How to Sort Deleted Emails by Date Deleted on

Outlook (Microsoft Office 365 ProPlus version)

By: Erica Yi
Date: May 24, 2020

Purpose Statement: This procedure is a step-by-step guide to teach Outlook users how to sort their
deleted emails by the order it was deleted. This procedure was created because Outlook’s default
sorting is by the date an email was initially received, which can cause inconvenience for users who want
to find an old email that was recently deleted.

Audience: The primary audience for this procedure is for any Outlook user who needs help changing
their viewing preference so that the most recently deleted email appears at the top.

Procedure:

1. Go to your Deleted Items folder on Outlook.

2. On the ribbon bar on top, click the “View” tab and then click “View Settings.” (Figure 1, below)

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Figure 1: Screenshot of ribbon bar on Microsoft Outlook.

3. A box titled Advanced View Settings: Compact will appear. Click on the “Columns…” button.
4. A box titled Show Columns will appear. Under Select available columns from, choose “Date/Time
fields” from the drop-down menu. (Figure 2, below)

Figure 2: Screenshot of Show Columns box.

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 5. On the Available columns list, single click on “Modified” so it becomes highlighted and then
select the “Add ->” button. The “Modified” will be moved to the list on the right. Click “OK” to
finalize. (Figure 2, above)
6. At the Advanced View Setting: Compact box again, select the “Sort…” button.
7. Find Select available fields from located at the bottom. Select “Date/Time Fields” from the drop-
down. (Figure 3, below)
 You must complete Step 7 first or else Step 8 will not work!

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8. At the top, locate Sort items by and choose “Modified.” Make sure the “Descending” option is
chosen next to it (this is so the most recently deleted email will appear at the top). Click “OK” to
finalize. (Image 3, above)
9. You will see the Advanced View Setting: Compact box again. But this time, select “OK.”
10. Outlook will automatically reorganize your Deleted Items folder so the emails will appear by the
date/time deleted.

Conclusion: After following these steps, your deleted emails should now be sorted by the date/time
deleted. I suggest playing around with the Advanced View Settings: Compact box from step 3 to see if
there are alternative modifications that can be made to your liking.

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