Simplify Mailbox Cleanup with Clean Email
Before you walk through the guides for emptying the Trash in your email app, consider simplifying the process with Clean Email.
Clean Email is a mailbox management supplement that works with any IMAP email service provider for effective ways to maintain a tidy inbox. Best of all, you can enjoy all Clean Email features on any device using the web, Mac desktop, or mobile apps for Android and iOS.
Along with cross-platform availability, you’ll love the seamless syncing between devices. You can set up rules to do things like automatically mass delete Gmail messages or empty the trash in Hotmail. All Clean Email tools offer uniformity no matter where you use the app.
Auto Clean
Nothing eases the burden of mailbox cleanup better than automations. With Auto Clean, you can create rules to automatically delete, move, or trash emails based on custom conditions you select.
Even better, you can automate emptying your Trash or delete emails without sending them to the Trash folder at all!
📌 For example, you can permanently delete messages in the Trash folder that are older than one week, automatically delete large emails from a sender, or to keep your storage under control, just remove emails larger than a certain size.
Smart Folders
For a super simple way to get rid of those trash-worthy emails, check out the Smart Folders. Created for you automatically, Smart Folders filter related messages for easy viewing and bulk actions.
For instance, you can open the Travel folder to send emails from a previous trip to the Trash or use the Food Delivery folder to get rid of weeks’ worth of purchase and delivery messages.
You’ll find over 30 Smart Folders that make searching, finding, and trashing bulk emails a breeze.
📌 Note: Clean Email provides you with two options for removing emails: Trash or Delete. The Trash action sends emails to a Trash folder where you can recover the messages whereas the Delete action permanently removes the messages.
How to Empty Trash in Gmail
As one of the most widely-used email service providers, Gmail provides a pretty easy way to manually empty the Trash on the web and in the mobile app.
Gmail on the Web
- Visit Gmail and sign in.
- Open the left-hand menu and expand More if necessary.
- Select Trash.
- Choose Empty Trash Now at the top.
- To confirm, click OK.
Gmail on Mobile
- Launch the Gmail app.
- Open the left-hand menu and select Trash.
- Choose Empty trash now at the top.
- To confirm, tap Empty on Android or OK on iPhone.
💡 Tip: Tired of Gmail limiting the number of emails on the screen when deleting messages in the mobile app? With Clean Email, you can select and delete all Gmail messages at once without continuous scrolling to load more and more emails.
How to Empty Trash in Yahoo Mail
Even though Yahoo Mail provides 1 TB of storage, that doesn’t mean you should let unwanted or outdated messages pile up. You can manually empty the Trash in just a few steps on the web and in the mobile app.
Yahoo Mail on the Web
- Visit Yahoo Mail and sign in.
- Open the left-hand menu.
- Hover your cursor over Trash and click Empty Trash folder (Trash Can icon).
- To confirm, click OK.
Yahoo Mail on Mobile
- Launch the Yahoo Mail app.
- Open Inbox at the bottom and select Trash.
- Tap the Trash can at the top.
- To confirm, tap OK.
Note that you can also empty the trash without reviewing the emails first. To do so, open Inbox at the bottom and tap the Trash Can next to Trash.
💡 Tip: Looking for an easier way to clean up your Yahoo Mail inbox? Using Clean Email’s Cleaning Suggestions, you can see recommendations based on your previous actions to clear out your inbox in a snap!
How to Empty Trash on AOL Mail
Even though AOL, like Yahoo Mail, offers generous storage, letting unnecessary emails pile up isn’t ideal. Since both platforms use the same backend, the process of emptying Trash is nearly identical—just follow the steps below for either the web or mobile app to delete AOL emails.
AOL Mail on the Web
- Go to AOL Mail and log in.
- In the left-hand panel, hover over the Trash folder and click the trash can icon that appears to the right.
- A pop-up will ask if you want to permanently delete all messages from Trash.
- Click OK to confirm.
💡 If you decide to recover several deleted AOL emails before emptying the Trash folder, here’s what you need to know.
AOL Mail on Mobile
- Open the AOL Mail app on your mobile device.
- Tap the Inbox icon at the bottom, then select Trash from the folder list.
- Tap the trash can icon next to Trash.
- A confirmation box will appear—tap OK to permanently delete all messages.
📌 To see what this looks like, refer to the Yahoo Mail mobile guide and screenshots—the steps are the same in AOL Mail.
How to Empty Trash in Outlook and Hotmail
If you’re a Hotmail user, then you probably already know that you don’t have a specific location to check and clean up your Hotmail inbox. For both Hotmail.com and Outlook.com email accounts, you use the Microsoft Outlook web, desktop and mobile apps.
Outlook and Hotmail on the Web
- Visit Outlook and sign in.
- Open the left-hand menu and expand Folders if necessary.
- Hover your cursor over Deleted Items and select the three dots.
- Pick Empty.
- To confirm, click Delete All.
Outlook and Hotmail on Mobile
- Launch the Outlook app.
- Open the left-hand menu and select Deleted.
- At the top, choose the Trash Can on Android or Empty Folder on iPhone.
- To confirm, tap Permanently Delete.
💡 Tip: Wondering how to automatically empty trash in Outlook or Hotmail instead of manually doing so? As mentioned, you can set up rules with Clean Email’s Auto Clean feature to not only automatically delete Outlook messages or send them to the Trash, but also empty the Trash without manual intervention!
How to Empty Trash in iCloud Mail
As with most email service providers, iCloud Mail counts messages in the Trash folder toward your storage limit. So, keeping this folder free of emails can give you more space for incoming messages and reduce the need to purchase more storage.
iCloud Mail on the Web
- Visit iCloud Mail and sign in.
- Open the left-hand menu.
- Select Settings using the gear icon at the top.
- Choose Empty Trash.
- To confirm, click Empty Trash.
Alternatively, select Trash on the left, use Command + A to select all emails, and click Delete on the right. Note that you won’t be asked to confirm when using this method.
iCloud Mail on Mobile
- Launch the Mail app on iPhone or iPad.
- Open the main Mailboxes screen using the arrow on the top left.
- Expand iCloud near the bottom if necessary.
- Select Trash.
- Tap Select → Select All at the top.
- Choose Delete at the bottom.
- To confirm, tap Delete All.
💡 Tip: Want a simpler way to clear iCloud mail storage before it fills up? With Clean Email’s Screener, you can keep junk from unknown senders out of your inbox and with Unsubscriber, you can unsubscribe from unwanted marketing messages in bulk.
How to Empty Trash in Apple Mail
If you use the Apple Mail app on your Mac, iPhone, or iPad, you can empty the Trash for all connected accounts or just specific ones.
Apple Mail on Mac
- Open the Mail app and access the Inboxes in the sidebar.
- Select All Trash to empty trash for all accounts. For a particular account, expand it and select Trash.
- Do one of the following:
- Right-click All Trash or Trash, pick Erase Deleted Items, and click Erase to confirm. Note that this action erases deleted items in that mailbox and in the Trash mailbox.
- Choose Edit → Select All or use Command + A to select all emails. Click Delete in the toolbar or right-click and pick Delete. Note that you won’t be asked to confirm.
Apple Mail on Mobile
- Launch the Mail app on iPhone or iPad.
- Open the main Mailboxes screen using the arrow on the top left.
- Select All Trash to empty trash for all accounts. For a particular account, expand it and select Trash.
- Tap Select → Select All at the top.
- Choose Delete at the bottom.
- To confirm, tap Delete All.
💡 Tip: Do you find yourself constantly searching Apple Mail for particular messages? With Clean Email’s Smart Folders, you can quickly locate related messages. Plus, you can easily sort and group a folder or your inbox by date, sender, subject, size, or number of emails.
Wrap-Up
Maintaining a tidy mailbox involves more than just organizing messages; it also means emptying your Trash bin. While it’s mostly a simple process in apps like Gmail, Yahoo Mail, and Outlook, Clean Email provides faster and more efficient cleanup methods using automations and other cross-platform features.
