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How to Quickly Archive or Delete Messages in iOS Mail

Swipe actions let you manage iOS Mail emails in seconds

By Heinz Tschabitscher Heinz Tschabitscher Writer University of Vienna A former freelance contributor who has reviewed hundreds of email programs and services since 1997. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on August 21, 2021 Reviewed by Michael Barton Heine Jr Reviewed by Michael Barton Heine Jr Michael Heine is a CompTIA-certified writer, editor, and Network Engineer with 25+ years' experience working in the television, defense, ISP, telecommunications, and education industries. lifewire's editorial guidelines Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email Email Yahoo! Mail Gmail

What to Know

Archive: Go to Settings > Mail > Swipe Options > Swipe Right > Archive. In Mail app, swipe left to right over message and tap Archive.Delete: Go to Settings > Mail > Accounts > [your account] > Account > Advanced. Under Move Discarded, choose Deleted Mailbox. The quickest way to archive or delete emails from the Mail app on an iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad is to use the swipe motion (although there is another way to delete emails). Here's how to set up swipe to delete and swipe to archive using the Mail app on iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch devices with iOS 10 or later.

How to Set Up Swipe to Archive

Swipe actions may be set up on your device, but if swiping an email doesn't do what you want it to, follow these steps to change what happens when you drag an email to the left or right. Open the Settings app. Go to Mail and then tap Swipe Options. Select Swipe Right and choose Archive. Email accounts that have Archive as an option for swiping left offer Trash (in addition to other options) for swiping right. Tap the Home button to return to the home screen. If your device doesn't have a Home button, swipe up from the bottom of the screen to return to the Home screen. Now that you've changed the Mail Settings, swipe from left to right in the Mail app to archive messages. Archiving sends a message to the archiving folder, which is away from the Inbox but not in the Trash folder (you can still get it later). However, trashing an email sends it to the Trash folder.

How to Set Up Swipe to Delete

Newer versions of iOS include a separate set of instructions to enable swipe to delete. Go to Settings > Mail > Accounts and choose the account for which you'd like to enable swipe-to-delete. Select Account > Advanced. Under Move Discarded Messages Into, select Deleted Mailbox. Select Account > Done. Now you can delete messages by swiping from right to left and tapping the Trash icon.

Swipe Action Tips for iOS Mail

The best time to use the swipe action you set up is when you're viewing a list of emails and you want to quickly decide what happens to the messages without opening them. However, this only works if the email settings have been set to show previews. You'll find this option in Settings > Mail > Preview. In the settings for the swipe actions, you can also use a swipe motion to quickly mark an email as read, flag it, or move the email into a new folder. You can archive or delete an email from the message, but swipe actions don't work within the message. Use the menu bar at the bottom of the email to delete it or move it to a new folder such as Archive. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire How to Delete Gmail Emails Faster on Android How to Recover Deleted Messages on Facebook Messenger How to Postpone an Email in Outlook for iOS The 15 Best Hidden Features in iOS 16 How to Retrieve Archived Emails in Gmail How to Delete a Folder in the iOS Mail App How to Delete Emails in Outlook for iOS How to Purge Deleted Outlook Email How to Use AOL Mail Through an Email Client How to Search Mail in iPhone Mail How to Access a Yahoo Mail Account in iPhone Mail Hide the Preview Pane and Delete Mail Without Opening It How to Recover Missing Emails in Gmail How to Empty Spam and Trash Fast in Gmail How to Delete an Email Account on an iPhone How to Send iPhone Mail From a Different Account Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies