Is there a way to empty the Deleted Items folder by date?

[FivePoundBag]

Is there a way to get Outlook to delete items in the Deleted Items
folder that have been in there for some period of time (1 week, 1
month, ???)?

I know there is a Tools option to empty it on exit, but I sometimes
want to recover a file a few days later.

 

[VanguardLH]

Is there a way to get Outlook to delete items in the Deleted Items
folder that have been in there for some period of time (1 week, 1
month, ???)?

I know there is a Tools option to empty it on exit, but I sometimes
want to recover a file a few days later.

Use AutoArchive. Enable the global AutoArchive function (so it actually
runs) and set it to run each day (the minimum value). If you set it for
long, items that are marked as "old" by a folder's auto-archive settings
merely become *eligible* for archiving for whenever the next AutoArchive
run is executed.

For the Deleted Items folder, in its properties, enable AutoArchiving.
Then select to permanently delete items over some threshold in days.

Like the master breaker in your house and wall switches, you need both
on to light up your room light. The global AutoArchive option is the
master breaker and the folder's auto-archive settings are the wall
switches. If the master breaker ain't on, it doesn't matter in what
state are the wall switches in your rooms. With the master breaker on,
whether you get light in room depends on the wall switch.

 

[Diane Poremsky [MVP]]

FWIW, the option to empty on exit can cause problems with outlook exiting.
Using autoarchive, set to run every day or so, and the folder set to delete
items moved there more than oh, 3 days ago, will keep the deleted folder
clean. Use the same setting on junk mail too.
http://www.slipstick.com/tutorials/auto/archive.htm

--
Diane Poremsky [MVP - Outlook]

Outlook & Exchange Solutions Center: http://www.slipstick.com/

Outlook Tips by email:
mailto:[email protected]

 

[FivePoundBag]

Use AutoArchive. Enable the global AutoArchive function (so it actually
runs) and set it to run each day (the minimum value). If you set it for
long, items that are marked as "old" by a folder's auto-archive settings
merely become *eligible* for archiving for whenever the next AutoArchive
run is executed.

What do you mean by "long"?

I prefer to set it to run every 30 days and prompt me. That way I can
take a look at the PST files and see what's happening.

For the Deleted Items folder, in its properties, enable AutoArchiving.
Then select to permanently delete items over some threshold in days.

What a great suggestion. I just set that up. Thanks.

 

[FivePoundBag]

FWIW, the option to empty on exit can cause problems with outlook exiting.

It also doesn't provide for a way to keep items for a few days.

Using autoarchive, set to run every day or so, and the folder set to delete
items moved there more than oh, 3 days ago, will keep the deleted folder
clean. Use the same setting on junk mail too.
http://www.slipstick.com/tutorials/auto/archive.htm

I just set autoarchive to run every 3 days and set the Deleted Items
folder to autoarchive every 3 months. Occasionally, I delete the wrong
thing and don't discover it for awhile.

I clean out the junk email folder every few days, so it never has much
in it.

Thanks for the suggestions and information.

 

[VanguardLH]

What do you mean by "long"? I prefer to set it to run every 30 days
and prompt me. That way I can take a look at the PST files and see
what's happening.

More (or much more) than 1 day. The items that become eligible per the
folder's auto-archive settings are not actually archived until the
global setting's run interval. Say you set the folder to archive items
that are over 5 days old. If the global archive run interval is 30
days, those 5-day old items become 6 days old, 7 days old, 8 days old,
and so on until the next archive job runs after 30 days have elapsed.
Items that you wanted to disappear won't do so until the archive job
gets run. So you want the global archive interval to be equal to or
shorter than the shortest archive eligibility set in any folder.

Having the folder's archive eligibility interval set to shorter than
the global archive run interval means those eligible items won't get
handled until the archive job actually gets around to be ran (manually
or by using the global archive interval). So you end up wondering why
eligible items aren't getting archived on time. Set the global archive
interval to 1 day. Then set the folder's archive interval to whatever
you want and its eligible items will get archived then. For example,
with global archive interval at 1 day and the folder's archive eligible
archive at 30 days, the items in that folder don't become eligible for
archiving until they are 30 days old but they WILL get archived at that
time because you don't have to wait longer for when the archive job
actually gets run.