How do I turn off Auto Archive of Emails in New Oulook without Office 365 subscription

Question

I finally migrated from "Classic Outlook" (Outlook 2010 version) to "New Outlook" (Version 1.2025.806.300 that was free, and pre-loaded, on my new Dell Desktop computer) and don't like how "New Outlook" is automatically moving Emails from my InBox to Archive. How can I turn off this auto-archiving that's occurring? Note, I do not have/want an Office 365 subscription. All searching I've done online results in only 2 solutions: Solution for "Classic Outlook" and Office 365, neither of which I have at this point.

Answer 1

I have a gmail account in New Outlook that is Archiving random emails.

Sweep is not available for this account

There are no rules for this account

This account is the same domain as another account (@xxxx.org) on New Outlook, this 2nd account does not auto archive

Please advise

Thanks

Answer 2

Based on what you’ve checked:

• No Rules in OWA.

No Sweep settings.

No Retention Policies exposed in settings.

That means the movement is most likely caused by:

Default behavior in Outlook.com accounts → Microsoft automatically provisions an Archive folder, and some system processes (focused inbox cleanup, spam filtering, or “Inbox too full” triggers) move items without user-visible rules.

IMAP accounts (like Gmail, Yahoo) → New Outlook sometimes maps “All Mail” or “Archive” as the Archive folder and presents normal server-side behavior as if it’s an auto-archive.

In both cases, there’s no “turn off auto-archive” toggle in your New Outlook app.

Answer 3

Okay so we can rule out Rules and Sweep settings. Now check Retention Policies in OWA

In OWA, go to Settings (gear) → Mail → Retention policies (sometimes found under General → Retention policies or Mail → Automatic processing).

Look for any active policies such as:

“Move messages older than X days to Archive.”

  “Delete after X days.”
  

If you see a policy applied, that’s what’s moving your mail.

Important: These are usually controlled by your email administrator or provider, not by you.

Answer 4

I see, have you tried to check via Outlook on the Web (OWA)?

1. ign in to your email account through the browser.
2. Navigate to Settings → Mail → Rules or check under Retention Policies.
3. If there are any rules moving mail into Archive or set with retention actions, you'll see them there.

Answer 5

Hi! Greg. Thanks for the details. The behavior you’re seeing, emails being moved from the Inbox to Archive, must be caused by Rules or Sweep settings, not automatic archiving:

The New Outlook doesn’t include Auto-Archive. Instead, check these settings for anything moving mail automatically:

• Sweep: Go to Settings → Mail → Sweep
• Rules: Go to Settings → Mail → Rules

Here's the reference: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/5497169/new-outlook-how-do-i-turn-off-auto-archive

Without using Office 365 or Microsoft 365, these automated moves can still happen if certain rules or sweep options have been set, sometimes accidentally.

Here’s how to troubleshoot and (hopefully) stop this auto-archiving:

1. Review and disable any Sweep actions:

Open New Outlook.

Click the Settings (gear icon) — usually in the upper right.

Navigate to Mail → Sweep (or similar).

Look for any sweep rules (e.g., "Move all older than X days to Archive") and disable or delete them.

2. Check Mail Rules:

Still in Settings → Mail → Rules.

Inspect each rule—especially those triggered by messages arriving or certain conditions:

For example, “If received older than X days, move to Archive.”

Disable or delete any unintended rules.

3. Verify that AutoArchive isn’t secretly active (just in case):

While this isn’t available in New Outlook, if you ever switch between installations (classic vs. new), it's still good to check:

• In classic Outlook: File → Options → Advanced → AutoArchive Settings
• Ensure that the "Run AutoArchive every n days" box is unchecked.Here’s how to troubleshoot and (hopefully) stop this annoying auto-archiving:
  1. Review and disable any Sweep actions:
  • Open New Outlook.
  • Click the Settings (gear icon) — usually in the upper right.
  • Navigate to Mail → Sweep (or similar).
  • Look for any sweep rules (e.g., "Move all older than X days to Archive") and disable or delete them.
  2. Check Mail Rules:
  • Still in Settings → Mail → Rules.
  • Inspect each rule—especially those triggered by messages arriving or certain conditions:
    • For example, “If received older than X days, move to Archive.”
  • Disable or delete any unintended rules.
  3. Verify that AutoArchive isn’t secretly active (just in case):
  While this isn’t available in New Outlook, if you ever switch between installations (classic vs. new), it's still good to check:
  • In classic Outlook: File → Options → Advanced → AutoArchive Settings
  • Ensure that the "Run AutoArchive every n days" box is unchecked.

Best regards,

Kimberly