Want to highlight a helpful answer? Upvote!

Did someone help you, or did an answer or User Tip resolve your issue? Upvote by selecting the upvote arrow. Your feedback helps others! Learn more about when to upvote >

Newsroom Update

Apple is introducing a new Apple Watch Pride Edition Braided Solo Loop, matching watch face, and dynamic iOS and iPadOS wallpapers as a way to champion global movements to protect and advance equality for LGBTQ+ communities. Learn more >

Looks like no one’s replied in a while. To start the conversation again, simply ask a new question.

How to delete many old emails by date?

I have accumulated thousands of emails in my phone. I want to delete them by date, en masse. Apple Help/Chat says it can't be done, except one by one. I say there must be a better way to do something so pedestrian. Do you know how? Thanks!

iPhone SE, iOS 12.0.1, 64 Gig

Posted on Oct 28, 2018 6:19 PM

Reply
Question marked as Best reply

Posted on Dec 2, 2018 8:42 PM

Hello Mark,

Thank you for using Apple Support Communities.

I understand that you want to bulk delete emails from your iPhone. There is currently no way to bulk delete emails from the iPhone. The best option for deleting a lot of emails at one time is from the Inbox, select the "Edit" option from the top right. This will give you radio buttons or circles next to the emails in your inbox. Tap the circles to select the emails you want to delete. Then select "Trash" from the lower right. You can select as many or as few as you wish. I usually delete them in groups of 100, just my preference to keep things manageable and I have had a couple of hundred selected and inadvertently hit the "Edit" button and turned it off and had to go back and do it again.

Another option might be to view your email account from the provider's online portal. Depending on the provider, there might be an option for bulk deletions.

Best regards.
2 replies
Question marked as Best reply

Dec 2, 2018 8:42 PM in response to markfromport townsend

Hello Mark,

Thank you for using Apple Support Communities.

I understand that you want to bulk delete emails from your iPhone. There is currently no way to bulk delete emails from the iPhone. The best option for deleting a lot of emails at one time is from the Inbox, select the "Edit" option from the top right. This will give you radio buttons or circles next to the emails in your inbox. Tap the circles to select the emails you want to delete. Then select "Trash" from the lower right. You can select as many or as few as you wish. I usually delete them in groups of 100, just my preference to keep things manageable and I have had a couple of hundred selected and inadvertently hit the "Edit" button and turned it off and had to go back and do it again.

Another option might be to view your email account from the provider's online portal. Depending on the provider, there might be an option for bulk deletions.

Best regards.

Dec 2, 2018 9:03 PM in response to CarlosP1228

Thank you for your reply. I understand there is no way to select multiple emails and delete en masse. Your explanation of how to delete was clear, but not to the point. I have over 25,000 emails. I want to delete about 23,000 of them. The inadequacy of having to delete them one at a time shouldn't need pointing out. I would like to request a feature for the iMail app: Figure out a way to click here, then shift-click there, so ONE MORE click will do whatever I want to that selection. Apply it to any list in any app in iOS. Make it easier for me to use my iPhone/iPad/iThing.

PS I've been using Macs since 1987, and everything since, including a bunch of iPhones. I know you know how. Please? Thank you.

How to delete many old emails by date?

Welcome to Apple Support Community
A forum where Apple customers help each other with their products. Get started with your Apple ID.