesn't open on the Mailboxes screen, swipe backward until you reach it. Each email provider has its own section of folders.

  3. Scroll down the Mailbox screen until you reach the folder you are looking for. Tap the folder to open it.

  4. Tap Edit at the top of the screen.

  5. Tap each message to place a check mark in the field to its left.

    Don't bother tapping Mark All at the bottom of the screen to save time. It doesn't include a Delete option. However, it does include Flag and Mark As Read, if those work for you. The only exception is the Trash folder.

  6. Tap Trash to remove the emails from the folder. There is no confirmation screen or Undo button.

    Screenshots of an iPhone showing how to delete messages in a folder in Mail

The only folder that doesn't require you to tap each email to select it is the Trash folder. After you tap Edit at the top of the screen, you can choose Delete All at the bottom to empty the trash folder without selecting individual emails.

Screenshots of an iPhone showing how to delete the Trash folder in Mail

Delete All Emails in a Folder in iOS 9 Mail App

Deleting messages is even faster in iOS 9 because you don't have to tap each one. To delete all the messages present in an iOS 9 Mail folder:

  1. Open the folder from which you want to delete the messages.

  2. Tap Edit near the top-right corner.

  3. Tap Delete All.

  4. Tap Delete All again in the confirmation menu that comes up.

The Mail app in iOS 9 deletes all the messages in the folder, not just those you fetched to the device. If more messages are on the server, they are deleted as well.

Deleting all messages does not work in iOS Mail smart folders such as Unread, VIP or Today.

In addition to deleting email, you can move all messages in a folder and act on them in other ways.

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