18.7. Using the Deleted Items Folder

When you delete a folder or an Outlook item, it does not vanish permanently—at least not immediately. Rather, it goes to the Deleted Items folder. This is a safety feature that allows users to recover from accidental deletions. You can "delete" items in the usual way (select them and press Del) or you can drag them to the Deleted Items folder.

When you delete an item from the Deleted Items folder, it is truly gone. Most people prefer to delete items from this folder manually, by selecting one or more items and pressing Del. To delete all items from the Deleted Items folder, select Empty "Deleted Items" Folder from the Tools menu. You can also tell Outlook to automatically empty the Deleted Items folder whenever the program exits as follows: