Hide Strikethrough Messages in Microsoft Outlook

Read time: 5 minutes

Microsoft Outlook is a versatile messaging application known for its robust features in email management, sharing, and deletion. It offers seamless access to Exchange mailboxes and supports standard email retrieval protocols like IMAP and POP3, providing users with various options for email correspondence.

When emails are deleted in an IMAP account within Outlook, they are typically marked with a strikethrough instead of being moved to the deleted items folder. This behavior can be somewhat confusing, as deleted emails neither go to the trash nor are permanently removed.

In this blog, we’ll explore simple and efficient solutions to hide and delete emails with strikethrough formatting that appear grayed out in Outlook folders. Additionally, we’ll introduce an excellent tool to address various Outlook email accessibility issues, such as cannot see images in outlook emails.

Top Solutions to Hide and Delete Strikethrough Emails

Here are the recommended solutions to address this issue. We’ve provided detailed steps for each method to help you quickly resolve the problem of strikethrough emails in Outlook folders.

Emails in IMAP accounts aren’t deleted immediately when you delete them; they are marked for deletion. These marked-for-deletion emails appear grayed out with a strikethrough line and remain visible in the Outlook folders. To hide such emails, follow these steps:

1. Open the folder where you want to hide strikethrough emails in Outlook, like the inbox folder
2. Click on the ‘View’ tab; after that, tap on ‘Change View’.
3. In the‘Change View’ tab, select ‘Hide Message Marked for Deletion’ to hide the strikethrough messages.
4. If you want to apply this change in other email folders, select ‘Apply Current View to Other Mail Folders’.

You can also set the filter option on strikethrough emails to hide or delete them. To do this, follow the below steps:

1. Click on the ‘View’ tab; after that, tap on ‘Current View’ and open ‘View Settings’.
2. Now, click on the ‘Filter’ option to open it.
3. Select the ‘Advanced’ tab and then press the dropdown ‘Field’ tab and point it to the ‘All Mail field’ then ‘IMAP Status’.
4. Now set the ‘Condition’ tab to ‘equals’ and ‘Value’ tab to ‘Unmarked’.
5. Finally, click on ‘Add to List’.

If you are using an online email server, you can delete strikethrough Outlook emails using this method. Please note that this method is only applicable for Outlook 2007 and not for later versions.

1. Select the IMAP account and click on the ‘Edit’ tab.
2. Now, click on ‘Purge’ and select one of the following options as per your need:
   • Purge Marked items in the inbox
   • Purge marked items in (your mail id)
   • Purge marked items in all accounts

1. Select the IMAP account and click on the ‘Edit’ tab.
2. Now, click on ‘Purge’ and select ‘Purge Options’.
3. A dialog box opens saying ‘Internet Email Setting’.
4. Under Purge Options, click on the ‘General’ tab and check the option ‘Purge Items When Switching Folders While Online’.

Now, you can successfully address the issue of strikethrough emails in Outlook using the methods outlined above. These solutions will enable you to hide and delete strikethrough emails promptly. However, if you consistently encounter problems like the unintentional deletion of crucial emails or issues with Outlook reminders not working correctly, there might be a more severe underlying problem. This could be attributed to corrupted files within your Outlook application. In such a scenario, it is advisable to utilize a professional Outlook repair tool, such as Kernel for Outlook PST Repair.

Kernel for Outlook PST Repair is equipped with advanced features designed to effectively repair corrupted or damaged PST files and recover deleted Outlook emails. It can also handle password-protected and encrypted PST files while maintaining data integrity throughout the scanning and recovery process. Its user-friendly interface ensures ease of use, even for non-technical individuals. In summary, this tool is an ideal solution for addressing a wide range of issues related to Outlook PST files.

Conclusion

The issue of strikethrough emails in Outlook can stem from various causes. If you encounter this problem, the methods mentioned above can help resolve it. However, if the issue persists due to corrupt or damaged PST files, leading to problems like Outlook crashes while replying to emails, we advise utilizing the advanced Outlook repair tool we previously discussed. This tool excels in repairing corrupted PST files and effortlessly recovering deleted data.