How to Archive Emails in Outlook (Clear Your Inbox Without Deleting)
An inbox with 4,000 emails in it makes it hard to see what still needs doing. But deleting feels risky — what if you need that email next year? Archive is the answer: it moves emails out of your inbox and into an Archive folder, where they're safe and still searchable.
Archive an email
New Outlook, classic Outlook and Outlook on the web:
1. Select one or more emails. (Hold Ctrl to select several, or Shift to select a range.)
2. Click Archive on the toolbar.
2. Click Archive on the toolbar.
The emails disappear from your inbox and move to the Archive folder.
Keyboard shortcuts:
• Classic Outlook (Windows): press Backspace.
• New Outlook and web: press E if you're using Outlook.com-style shortcuts, or use the Archive button.
• New Outlook and web: press E if you're using Outlook.com-style shortcuts, or use the Archive button.
On your phone, swipe an email to archive it — you can set swipe actions in the Outlook app's settings.
Where do archived emails go?
Into a folder called Archive in your folder list. Nothing is deleted, nothing is compressed — it's just a different folder.
The first time you click Archive in classic Outlook, it may ask you to choose or create an archive folder. Choose Archive (or create one).
Find an archived email
• Click the Archive folder and look through it, or
• Use the search box at the top, and make sure you're searching All folders (or All mailboxes), not just the current folder.
• Use the search box at the top, and make sure you're searching All folders (or All mailboxes), not just the current folder.
The "reply then archive" habit
Treat your inbox like a to-do list:
1. Read an email.
2. Deal with it — reply, add it to your calendar, or forward it.
3. Archive it.
2. Deal with it — reply, add it to your calendar, or forward it.
3. Archive it.
What's left in your inbox is only what still needs your attention. Flag anything you can't deal with yet.
Archive older emails in bulk
To clear a big backlog quickly:
1. Click the Inbox and sort by Date.
2. Click the first email older than, say, one month.
3. Scroll to the bottom, hold Shift and click the last email.
4. Click Archive.
2. Click the first email older than, say, one month.
3. Scroll to the bottom, hold Shift and click the last email.
4. Click Archive.
You can also use Sweep in new Outlook and Outlook on the web to move all emails from a particular sender to Archive.
Mailbox full? Online Archive
Work and school Microsoft 365 accounts can have an Online Archive (also called In-Place Archive) — a separate, extra-large archive mailbox. It shows up in your folder list as Online Archive - your name. Your IT admin turns it on, and may set rules that move old emails there automatically after a year or two.
If your mailbox is full, ask IT whether Online Archive is available.
What about AutoArchive?
Older versions of classic Outlook have AutoArchive (File > Options > Advanced > AutoArchive Settings), which moves old email into a separate .pst file on your computer. It's different from the Archive button, and those files aren't stored online — if your computer dies, they're gone unless backed up. For most people, the Archive button (and Online Archive at work) is the better choice.
Wrapping up
Select, click Archive, done. Your emails are safe in the Archive folder and still searchable — but your inbox only shows what still needs doing.
