How to clean up an Outlook.com inbox with Sweep and rules

Outlook.com and Hotmail inboxes fill up the same way Gmail does, but Outlook’s cleanup tools have different names. Sweep clears every message from a sender in one step, rules sort new mail, and search finds the old mail worth deleting.

To clean up an Outlook.com inbox, use Sweep to remove all mail from senders you never read and block future messages, create rules in Settings › Mail › Rules to sort new mail, then delete old mail by search and empty Deleted Items. These tools work in Outlook on the web and the new Outlook for Windows, not in the Outlook phone app.

Sweep: clear one sender for good

1. Select one email from the sender.
2. Click Sweep on the toolbar.
3. Choose what to do: move all messages from this sender to Deleted Items, also block future messages, always keep only the latest message, or remove messages older than 10 days.
4. Click OK.

Sweep is not available in Junk Email, Drafts, Sent Items or Deleted Items. Saved Sweep rules run about once a day (Microsoft).

Rules: sort new mail automatically

1. Click the gear icon to open Settings, then Mail › Rules › Add new rule.
2. Name the rule, add a condition such as From or Subject includes, and an action such as Move to a folder.
3. Click Save.

Shortcut: right-click an email and choose Rules › Create rule. Rules apply to new mail; use Sweep or Move to for mail you already have. The Outlook app for iPhone and Android cannot create rules.

Folder	Rule condition	Action
Receipts	Subject includes receipt, order or invoice	Move to Receipts
Bills	From your utility, phone and card senders	Move to Bills
Newsletters	From the newsletters you keep	Move to Newsletters

Find and delete old mail with search

Type these in the search box at the top:

Search	Finds
from:[email protected]	Everything from one sender
hasattachments:yes	Mail with attachments; or use Sort › Has files
received:”last year”	Mail received last year
unsubscribe	Most newsletters and promotions
subject:(receipt OR invoice)	Receipts and invoices

Write AND, OR and NOT in capitals. The Filters button in the search box also narrows by date and attachments. Select the results, delete them, and repeat. Outlook returns only the first 1,000 results per search.

Free storage

Open Settings and search for Storage to see what is using space. Empty Deleted Items and Junk Email to free the space now. Attachments are usually the biggest users, so the hasattachments search above pays off fastest.

Keep it clear

Once a week, Sweep any new sender you never read, check that your rules caught the right mail, and empty Deleted Items. Our 10-minute weekly email review works for Outlook too. Using Gmail as well? See Gmail filters and labels and how to clean up an email inbox without losing useful records.

Archive or delete

	Archive	Delete
Where it goes	The Archive folder	Deleted Items
Still searchable	Yes	Until Deleted Items is emptied
Frees storage	No	Yes, once Deleted Items is emptied
Use it for	Receipts, records, anything you might need	Promotions, newsletters, old notifications

Sort to find big and old mail

• Sort › Has files shows only messages with attachments, which are usually the biggest.
• Sort by date, oldest first, to work through the oldest mail in batches.
• The Filter menu above the message list narrows to unread, flagged or messages that mention you.

Questions

Why does my search stop at 1,000 results? Outlook returns only the first 1,000 results. Delete or move them, then run the same search again until it finds nothing.

Can I search by message size? Outlook’s size search is not supported in the new Outlook for Windows. Use Sort › Has files instead.

Does Sweep work for Gmail in Outlook? No. Microsoft says Sweep works only with Outlook.com, Hotmail, Live.com and Microsoft 365 accounts.

Do rules run on mail I already have? No. Rules apply to new mail. Use Sweep or select and move existing messages.

Steps checked against Microsoft Support in November 2026 for Outlook.com on the web and the new Outlook for Windows.

Sources

• Microsoft Support: Organize your inbox with Sweep
• Microsoft Support: Use inbox rules in Outlook.com
• Microsoft Support: How to search in Outlook