How Do I Delete / Remove Duplicate Emails in Outlook

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Removing or deleting duplicate emails in Outlook can help declutter your mailbox and free up space. While there are paid tools available for this task, there are also several free methods you can use to delete duplicate emails manually or through built-in Outlook features. Below are some methods for doing this:

1. Using Outlook's Built-in Clean Up Tool​

Outlook has a built-in Clean Up tool that can help you remove duplicate emails from conversations and folders.

Note: You can also try third-party Email Eraser Tool for removing and deleting duplicate Outlook emails.

Steps to Find and Remove Duplicate Emails​

1. Open Outlook and select the folder where you want to clean up duplicate emails (e.g., Inbox, Sent Items).
2. Go to the Home tab.
3. In the Delete group, click on the Clean Up drop-down.
4. You will see three options:
   • Clean Up Conversation: Removes duplicate messages in a conversation thread.
   • Clean Up Folder: Removes duplicates from the selected folder.
   • Clean Up Folder & Subfolders: Removes duplicates from the selected folder and its subfolders.
5. Choose the option that suits your needs.
6. Confirm the action. Outlook will move the duplicate items to the Deleted Items folder.

This method works well for removing duplicates in email conversations but may not catch all types of duplicates across different folders.

Note: You can try Aryson Outlook Duplicate Email Remover Tool to easily find duplicate items in your Outlook inbox and remove or delete them successfully without any data loss.

2. Manually Sort and Remove Duplicate Emails​

You can manually identify and remove duplicates by sorting your emails by certain criteria such as date, subject, or sender.

Steps to Delete Duplicate Emails of Outlook​

1. Open Outlook and go to the folder where you want to remove duplicate emails.
2. Click on the View tab, then select View Settings.
3. Click on Sort, and choose a field such as Subject, From, or Received to sort emails.
4. Once emails are sorted, manually review the list and select duplicates by holding Ctrl and clicking on each duplicate email.
5. Right-click and choose Delete to remove them.

This method is time-consuming but allows you to precisely select which duplicates to delete.

3. Using Search Folders to Find Duplicates​

You can create a custom Search Folder in Outlook to search for duplicate emails based on specific criteria like subject or sender.

Steps to Remove Duplicate Emails Across the Folder​

1. Go to Folder > New Search Folder.
2. Scroll down and select Create a custom Search Folder, then click Choose.
3. In the Custom Search Folder dialog box, click Criteria.
4. Set up criteria to search for duplicate emails, such as same Subject, From, or Received Date.
5. Once the search results appear, manually delete the duplicate emails.

This method helps filter out potential duplicates across multiple folders without manually browsing through each folder.

4. Remove Duplicate Emails with Export/Import Method​

Another way to remove duplicate emails is to export your mailbox and then re-import it, filtering out duplicates in the process.

Steps to Remove Duplicate Outlook Email Items​

1. Export Mailbox:
   
   • Go to File > Open & Export > Import/Export.
   • Select Export to a file, then click Next.
   • Choose Outlook Data File (.pst) and select the folder (e.g., Inbox) to export.
   • Choose the location to save the file and click Finish.
2. Re-import Mailbox:
   
   • Go to File > Open & Export > Import/Export.
   • Select Import from another program or file, then click Next.
   • Choose Outlook Data File (.pst) and select the file you exported.
   • Choose Do not import duplicates when prompted.
   • Click Finish to import the file without duplicates.

This method allows you to eliminate duplicates by controlling the import settings.

5. Using Rules to Prevent Duplicate Emails in the Future​

If you frequently receive duplicate emails, you can set up rules in Outlook to prevent them from occurring.

Steps to Remove Duplicate Email in Outlook​

1. Go to File > Manage Rules & Alerts.
2. Click New Rule and select Apply rule on messages I receive.
3. Set criteria for identifying potential duplicates (e.g., same subject or sender).
4. In the next step, choose to move duplicate emails to a specific folder or delete them.
5. Click Finish to apply the rule.

This will help minimize future duplicate emails.

6. Manual De-Duplication via PST File Merge​

You can also remove duplicates by exporting emails to a PST file, merging them, and then importing them back without duplicates.

Steps to De Duplication of Outlook emails​

1. Export to PST File: Go to File > Open & Export > Import/Export, and export your mailbox to a PST file.
2. Create a New PST File: In Outlook, go to File > New Items > More Items > Outlook Data File, and create a new empty PST file.
3. Merge: Import the exported file back into Outlook, using the option to Do not import duplicates.
4. Replace the Original Folder: Delete the old mailbox folder that contained duplicates and move the cleaned-up data from the new PST file to the original folder.

Conclusion

Each of these methods provides a way to remove or prevent duplicate emails in Outlook without requiring third-party software. The Outlook Duplicate Email Remover Tool is the simplest and most automatic method, but you may need to use manual methods or custom search folders for more complex duplicate issues.