# Can't Delete "Deleted Items" in Outlook Express

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cant-delete-deleted-items-in-outlook-express/227447>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [February 4, 2004, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cant-delete-deleted-items-in-outlook-express/227447 "2004-02-04T05:42:38Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Duke\_of\_Rat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Duke\_of\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke_of_Rat)\
**Post date:** [February 4, 2004, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cant-delete-deleted-items-in-outlook-express/227447/1 "2004-02-04T05:42:38Z")

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I just scroll thru my Inbox and delete all kinds of stuff…and filled the Deleted Items folder up. So I tried to “Permanently Delete” those Items. Got an Error Message, saying Outlook Express couldn’t open the folder.

Now I can’t delete any more emails from the Inbox, and can’t Permanently Delete the Deleted Items.

Any ideas??

TIA

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**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\
**Post date:** [February 4, 2004, 7:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cant-delete-deleted-items-in-outlook-express/227447/2 "2004-02-04T07:23:51Z")

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Right-click on the **Deleted Items** folder and one of the menu selections should be “Empty Deleted Items Folder”. That’s what you should have used.

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**Author:** ![Number](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/number/32/242_2.png) [@Number](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Number)\
**Post date:** [February 4, 2004, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cant-delete-deleted-items-in-outlook-express/227447/3 "2004-02-04T13:29:50Z")

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It sounds like your mail store is corrupted. It might be easiest to create a new identity through **File|Identities|Add New Identity** , switch to it, then import your old messages and mail settings. It will let you choose which folders you want to import, so exclude Deleted Items. Once everything is working you can set the new identity as default through **File|Identities|Manage Identities**.

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**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\
**Post date:** [February 4, 2004, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cant-delete-deleted-items-in-outlook-express/227447/4 "2004-02-04T13:32:19Z")

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Easier than that is this down and dirty fix. Don’t blame me if it goes wrong and your house falls down and stuff.

Close Outlook Express.

Do a search on your hard drive for \*.dbx files.

Find the deleted items.dbx file.

Trash it.

Start Outlook Express again.

That should fix it.