Let us consider cleaning out the Inbox. If you are not in the Inbox go there now by clicking on its name in the folder list.

There are a number of ways to delete files from the Inbox, all with the same results. To delete one item from the Inbox highlight the message line by clicking on it once and then either clicking on the Delete Icon or depressing on the Delete key on your keyboard. The message will be gone. (Actually it has just been transferred to the Deleted Items folder.)

Other ways are as follows: Highlight the message, go up to Edit and click once then scroll to find Delete and click once. Or you can right click your mouse button on the message to be deleted, then scroll to find Delete and click.

If you deleted a file by mistake go to the Deleted Items folder, highlight the item that was mistakenly deleted and click the right button on the mouse. Scroll to find Move to Folder and click. Select the Inbox folder and click OK. The message has now been moved back to the Inbox.

To delete all of the files in the Inbox go up to Edit and click on Select All. All of the files in the Inbox will now be highlighted. Then use any of the above methods to delete all of the files instead of just one.

To remove all of the files permanently in the Deleted Items folder, go to Edit and select Empty Deleted Items Folder. Alternately you can right click and then select on Empty Deleted Items Folder from the dropdown menu that appears. There is no recovery from this delete, but you don’t want these items anyway or you would not have deleted them in the first place.

Sometimes you may want to take some messages out of the Inbox but you don't want to delete it just yet. A new folder can be made and then these messages from the Inbox can be transferred to the new folder. For example, you may wish to transfer all the messages from Aunt Margaret to be in a folder of their own for quick access.

To make the new folder a sub folder of the Inbox, right click your mouse on Inbox in the folder list and select New Folder from the dropdown menu by clicking on it. You will be asked for a name for the new folder. Generally a one or two word name will suffice (for example, Aunt Margaret). Then click on OK. You are now ready to load the letters from the Inbox to the new folder. Find a letter that you want to take out of the InBox to move to this folder. Click with the left mouse button and hold as you move to the new folder. When there just release the button and the message is transferred. Repeat for any other messages that need to be transferred.

To delete a folder, such as the one just made above, just highlight it by clicking on its name in the folder list and depress the Delete key on your keyboard. Of course, you should not delete the Inbox, Outbox, Sent Items, or Deleted Items folders.

Note that the procedure used above to delete or transfer messages from the Inbox can also be used for the other folders such as the Outbox or Sent Items folders.

Bruce Cox