Want to really delete your deleted emails? Find out here how to empty the Yahoo Mail Trash folder and permanently purge deleted messages.
First, Seawater Soaked a Shipment of Beans
When he discovered a whole shipment of coffee beans has been soaked in seawater, German coffee merchant Ludwig Roselius said: “Oh, this is just perfect…”
He had been looking for a way to extract the caffeine from coffee, after all—not to use it in a pre-workout drink, but to render the coffee more palatable.
Starting with the beans drenched by the stormy seas and salty water, the story goes, proved beneficial: with the addition of benzene (which itself is carcinogenic, of course, less than palatable and no longer used), Roselius developed the first viable method to decaffeinate coffee.
Now, are you trying to get the emails out of the Yahoo Mail Trash folder? It’s time to break out the seawater—metaphorically:
How to Empty the Trash in Yahoo Mail
In Yahoo Mail on the Desktop:
Time needed: 1 minute
To purge all emails from your Yahoo Mail Trash folder:
- Hover over the Trash folder with the mouse cursor.
No “Trash” initially: If you do not see the Trash folder, click More under the folder list that contains your Inbox, Drafts, and a few folders more.
- Click the Empty Trash folder icon (🗑) that has appeared.
- Now click OK under Delete all emails.
What happens: This will irrevocably delete all emails from the Yahoo Mail Trash folder; if you want to delete all emails from Yahoo Mail altogether, you can do that in an email program connecting to the Yahoo Mail account.
No “OK”: If the Trash folder contains no emails, the dialog will not appear.
Looking to trash a folder? How to Delete a Folder in Yahoo Mail
In Yahoo Mail mobile
To get rid of all deleted messages using Yahoo Mail in a mobile device’s browser:
- Tap the hamburger menu icon to reveal the list of folders.
- Now tap the trashcan icon next to the Trash folder.
- Click OK to confirm under Delete all messages.
Empty the Trash in the Yahoo Mail app for iPhone
To empty the Trash folder using the Yahoo Mail app for iOS:
- Tap the trashcan icon (🗑) next to the Trash folder.
Tip: Tap the folder list icon to reveal the list of folders if it is not visible initially.
Note: The trashcan icon will not appear if the Trash folder is empty. - Click OK under Delete all messages or Delete all messages in Trash.
In Yahoo Mail Basic on the Desktop:
To delete all emails from the “Trash” folder immediately using basic (classic) Yahoo Mail:
- Position the mouse cursor over the Trash folder in classic Yahoo Mail.
- Click the Empty the Trash folder trashcan icon (🗑) that has appeared.
No questions asked: Emails will disappear immediately without confirmation.
How to Empty the Yahoo Mail Trash Folder: FAQ
Will Yahoo Mail remove messages from the “Trash” folder automatically?
Yes.
Emails will only stay in the Yahoo Mail Trash folder for 7 days. After that time, they disappear even if you have not emptied the Trash.
Can emails emptied from the Yahoo Mail “Trash” be recovered?
Maybe.
Within seven days, deleted emails can be restored to any Yahoo Mail folder—even the Trash by Yahoo Mail.
Can I change the Yahoo Mail Trash settings?
No.
How the Trash folder operates in Yahoo Mail and how frequently it is emptied by default cannot be configured.
Why are my emails going to the Trash in Yahoo?
The two things that will send emails to the Trash folder automatically are
- filters and
- email programs or services.
To check for rules in Yahoo Mail:
- Click the Settings gear icon.
- Select More Settings.
- Go to the Filters category.
- Check for and edit or disable any filters that contain Deliver to “Trash”.
Email programs and services connected through IMAP or POP can delete emails
- when they are downloaded (POP) or
- when they are moved and deleted (IMAP).
(How to empty the Yahoo Mail Trash folder tested in desktop and mobile browsers as well as the iOS app; updated April 2024)