This wikiHow teaches you how to delete all of the messages in your iPhone’s Mail app at once.

Steps

  1. 1
    Open your iPhone’s Mail app. It’s the blue icon with a white envelope. You’ll usually find it on the home screen.
  2. 2
    Open your inbox. If you don’t already see the list of messages, tap Inbox to open it now.
  3. 3
    Tap Edit. It’s at the top-right corner of the screen. Empty circles now appear at the left side of each message.
  4. 4
    Tap Mark All. It’s at the bottom-left corner of the screen. A menu will appear.
  5. 5
    Tap Mark as Read. This closes editing mode.[1]
  6. 6
    Tap Edit again. It’s at the top-right corner of the screen.
  7. 7
    Tap the first message. A blue and white check mark now appears on its left side.
  8. 8
    Tap and hold Move. It’s at the bottom of the screen. Use your thumb so you have another finger free for the next action.
  9. 9
    Tap the first message again with a different finger. This deselects the first message.
  10. 10
    Release your thumb from Move. This brings you to a screen that says ″Move these messages to a new mailbox″ at the top of the screen.
  11. 11
    Tap Trash. It’s the option with a blue trash can icon. This deletes all of the messages from the inbox. Once the messages are deleted, you’ll return to the inbox, which now says ″No Mail″ at its center.

Community Q&A

  • Question
    It will not let me tap the trash icon in the last step. What can I do?
    Community Answer
    I had the same problem; all I did was keep tapping the trash icon until I saw it finally highlighted gray. Patience is the answer.

About this article

Written by:
wikiHow Technology Writer
This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Nicole Levine, MFA. Nicole Levine is a Technology Writer and Editor for wikiHow. She has more than 20 years of experience creating technical documentation and leading support teams at major web hosting and software companies. Nicole also holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Portland State University and teaches composition, fiction-writing, and zine-making at various institutions. This article has been viewed 14,082 times.
Article SummaryX

1. Tap Edit in your inbox.
2. Mark all messages as read.
3. Tap Edit.
4. Tap the first message.
5. Tap and hold Move.
6. Tap the first message.
7. Lift your finger from Move.
8. Tap Trash.

Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 14,082 times.

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