Cleaning up your mailbox
Note: some of these tips work only using Outlook in a web browser, whereas others work only in the Outlook desktop application.
1. Bulk delete emails by folder (browser)
You can remove old emails via ‘Settings’ > ‘Account’ > ‘Storage’ by emptying folders like 'Deleted Items', 'Junk Email' and (if relevant) "Drafts".
2. Bulk delete emails by date (browser)
- For example, delete all mails older than three months, six months or one year;
- Sort and filter by size, so you can easily find and delete the biggest mails;
- Filter emails by sender or subject, e.g. "name of a colleague", "noreply", "having a coffee", etc. You can then use the CONTROL + A keys to select all emails and then delete them.
3. Only keep the most recent email of a conversation (Outlook Classic)
Email conversations often consist of many separate emails. In Outlook you can choose to delete all but the most recent message in your conversations: Go to File > Tools > Clean Mailbox. Then choose “Delete” under “Delete all other versions of items in your mailbox”.
Note that some emails and documents must be officially archived in the organisational archive and have a (legal) retention period. In that case, save these in another place before deleting the e-mail, for example in Corsa, Teams or in Osiris. An e-mail intended for inclusion in Corsa can be forwarded to your local DIV department for archiving. They can also advise you on good information management. Do you have questions about retention periods? Please contact the DIV/Archive department or, when it specifically concerns personal data, the privacy officer of your faculty or organisational unit.
What else can you do?
- From emailing to sharing
When you create a channel or chat group in Teams, participants can collaborate more easily than through email. You can easily co-edit a document and see responses from your colleagues within the same chat group, allowing you to reply directly. This makes it easier to keep track of others' contributions, and your inbox won’t get flooded with different versions of the same document.
- Be selective with 'CC', 'BCC', and 'Reply All'.
This helps prevent your email and attachments from unnecessarily ending up in your colleagues' inboxes.
- Delete items automatically
Keep your mailbox clean by adjusting the settings in your mailbox. Follow instructions of Microsoft Outlook to automatically empty the "Deleted Items" folder.
Read more about cleaning up your mailbox at the official page of Digital Cleanup Day.
Fastclass Securely and Organized mailbox
Did you know that cleaning up your mailbox not only makes you work more environmentally friendly, but also more secure? More tips for working securely
Do you want to know more? Join the fastclass (15 minutes max) Securely and Organized: Mailbox cleanup and managing sensitive information on March 26 (NL) or March 28 (EN) with tips on how to clean up your mailbox and then keep it organized.