How to auto-delete emails in Outlook.com with rules

Last reviewed: October 28, 2026 · Markdown version

Make an Inbox rule: Settings > Mail > Rules > Add new rule, with a condition (who it is from) and an action (delete). Rules act on mail as it arrives, not on what is already there.

Create the rule

1. “To create a completely new rule, at the top of the page, select Settings > Mail > Rules.”
2. “Select Add new rule.” — “Every rule needs at least three things: A name, a condition, and an action.”
3. “Press Save to create your rule or Discard to cancel rule creation.” (Microsoft Support, “Manage email messages by using rules in Outlook”, read 28 October 2026)

The quick way, for moving a sender’s mail to a folder: “right-click a message in your message list that you want to create a rule for, select Rule, then Create rule.” (same page).

A new rule does not touch old mail

Microsoft: “Currently, you can’t run inbox rules on existing messages in the Outlook.com beta. A new rule is applied only to messages you receive after the rule was created.” Its suggestion for the backlog: “you can use Archive, Move to, and Sweep to automatically move or delete messages in your inbox.” (Microsoft Support, “Manage email messages by using rules in Outlook”, read 28 October 2026)

Rules vs Sweep

“Sweep rules run once per day. Inbox rules run as soon as email arrives in your mailbox.” (Microsoft Support, “Organize your inbox with Archive, Sweep, and other tools in Outlook on the web”, read 28 October 2026) Order matters when you have several: “Inbox rules are applied to incoming messages based on the order they’re in within the Inbox rules list.”, and the Stop processing more rules option keeps later rules from running (same Manage email messages by using rules in Outlook page).

Turning a rule off or removing it

“In the rule you want to delete, select More actions (⋯) > Delete rule”; or, to pause it, “Use the toggle next to the rule name to disable or enable the rule.” (Microsoft Support, “Manage email messages by using rules in Outlook”, read 28 October 2026)

Limits

How many rules an Outlook.com mailbox can hold is not stated on the page we read: Manage email messages by using rules in Outlook is silent on a number (Microsoft Support, “Manage email messages by using rules in Outlook”, read 28 October 2026).

Where our app fits

Adinand Email Cleaner creates these rules for you from the sender list: each is an ordinary Inbox rule in your mailbox, named “Auto-trash:” and the address, whose action is Microsoft’s delete — “Indicates whether a message should be moved to the Deleted Items folder.” (Microsoft Learn, “messageRuleActions resource type”, read 28 October 2026) — not the permanent kind. Because the rule lives in your mailbox, it keeps working if you delete the app. On iPhone and iPad it works with Outlook.com, Microsoft work or school accounts and Gmail; the Android app works with Gmail. Processing happens on your device, the app has no servers of its own, and it asks Microsoft for headers, never message bodies. It moves mail to Deleted Items and cannot delete anything permanently. The free tier caps how much it will clean and how many rules you can keep; the pricing section has the current numbers.