How to clean up an Outlook or Hotmail inbox

Outlook.com (including Hotmail and Live addresses) has built-in tools that clear thousands of emails quickly. Here's the order to use them.

Last updated 29 October 2026

1. Use Sweep to remove a sender's emails

Select an email from a sender you don't want, choose Sweep, then pick "Delete all from the Inbox folder" (and optionally "from any future messages"). It's the quickest way to clear newsletters.

2. Sort by sender or size

Sort the message list by From to delete whole groups, or by Size to find the biggest emails. Large attachments use the most mailbox space.

3. Search before you delete

Use the search box (e.g. a sender name or the word newsletter) and the search filters for dates, then check the results before deleting them all.

4. Empty Deleted Items and Junk

Deleted mail still counts towards your storage until Deleted Items is emptied. Items can often be recovered for a while afterwards using "Recover items deleted from this folder".

5. Keep it tidy

• Turn on Focused Inbox so important mail is separated.
• Create rules to move newsletters into a folder automatically.
• Unsubscribe from marketing using the link Outlook shows at the top of the email.

Before a big clear-out, move tax, HMRC, bank and receipt emails into a "Keep" folder. See finding HMRC emails.