DELETE GROUPS IN OUTLOOK

Question

I CAN'T FING ANY WAY TO DELETE GROUPS IN OUTLOOK. THERE ARE MANY THAT I NEVER CREATED IN MY OUTLOOK

Answer 1

Hi Jack Shaw

Thanks for reaching out to Microsoft Q&A Forum. I understand that you are unable to delete groups in Outlook and you are seeing multiple groups that you did not personally create.

Please make sure you already tried the Q&A Assist steps under your thread. In addition, please try the following steps:

1, Try leaving the group instead of deleting it

• Select the group in Outlook
• On the ribbon, choose Leave Group
• Confirm and restart Outlook to see if it is removed from your view

2, Check the group from Outlook on the web

• Sign in to Outlook on the web
• Locate the group under Groups
• Select Group settings and check whether Leave group is available

3, Hide the group from your mailbox

• Open the group in Outlook
• Go to Group Settings
• Turn off the option to receive group conversations in your inbox

4, Check if the groups were added automatically

• Some Microsoft 365 Groups are added when you are included in shared plans, Teams, or collaborative services
• Leaving the related service may remove the group from Outlook

5, Restart Outlook in Safe Mode

• Close Outlook
• Press Windows key + R, type outlook.exe /safe, and press Enter
• Open it in Safe Mode and check whether the groups still appear

I truly hope this helps. Please feel free to let me know how it goes and thank you for your understanding.

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Answer 2

In classic Outlook on Windows, Microsoft 365 Groups can only be deleted by a group owner, and they must be deleted from the Edit Group screen. If the “groups” being seen are Microsoft 365 Groups (not simple contact lists or folders), use these steps:

1. Open classic Outlook.
2. In the folder list, look for the Groups section (separate from normal mail folders).
3. Select the group that should be removed.
4. On the ribbon, select Group Settings > Edit Group.
5. In the Edit Group window, select Delete group.
6. Confirm the deletion.

Notes:

• Only group owners can edit or delete a group. If the account is not an owner, the group cannot be deleted from Outlook; an owner or admin must do it.
• When a group is deleted, all of its inbox content and related data are deleted.
• A deleted Microsoft 365 Group can be restored for up to 30 days. See Manage expiring Groups in Outlook for details.

If the “groups” are actually contact lists or normal mail folders (not under the Groups section), they are managed differently and are not deleted via Edit Group.

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References:

• Edit or delete a Group in Outlook
• Administrator guide to Microsoft 365 Groups in Outlook