Accidentally deleted an important email? Don’t worry, your iPhone doesn’t remove deleted emails right away. Most email providers, including iCloud, Gmail, and Outlook, store deleted messages in the Trash folder for up to 30 days before permanently deleting them.
You can also control how long your emails stay in Trash for certain accounts. For iCloud accounts on iOS 16 or newer:
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Open Settings
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Tap your Apple ID
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Select iCloud
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Tap Mail
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Choose Mailbox Behaviors
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Tap Remove
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Select your preferred timeframe: after one day, after one week, after one month, or never
Keep in mind that some providers, like iCloud, may still permanently delete emails after 30 days, even if you select “Never”. This setting helps you manage mailbox clutter while giving you more time to recover emails you may have deleted by mistake.
