How do I Delete emails over a date range

Question

I have recently been hacked and it appears the hacker used very old email addresses. My securit was off for a short period and the hacker sent emails to people I have not heard from in years. Problem resolved but I want to delete all emails prior to 2024. Is this possible and how do I set my Outlook to remove emails that are more than say 6months old on a regular basis.

Answer 1

Hello Joyce,

Thank you for your post to the community.

It’s great to hear that your security issue is resolved! If you’re looking to delete emails prior to 2024 and set Outlook to automatically remove emails older than six months, here’s how to do it:

1. Delete Emails Before a Certain Date (Manual Method): You can remove older emails using a simple search filter:

• Open Outlook and go to your Inbox (or the folder where old emails are stored).
• In the search bar, type: "received:<01/01/2024" This will show all emails before Jan 1, 2024.
• Select all emails, then click Delete.

2. Set Up Auto-Deletion for Emails Older Than 6 Months: Outlook allows you to automate email deletion using Retention Policies or AutoArchive:

Method 1: AutoArchive (For Outlook Desktop)

1. Open Outlook and go to File > Options > Advanced.
2. Under AutoArchive, click AutoArchive Settings.
3. Select “Archive or delete items older than 6 months”.
4. Choose Permanently delete old emails or move them to an archive folder.

Method 2: Retention Policy (For Outlook Web & Business Accounts)

1. Go to Outlook Web (outlook.com) and sign in.
2. Open Settings > Mail > Retention Policies.
3. Create a rule to automatically delete emails older than 6 months.
4. Empty Deleted Items & Adjust Recovery Settings :Emails you delete remain in Deleted Items until emptied. Go to Deleted Items > Empty Folder to remove them permanently.

Best Regards,

James | Microsoft Community Support.