The Mail app that comes built into the iPhone supports standard mail-management functions such as deleting messages, flagging messages, or marking messages as junk.

Delete Emails on the iPhone

The simplest way to delete an email on the iPhone is to swipe from right to left across the message you want to delete. Either swipe all the way from one side of the screen to the other to delete the email or swipe part way and tap Trash.

Information in this article applies to iOS 12, although the directions work for all currently supported versions of iOS.

To delete more than one email at the same time:

  • Go to the Inbox, then tap Edit.
  • Tap each email you want to delete to display a checkmark next to it.
  • Tap Trash.
  • The email messages are deleted from the Inbox.

Flag, Mark as Read, or Move to Junk in iPhone Mail

One way to effectively manage email on the iPhone is to sort through your messages to ensure you deal with the important ones.

Go to the Inbox, then tap Edit.

Tap each email you want to delete to display a checkmark next to it.

Tap Trash.

The email messages are deleted from the Inbox.

Messages can be marked so that certain actions are associated with the message. The options are:

  • Flag adds an orange dot next to the message to indicate that it’s important.Mark as Read removes the blue dot next to the message that indicates that it’s unread and reduces the number of messages shown on the Mail app icon on the Home screen.Mark as Unread puts the blue dot next to the message again as if it were new and had never been opened.Move to Junk indicates that the message is spam and moves the message to the Junk Mail or Spam folder for that account.

To mark a message or multiple messages:

  • Go to the Inbox, then tap Edit.
  • Tap each message you want to mark. A checkmark appears next to the selected emails.
  • Tap Mark.
  • Choose either Flag, Mark as Read (or mark a read message as Unread), or Move to Junk.
  • To undo a flag, mark as read, or mark as unread, select the messages, tap Mark, then choose that option.

Use swipe gestures to perform many of these tasks, such as:

Tap each message you want to mark. A checkmark appears next to the selected emails.

Tap Mark.

Choose either Flag, Mark as Read (or mark a read message as Unread), or Move to Junk.

To undo a flag, mark as read, or mark as unread, select the messages, tap Mark, then choose that option.

The Mark as Read and Mark as Unread options appear contextually. For example, if the selected messages are unread, the Mark as Unread option does not display.

  • Flag: Swipe right to left a short distance to reveal three buttons on the right side. One of these is Flag (or Unflag, depending on the message status).Mark as Read: Swipe right to left a short distance to reveal the three buttons. Tap More, tap Mark, then tap Mark as Read. Mark as Unread: Swipe left to right a short distance, then tap the Unread button.Move to Junk: Swipe right to left a short distance, tap More, tap Mark, then tap Move to Junk.

Set iPhone Email Reply Notifications

If there’s an important email discussion going on, set your iPhone to send a notification any time a new message is added to that discussion.

  • Open the discussion you want to be notified about, then tap the Flag icon.
  • Tap Notify Me.
  • Tap Notify Me.
  • A grey bell icon appears in the message folder signifying that notifications are enabled for that thread.

Move Emails to New Folders on iPhone

All emails are stored in the main inbox of each email account when they arrive. To move email messages to different folders:

Open the discussion you want to be notified about, then tap the Flag icon.

Tap Notify Me.

A grey bell icon appears in the message folder signifying that notifications are enabled for that thread.

  • In any mailbox, tap Edit.
  • Tap the message or messages you want to move. A checkmark appears next to the selected messages.
  • Tap Move.
  • Select the folder you want to move the messages to.

In any mailbox, tap Edit.

Tap the message or messages you want to move. A checkmark appears next to the selected messages.

Tap Move.

Select the folder you want to move the messages to.

Running into problems using email on the iPhone? Find out what could be causing them and how to fix them in what to do when your iPhone email is not working.

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