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The Delete button is disabled in Outlook's Inbox

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› Outlook › The Delete button is disabled in Outlook’s Inbox

Last reviewed on May 16, 2022     27 Comments

Several users noticed the Delete button was missing when a message was selected in the Inbox:

I recently switched email accounts and the Delete button is disabled and some of my messages are missing. The Delete key on the keyboard will delete messages, only the Delete button in the Home ribbon and the right-click menu for selected e-mail(s) is disabled.

This is the result of exporting an IMAP data file to a pst file or opening IMAP pst files in Outlook. The folders retain certain IMAP features, one of which is the Delete button doesn't work as expected. (In IMAP, it purges.) To fix it, you need to edit the Inbox folder using MFCMAPI and change the PR_CONTAINER_CLASS to IPF.Note.

For a macro method, see Fix the Outlook Folder Type after Exporting an IMAP Account

  1. Get MFCMAPI . If you have 64 bit office, you need 64 bit MFCMAPI.
  2. Open MFCMAPI, go to Session, Logon
  3. Select your profile
  4. Double-click on the affected data store.
  5. Expand Root - Mailbox
  6. Expand Top of Information Store or IPM_Subtree
  7. Select Inbox
  8. Look for PR_CONTAINER_CLASS in the right pane, double-click on it.
    edit the folder properties
  9. Change IPF.IMAP to IPF.Note then click OK to close the dialog.
    change the container class to ipf.note
  10. Repeat for each folder that was exported from an IMAP data file.
  11. When you are finished, close the MFCMAPI window, click Session, Logoff on the last MFCMAPI window.

Video Tutorial

 

Use VBScript to change the selected folder

To use, copy and paste into Notepad then save with the .vbs extension. Select the folder you need to change then double click to run it the VBS.

PropName = "http://schemas.microsoft.com/mapi/proptag/0x3613001E"
Value = "IPF.NOTE"

Set oOutlook = CreateObject("Outlook.Application")
Set oFolder = oOutlook.ActiveExplorer.CurrentFolder
Set oPA = oFolder.PropertyAccessor

FolderType = oPA.GetProperty(PropName)

'MsgBox (FolderType)

If FolderType = "IPF.Imap" Then
   oPA.SetProperty PropName, Value
End If

More Information

Fix the Outlook Folder Type after Exporting an IMAP Account

The Delete button is disabled in Outlook's Inbox was last modified: May 16th, 2022 by Diane Poremsky

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About Diane Poremsky

A Microsoft Outlook Most Valuable Professional (MVP) since 1999, Diane is the author of several books, including Outlook 2013 Absolute Beginners Book. She also created video training CDs and online training classes for Microsoft Outlook. You can find her helping people online in Outlook Forums as well as in the Microsoft Answers and TechNet forums.

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Tim Revis (@guest_220324)
June 1, 2023 4:02 pm
#220324

Hi, Diane. I installed Outlook on a new machine and added my IMAP (Google) account. I have 2-3 folders I can't delete or rename. I'm using MFCMAPI but do not have "Top of Outlook Data File" and see all my folders (including the ones I want to delete), but do not have a property called "PR_CONTAINER_CLASS..." listed at all. I have CONTAINER_CONTENTS and CONTAINER_HIERARCHY. I do not see where to change the property value you described from from IPF.MAPI to IPF.NOTE. Can you help, please!?

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Owen Clark (@guest_220091)
February 21, 2023 6:06 am
#220091

Great article really helped me. Thank you!

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Shannon Connor (@guest_215347)
June 5, 2020 11:30 am
#215347

Thank you! This worked beautifully.

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Ed Connolly (@guest_214528)
December 27, 2019 5:19 pm
#214528

Once my 72 year old brain got the starting point this was such a helpful process and with an amazing outcome of a fix...thanks so much.
Ed
PS with this outcome, could it be that I have mail on a server somewhere instead of my computer...... One of the strange things I noticed when I installed Office on my new computer was a sudden influx of very old mail as it transitioned from the older computer on POP3 to IMAP

Thanks again

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Reply
malaka (@guest_214450)
December 9, 2019 9:11 am
#214450

Thank You so Much!

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Reply
Waldemar Kowalik (@guest_213514)
June 29, 2019 12:44 am
#213514

This is absolutely amazing. I spent a few evening looking for it. Great. Thank You. God Bless You

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Mark (@guest_210348)
February 14, 2018 8:06 am
#210348

This was amazing. Worked like a charm. Your instructions were PERFECT. I spent hours searching for a cure to this issue and it only took me 30 minutes to fix. AMAZING. I cannot thank you enough.

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0
Reply
J Brown (@guest_208952)
October 11, 2017 9:37 pm
#208952

These instructions worked perfectly! Thank you.

0
0
Reply

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