What are the IMAP settings to assure when I delete emails they end up in the GMAIL TRASH folder?

Question

IMAP settings on Outlook to assure emails deleted in Outlook end up in the TRASH in GMAIL.

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Moved from: Microsoft 365 Insider | Outlook | Windows

Answer 1

Hi RITA SVARZKOPF,

Welcome to Microsoft Q&A Forum,

Thanks for sharing your concern on Outlook-Microsoft Insider, I acknowledged that you would like to put the deleted emails on Outlook to Gmail trash.

For more detail in the above steps, you can consider checking the below troubleshoots and reference if you want:

How do I enable the All Mail, Drafts, Sent Mail, Spam, and Trash folders in Gmail or G Suite IMAP?

New Outlook (Insider) — Gmail account connected: If you ever need to restore, use Deleted Items → Recover items deleted from this folder (new Outlook), then move them back to the desired folder.

Recover and restore deleted items in Outlook

Classic Outlook (legacy UI) — IMAP account: If you’re using the classic Account Settings dialog for an IMAP profile, map the delete action explicitly to Gmail’s Trash:

1. Select File → Account Settings → Account Settings.
2. Choose your IMAP account → Change → More Settings.
3. Open the Deleted Items tab.
4. Select Move deleted items to the following folder on the server → choose [Gmail]/Trash.

Notes that help with Gmail IMAP:

• If you previously chose “Messages are marked for deletion,” Outlook will show deleted messages with strikethrough in their original folder (not moved). Switch to Move deleted items… to use Trash instead.
• If strikethrough messages still appear, change view to View → Change View → Hide messages marked for deletion.

Restore deleted messages when using an IMAP account

I hope the details on the above workarounds will help you more in this case. Even if not, please do not hesitate to share with me more information regarding your error message, so we can find the solution together.

Thanks, and sincerely,

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Answer 2

To ensure that emails deleted in Outlook end up in the Gmail Trash folder, you need to configure your IMAP settings correctly. Here are the steps to follow:

1. Set Up IMAP in Gmail: Make sure IMAP is enabled in your Gmail account settings. You can do this by going to Settings > Forwarding and POP/IMAP and selecting Enable IMAP.
2. Configure Outlook: When setting up your Gmail account in Outlook, ensure that you use the following settings:
   • Incoming Mail (IMAP) Server: imap.gmail.com
   • Port: 993
   • Encryption Method: SSL/TLS
3. Set Deleted Items Folder: In Outlook, you may need to specify that deleted items should be moved to the Trash folder. This can usually be done in the account settings under the folder options. Look for settings related to deleted items and select the Trash folder as the destination for deleted emails.

By following these steps, emails deleted in Outlook should be directed to the Trash folder in your Gmail account instead of being permanently deleted.

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References:

• Enable your Gmail account for IMAP in Exchange Online
• Prepare your Gmail or Google Workspace (formerly G Suite) account for connecting to Outlook and Microsoft 365 or Office 365