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. One thing to rule out first: Outlook’s AutoArchive runs only in classic Outlook for Windows and moves old items to a local archive.pst file instead of the Archive folder, so anything it filed away won’t be in the folder below.
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 classic Outlook for Windows, including Outlook for Microsoft 365, Outlook 2024, Outlook 2021, and older versions like 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.
If Archive isn’t in the list, select More at the bottom of the folder list to reveal it — Outlook can tuck less-used folders there until you expand them. If the folder list isn’t showing at all, select the View tab, then Folder pane → Folder list → Show. Legacy Outlook for Mac also stops working with Exchange Online mailboxes in October 2026, when Microsoft retires the EWS service it relies on, so Mac users on work or school accounts will be following these new Outlook steps.
Outlook mobile app
In the Outlook mobile app on Android or iPhone, do the following:
- From the mail view, tap the account icon (three lines) in the top left.
- Tap the arrow to the right of the account to expand its folder list.
- 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 don’t have to browse the folder at all if you remember something about the message. Outlook searches every folder in your mailbox by default, so archived emails appear in the results. If yours don’t, check that the search scope is set to all folders rather than the current one.
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 Outlook when you want to flag or categorize several archived messages at once.
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.
