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how to select all emails in outlook

To select all emails in Outlook, you basically have two main tools: the Select all control in the interface and the Ctrl+A / Command+A shortcut. Here’s a practical, SEO‑friendly breakdown of the different ways to do it across Outlook versions.

Quick Scoop: Fastest Ways

  • On Windows desktop: Click anywhere in the message list, then press Ctrl+A to select all emails in that folder.
  • On Mac desktop: Click in the message list, then press Command+A.
  • On Outlook web (Outlook.com / Office 365 in browser): Click the checkbox at the top of the message list (above the first email) or click a message and press Ctrl+A / Command+A.

Once they’re all selected, you can delete, move, archive, or mark them as read/unread in one go.

Outlook Desktop App (Windows & Mac)

Method 1 – Keyboard shortcut (simplest)

  1. Open Outlook and go to the folder you want (Inbox, Sent Items, custom folder, etc.).
  1. Click once on any email in the list so the list has focus.
  1. Press:
    • Ctrl+A on Windows.
 * **Command+A** on Mac.

All visible items in that folder are now selected. You can then hit Delete , drag them to another folder, or right‑click for more actions.

Method 2 – Add a “Select All” button (Windows Quick Access Toolbar)

If you prefer clicking over shortcuts, Outlook desktop lets you add a Select All command to the Quick Access Toolbar.

  1. In Outlook, click the small down arrow in the top‑left (Quick Access Toolbar menu).
  1. Choose More Commands… to open Outlook Options.
  1. In “Choose commands from”, set it to All Commands.
  1. Scroll down, find Select All , and click Add to move it to the right side.
  1. Click OK.
  1. Open any mail folder, click an email, then click the new Select All icon on the toolbar to highlight everything in that folder.

This is handy if you’re doing bulk cleanup often and don’t want to remember shortcuts.

Method 3 – Select large groups (but not literally “all”)

If you want to select a range instead of truly everything:

  • Click the first email in the range.
  • Hold Shift , then click the last email in the range. All emails in between are selected.
  • To pick and choose non‑adjacent messages, hold Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac) and click each email you want.

This is useful when you only want, for example, “all emails from this week” that appear together in the list.

Outlook Web (Outlook.com / Office 365 in a browser)

Method 1 – Use the top checkbox

  1. Go to https://outlook.live.com/ or your organization’s Outlook web address and sign in.
  1. Open the folder: Inbox, All Mail, Unread, etc.
  1. Above the message list, you’ll see a checkbox at the very top (usually just under “Mark all as read” or in the header row).
  1. Click that checkbox to select all visible emails in the current view.

On Outlook web, “Select all” may initially grab only the messages currently loaded/visible; when you scroll or see a banner like “Select all conversations in this folder”, clicking it will extend the selection to everything in that folder.

Method 2 – Keyboard shortcut in the browser

  1. Click on any email in the list.
  1. Press Ctrl+A (Windows) or Command+A (Mac).

That selects all items currently loaded in the folder. Again, some Outlook.com views will then offer a “Select all conversations in this folder” link to truly grab thousands at once.

Selecting Thousands of Emails Safely

If you’re cleaning out a massive inbox, a few extra details matter:

  • Outlook can select all messages in a folder if they share a view or filter (e.g., all unread, all from one sender, all in a search result).
  • Use search + select all :
    • Search for a sender, subject, or “is:unread”.
* When only those messages are visible, use the checkbox or **Ctrl+A / Command+A** to select them all.

This is the safest way to delete thousands of emails that share a common trait (for example, old newsletters) without touching important mail.

Mini Forum‑Style Notes & Gotchas

“Outlook.com only selects 5 at a time.”

Some users notice that Outlook.com initially only selects a small batch when clicking the top checkbox. In many layouts you’ll then see a prompt like “Select all conversations in this folder” to extend the selection beyond the first group.

“I don’t want to use keyboard shortcuts.”

If you dislike shortcuts, adding the Select All command to the Quick Access Toolbar in the desktop app gives you a one‑click solution, and the web app’s top checkbox works entirely with the mouse.

Tiny TL;DR

  • Desktop (Windows/Mac): Click in the list → press Ctrl+A (Windows) or Command+A (Mac) to select all emails in that folder.
  • Web (Outlook.com / 365): Use the top checkbox above the list or press Ctrl+A / Command+A after clicking a message.
  • For huge folders, watch for a “Select all conversations in this folder” message to truly grab everything.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.