How To Archive Email On iPhone

How To Archive And Find Archived Email on iPhone

It's easier than you think to get into good archiving habits — especially if you manage your email on iPhone, which gives you a number of ways to archive email in an instant. And that's true whether you use the built-in Mail client, or a third-party mail app like Gmail or Outlook.

No matter which mail client you're using, the process for archiving emails is very similar. To archive a message you have open, simply tap the archive button — which usually looks like a bankers box. In Mail and Gmail, this button can be found in the top-right corner. In Outlook, it's down at the bottom.

To archive emails in bulk, follow these steps:

1. Head to your inbox and tap and hold one of the messages you want to archive.
2. Once your first message is selected, tap all the other emails you want to archive.
3. Tap the Archive button, which appears at the bottom of the screen in Mail and Gmail and at the bottom in Outlook.

The emails you selected will now end up in your iPhone email archive. They will no longer clutter up your inbox, but they can be easily found if you need them later.

How to find archived emails in Mail

One of the simplest ways to find archived emails in Mail is to simply search for it. Mail will search your archive folder as well as your inbox (learn more about Mac mail archiving). Alternatively, you can trawl through your iPhone email archive folder manually by following these steps:

1. From your inbox, swipe right to access the Mailboxes screen.
2. Scroll down to the appropriate mail account if you have more than one set up.
3. Tap the Archive folder to open it.

How to find archived emails in Gmail

You can also use the search function inside the Gmail app to find archived emails in Gmail. But if you want to view the archive folder, you can follow these steps:

1. Tap the menu button — which shows three lines — in the top-left corner.
2. Select the appropriate mail account if you have more than one.
3. Tap the All mail or Archive folder to open it.

How to find archived emails in Outlook

Like Gmail and Mail, Outlook also lets you search for archived messages. But to locate its iPhone email archive folder, follow these steps:

1. Tap the home button — which looks like a house — in the top-left corner.
2. Select the appropriate mail account if you have more than one.
3. Tap the Archive folder.

How To Retrieve Archived Emails on iPhone

If you've archived a message and you want to put it back into your inbox where it's a little easier to find later, you can retrieve it from the archive folder. To do this, follow the steps above to locate and open the message you want to retrieve, then follow these steps:

Retrieve archived emails in Mail

1. Tap the Folders button at the bottom of the screen.
2. Tap Move Message...
3. Tap Inbox.

Retrieve archived emails in Gmail

1. Tap the options button — which shows three dots — in the top-right corner.
2. Select Move to Inbox.

Retrieve archived emails in Outlook

1. Tap the options button — which shows three dots — at the top of the screen.
2. Tap Move to Folder.
3. Tap Inbox.

How To Delete Archived Email on iPhone

One of the downsides to archiving emails is that archived email on iPhone still takes up the storage space you've been allocated by your mail provider. While it's great for holding onto important messages, then, it's not ideal for junk and other emails you don't need to keep.

To delete emails from your archive folder, simply find and open the message using the steps outlined above, then tap the delete button — which looks like a trash can. To delete multiple archived emails at once, follow these steps:

1. Tap and hold one of the messages you want to delete
2. Once your first message is selected, tap all the other emails you want to delete
3. Tap the delete button — which appears at the top of the screen in Mail and Gmail and at the bottom of the screen in Outlook — to delete them

Email Archiving Software For iOS 15

To make archiving email on iPhone even easier, you can use a third-party tool. They can help you manage an inbox that has already become overloaded and would take too much time to declutter manually. The best email archiving solutions, such as Clean Email, also include an automated archiving feature, which takes care of archiving automatically so you never have to worry about it.

When choosing archiving software, it's important to select one that meets your own email needs. Some work better with certain mail providers, while others cost extra if you want to use them with more than one mail account. Some can also take care of archiving without reading the content of your messages, while others can't — something to bear in mind if you're privacy-conscious.