Deleting Empty Folders from the Deleted Items folder in Outlook

Hi Klocke,

The Outlook desktop client can also display all folders, just click "Ctrl" + "6" to switch to Folder list view. Then you can find all the empty folders in Outlook and delete them if you don't need them any more. Press "Ctrl" + "1" will return Mail view.

And I prepare a VBA code for you to remove all empty subfolders of a certain Outlook folder, you can have a try to see if it work.

Please follow the steps below:

1. Press Alt + F11 to open VBA window.
2. Click Insert > Module, and paste below code into the new module window:

Public Sub DeletindEmtpyFolder()

Dim xFolders As Folders

Dim xCount As Long

Dim xFlag As Boolean

Set xFolders = Application.GetNamespace("MAPI").PickFolder.Folders

Do

FolderPurge xFolders, xFlag, xCount

Loop Until (Not xFlag)

If xCount > 0 Then

MsgBox "Deleted " & xCount & "(s) empty folders", vbExclamation + vbOKOnly, "Kutools for Outlook"

Else

MsgBox "No empty folders found", vbExclamation + vbOKOnly, "Kutools for Outlook"

End If

End Sub

Public Sub FolderPurge(xFolders, xFlag, xCount)

Dim I As Long

Dim xFldr As Folder 'Declare sub folder objects

xFlag = False

If xFolders.Count > 0 Then

For I = xFolders.Count To 1 Step -1

Set xFldr = xFolders.Item(I)

If xFldr.Items.Count < 1 Then 'If the folder is empty check for subfolders

If xFldr.Folders.Count < 1 Then 'If the folder contains not sub folders confirm deletion

xFldr.Delete 'Delete the folder

xFlag = True

xCount = xCount + 1

Else 'Folder contains sub folders so confirm deletion

FolderPurge xFldr.Folders, xFlag, xCount

End If

Else 'Folder contains items or (subfolders that may be empty).

FolderPurge xFldr.Folders, xFlag, xCount

End If

Next

End If

End Sub

3. Click Run/F5, and select the target folder to run this VBA
4. The empty folders should be deleted

Hope this can be helpful.

Best,

Shawn

I did give it a try and it mostly did work.  It did throw an error at some point in the process.  but running it a couple of times seems to pick up all the folders/subfolders.  On other folders, it deleted the subfolders just fine.  Not sure what the difference was, but it saved me a lot of time regardless. Thank you!  

line that threw error (sorry...wish I had captured the error as it was intermittent)

Hi Klocke,

Thanks for your feedback. We're glad to this can help you in some degree.

Best,

Shawn

That's what i ultimatedly ended up doing.  Seems so strange to have "current" applications behaving so archaically (ie, capabilities we have grown to expect in all other (non-MS) email clients, so obviously missing in MS's.

thx brian....

I don't know of any way other than one-by-one to delete the folders from the Deleted Items folder.