New Outlook clean up folder missing? What to use instead

If you've right-clicked your Inbox in new Outlook and can't find Clean Up Folder, you're not alone, and AutoArchive isn't in Settings either. Here's which cleanup tools Microsoft documents as classic-only, and what new Outlook gives you instead.

Updated October 14, 2026 · Outlook.com, Hotmail, new Outlook, classic Outlook

Classic vs new Outlook: cleanup features side by side

Microsoft keeps a feature comparison between the two apps (last updated September 23, 2026). These are the rows that matter for cleaning up a mailbox, plus two features documented on their own help pages. "Partially available" is Microsoft's term: the feature exists, but "might not have all the existing features" of the other version.

¹ From Microsoft's AutoArchive article. ² Microsoft's Conversation Clean Up article applies to Outlook for Microsoft 365, Outlook 2024 and Outlook 2021 (classic) and doesn't list new Outlook. ³ From Microsoft's Search Folders article. All other rows are from the feature comparison page.

Each side has something the other lacks. Classic has scheduled archiving, and Microsoft documents folder-wide Conversation Clean Up only for classic. New Outlook has Sweep, which classic doesn't have at all.

Clean Up Folder and Clean Up Conversation

In classic Outlook, Conversation Clean Up removes redundant messages from a thread. If a message is fully quoted in a later reply, the earlier one moves to Deleted Items. You run it from Home › Clean Up (or the arrow next to Delete on the simplified ribbon), with three options:

• Clean Up Conversation: the current thread only.
• Clean Up Folder: every conversation in the selected folder.
• Clean Up Folder & Subfolders: the folder and everything inside it.

Microsoft's article for this feature applies to Outlook for Microsoft 365, Outlook 2024 and Outlook 2021, all classic Outlook. It doesn't include new Outlook for Windows or Outlook.com. Users report the same thing in Microsoft Q&A: a 2023 thread titled "What happened to Clean Up Conversation?" has 100+ "same question" votes, and an August 2026 post says Clean Up Folder "doesn't appear to be available in the new version of outlook." Microsoft hasn't published a date for bringing it to new Outlook.

Closest equivalents in new Outlook

• Ignore conversation. Available in both apps, according to Microsoft's feature comparison. It's meant for threads you're done with, not for pruning redundant replies.
• Manual pruning in conversation view. Open the thread, select the older replies you don't need, and delete them. It's slow for a whole folder but precise.
• Classic Outlook for the folder-wide pass. If you rely on Clean Up Folder for a big archive, toggle to classic, run it, and toggle back.

Sweep isn't a replacement here. It works by sender, not by thread, so it can't tell a redundant reply from a useful one in the same conversation.

AutoArchive

Microsoft is explicit: "AutoArchive feature is not available in new Outlook for Windows." In classic Outlook, AutoArchive moves items past an aging period (6 months for the Inbox by default) into an archive .pst file, or permanently deletes them, depending on your settings.

New Outlook has no scheduled equivalent that writes to a .pst. What it does have:

• The Archive button. Moves selected messages to your Archive folder. To restore one, select it in Archive and use Move to.
• Archive policies. Microsoft's help shows right-click folder options including "Assign policies to choose when emails within a folder will get automatically archived," and a Policy option under Tags. Whether you see these depends on your account type and, for work accounts, your organization's settings.
• Online archive, listed as available in both apps, for accounts that have one.

If what you actually want is to free space rather than move mail around, moving mail to the Archive folder won't help: it still counts against your mailbox. An online archive mailbox (work accounts) is separate storage. See why Outlook storage stays full after you delete.

Search Folders, rules and Quick Steps

Search Folders

Search Folders are "partially available" in new Outlook. Microsoft's note: "Search Folders in the new Outlook continue to use predefined criteria. Advanced custom Search Folders are supported only in classic Outlook." The predefined types still include two that are useful for cleanup:

• Large mail: the messages taking the most space.
• Old mail: candidates for archiving or deletion.

To create one in new Outlook, go to Search Folders › Create new search folder and pick the type. You manage them under Settings › Mail › Search folders.

Rules

Rules are "partially available" in new Outlook, and Rules Import/Export is "Not supported." If you built a big rule set in classic Outlook, you can't export it and load it into new Outlook. You'll recreate the ones you need by hand. Rules run as mail arrives; Sweep rules, by contrast, "run once per day."

Quick Steps

Listed as "partially available." Users in Microsoft Q&A report differences from classic, such as keyboard shortcuts starting at a different number.

What to use in new Outlook instead

For most people, the goal behind "clean up" is fewer emails and less storage used. New Outlook covers that with a different set of tools.

1. Sweep: clear out one sender at a time

Select a message, then Sweep. You can delete everything from that sender, keep only their latest email, or delete their email older than 10 days, either once or for future mail too. Two limits are documented: Sweep rules run once per day, and Sweep "isn't available from the following folders: Junk Email, Drafts, Sent Items, and Deleted Items." When it misbehaves, see Outlook Sweep not working.

2. The Storage page: bulk-delete by folder and age

In Outlook.com, go to Settings › Account › Storage (on some accounts, Settings › Subscription › Email storage). You get "a breakdown of how much space each folder in your mailbox is taking," with options to permanently delete all items in a folder, or those older than 3, 6 or 12 months. It's the closest thing to a mailbox-wide cleanup, but it works by folder and age, not by sender or thread.

3. Archive: get mail out of your Inbox

Select messages and choose Archive. Good for a tidy Inbox, but moving mail to the Archive folder doesn't free space; it still counts against your mailbox.

4. Large mail and Old mail search folders

Find the space hogs, select them, and press Shift + Delete to delete them permanently. Microsoft's storage guidance also suggests sorting by size (Filter › Sort by › Size) and saving attachments you want to keep to OneDrive first.

5. Empty Deleted Items

Deleted mail still counts against your quota until Deleted Items is emptied, or the items are removed automatically after 30 days. Microsoft notes that items deleted with Sweep "will not count toward reducing your storage quota until they are also deleted from the Deleted Items folder."

Switching back to classic Outlook for a cleanup

If you need AutoArchive, Clean Up Folder, custom Search Folders or rules export, classic Outlook still has them. In a 2024 post for business customers, Microsoft said that during the opt-in stage "users can toggle back to classic Outlook for Windows" if "there are features or workflows that are not available yet," and that toggling "is designed to be quick."

Microsoft also says it will "continue to honor published support timelines for existing version of classic Outlook for Windows until at least 2029." In the final "cutover" stage, the option to switch back goes away and new Microsoft 365 deployments get new Outlook, but existing classic installations stay supported. Microsoft has promised at least 12 months' notice before that stage.

Two caveats:

• Work and school accounts: your IT department controls which Outlook you get, and can move your organization through the stages earlier than Microsoft's own timeline.
• Sweep goes away in classic. It's listed as "Not supported" there. Do your Sweep-based cleanup in new Outlook or on the web.

A practical split: use classic for the one-off folder cleanup or archive run, then go back to new Outlook for day-to-day Sweep and rules.

FAQ

Does new Outlook have AutoArchive?

No. Microsoft's AutoArchive article states: "AutoArchive feature is not available in new Outlook for Windows." Use the Archive button, archive policies where your account offers them, or classic Outlook for scheduled archiving.

Where is Clean Up Folder in new Outlook?

Microsoft's Conversation Clean Up article lists only classic Outlook versions (Outlook for Microsoft 365, 2024 and 2021), and users on Microsoft Q&A report they can't find Clean Up Folder or Clean Up Conversation in new Outlook. The closest built-in options in new Outlook are Ignore conversation, Sweep and manual deletes.

Can I switch back to classic Outlook to clean up my mailbox?

In most cases yes. In a 2024 post for business customers, Microsoft said that during the opt-in stage users can toggle back to classic Outlook, and that it will honor support timelines for existing versions of classic Outlook "until at least 2029." Your organization's IT settings can change this for work accounts.

Is Sweep available in classic Outlook?

No. Microsoft's feature comparison lists Sweep as "Not supported" in classic Outlook and "Available" in new Outlook. It's the main cleanup tool that's on the new side but not in classic.

Sources

• Microsoft Support: Feature comparison between new Outlook and classic Outlook (updated September 23, 2026)
• Microsoft Support: AutoArchive settings explained
• Microsoft Support: Use Conversation Clean Up to delete redundant messages in Outlook
• Microsoft Support: Use Search Folders to find messages or other Outlook items
• Microsoft Support: Organize your inbox with Archive, Sweep, and other tools
• Microsoft Support: Organize your inbox (Outlook.com and new Outlook)
• Microsoft Support: Storage limits in Outlook.com
• Microsoft Tech Community: New Outlook for Windows, a guide to product availability
• Microsoft Q&A: What happened to Clean Up Conversation? (user reports)
• Microsoft Q&A: Can you "clean up folder" in the New Outlook? (user reports)
• Microsoft Q&A: New Outlook Version: Clean Up Folder + Quick Steps (user reports)