How to Access Archived Emails in Outlook
Microsoft includes an Archive folder in Outlook by default, giving you an easy way to access the emails within it. If you’re unable to locate a message you need or have enabled Outlook’s AutoArchive, it’s important to know where to find archived emails in Outlook.
The thing is that the steps are slightly different depending on the Outlook version or device you’re using. To avoid this, especially if you use the app on multiple devices, consider using Clean Email to get the archived emails instead.
Classic Outlook versions
In Outlook for Microsoft 365, Outlook 2021, and Outlook 2019, you can check the archived emails with these steps:
- Expand the Folder Pane on the left using the top arrow.
- Choose an account if you have more than one and expand it to see the folder list.
- Select Archive and you’ll see your messages.
New Outlook versions
In the New Outlook for Windows and Mac and on Outlook.com, follow these steps:
- Click the Show Navigation Pane or Show Sidebar button (three lines) on the top left.
- Expand an account if you have more than one; otherwise, expand Folders.
- Select Archive to view the messages.
Outlook mobile app
In the Outlook mobile app on Android or iPhone, do the following:
- If you have only one account, tap your profile icon on the top left.
- Select Archive.
If you have more than one account, follow these steps instead:
- Tap the profile icon and choose the account.
- Tap the profile icon again to display that account’s menu.
- Select Archive to see the emails.
Retrieve Archived Messages in Outlook
If you want to remove a message from the Archive folder and place it in your Inbox or a different folder, this is doable in all of the above Outlook versions.
- Open the Archive as described and right-click the email.
- Go to Move in the shortcut menu.
- Pick a location in the pop-out menu. Note that on macOS, you must use Move → Choose Folder to view the location selection.
In the mobile app, open the email, tap the three dots on the top right, and choose Move to Folder to pick a location.
You’ll notice other actions you can take in the shortcut menus including marking as read or unread, deleting, or flagging. This is handy for selecting multiple emails in the Outlook archive that you want to flag or categorize for reference later.
How to Access Archived Outlook Emails in Clean Email
Regardless of your version of Microsoft Outlook, you can quickly and easily look at your archived emails using Clean Email. Best of all, these steps work the same in all Clean Email apps on the web, desktop, and mobile!
- Display the left-hand menu, if necessary.
- Expand Mailbox.
- Select Archive to view the messages.
Retrieve Archived Messages in Clean Email
Like Outlook, you can unarchive a message using Clean Email. This allows you to move it to your inbox or a specific folder.
- Open the Archive as described and select the message.
- Use the arrow next to Trash on the right to choose Move.
- Pick a location in the pop-up window.
In the mobile app, you can just swipe from right to left and choose More → Move to pick a location.
You can also perform additional actions here. Simply select a message to send it to the Trash, mark it as read or unread, delete it, or identify it as Spam.
For example, maybe you moved an email to the archive during a short-term project that is now complete, so you can trash or delete the archived message.
Another action you can take on archived emails is to unsubscribe. This is convenient if you archive subscription messages that you end up wanting to unsubscribe from later.
Easier Archive Management for Outlook in Clean Email
Along with the ability to use the same steps to access and retrieve archived messages in the Clean Email app, this application offers useful features for efficiently working with the archive.
Again, you can take advantage of these options on all devices:
Archive messages in bulk: You can easily archive Outlook emails in bulk using the Smart Folders. For messages related to travel, online shopping, finance, insurance, and more, you can archive multiple emails at once thanks to the smart filters and labeling.
Auto-archive messages: You can also set up auto-archive rules in Clean Email to regularly clean up your Outlook inbox. For instance, you can select messages from a sender and create a rule to automatically archive them based on the time frame.
Create rules for the Archive folder: Want to automatically remove outdated archived messages? You can set up a rule for the Archive folder itself. You may want to send archived emails to the Trash or permanently delete them when they are older than two, five, or ten years.
