How to Purge Deleted Messages in Outlook
If you delete a message in an IMAP account that’s accessed through Outlook, it’s not deleted right away and Outlook doesn’t move it to the Deleted Items folder. Instead, these messages are marked for deletion and are sometimes hidden on purpose since you don’t really need to see them. So, you have to purge the half-gone emails to delete them from the server. Here’s how to set up Outlook to permanently delete messages marked to be expunged in IMAP email accounts:
For Outlook 2019, 2016, 2013, and 2010
For Outlook 2007
For Outlook 2003
How to Make a Ribbon Menu Item for Purging Emails
Instead of using the menu to delete messages, customize the ribbon menu to add a custom button.
What Happens If I Don’t Delete These Emails?
If you don’t delete these messages regularly, your online email account may collect too many of these yet-to-be-deleted messages and fill up your account. From the perspective of the email server, the messages still exist. Some email accounts don’t allow for much storage space. If you don’t purge the deleted emails, you may quickly exceed your allowed storage and may be prevented from getting new mail.
