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Clear Outlook data

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Works with Windows 10 and 11Works with Windows Vista, XP, 7, 8, 10, 11, and Windows Server 2008 or newer.
  • Multiple actionsThis page belongs to a category, containing some changes with similar goal.
  • Windows onlyThis script improves your privacy on Windows
  • Impact: MinimumSystem Functionality Loss Risk: Low
    This action improves privacy with minimal impact when you run the recommended script.
  • Batch (batchfile)These changes use Windows system commands to update your settings.
  • 3 scripts
  • Fully reversible

    You can fully restore this action (revert back to the original behavior) using this website.

    The restore/revert methods provided here can help you fix issues.

Overview​

This category helps protect your privacy by removing various types of data stored by Microsoft Outlook on your computer.

Outlook comes preinstalled on many Windows computers or gets installed with updates 1 2. Common privacy tools fail to properly wipe Outlook data, even when specifically configured to do so 4. Users attempting to remove sensitive emails would have a false sense of security while their communications remained recoverable 4.

Even when you delete emails, this data often remains accessible to forensic analysis tools 4 5 6. Forensic investigators can still recover complete email messages from Outlook folders 4. Outlook creates temporary files in specialized folders which may contain email content and attachments that were opened but not necessarily saved elsewhere 5. Even after emails are deleted from the inbox, attachments and content may remain in temporary folders 5. Most of the data Outlook retains includes email attachments 5. Outlook tracks recently accessed files 5. Forensic analysis can reveal when specific emails were opened and which attachments were viewed or saved 5.

Outlook data includes:

  • Nicknames for AutoComplete (displays names and email addresses as you start to type them) 7 8 9
  • Personal folders, SharePoint lists, offline folders, and cached mode folders 7 8
  • RSS feeds and installed add-ins 7 8
  • Customized print settings, ribbon settings, and navigation bar customizations 7 8
  • Send/receive group settings and macros/VBA programs 7 8
  • Signatures, stationery, and templates 7 8
  • Dictionary and Outlook safe/blocked senders lists 7 8
  • Account profile information (email address, password, authentication token) 10
  • Email data including sender/receiver addresses, subject, dates, body text, attachments, and headers 10
  • All emails including deleted ones 11
  • Outlook contacts, appointments, calendar events, tasks, notes, and journals 12

Outlook stores emails in special storage files that contain all your messages, contacts, calendar entries, tasks, and notes 6. When emails are deleted, they're moved to the "Deleted Items" folder 6. When the "Deleted Items" folder is emptied, emails are flagged as removed but remain in storage until the file is compacted 6. The storage file doesn't automatically reduce in size after deletion 6. Only file compaction truly removes deleted emails by moving active emails to the beginning of the file and truncating flagged/deleted emails 6.

Forensic tools can recover emails from: intact storage files, password-protected files (even without knowing the password), corrupted files, the "Deleted Items" folder, flagged-as-deleted emails (before compaction), and potentially even emails from unallocated space after compaction 6. Password protection isn't effective against forensic analysis 6.

Different versions of Outlook store data in different places 6. The new Outlook is web-based, syncing all your data to the cloud while keeping a local copy (cache) 6 13 14. Microsoft stores both email contents and non-content account information on a network of servers 3. Microsoft, not you, decides where your data is stored 3. Deleting emails from Outlook doesn't permanently remove them from the system 11.

The Windows registry stores information about your Outlook usage, including unread message counts and when accounts were last checked 15. This means your Outlook activity leaves digital traces that can expose private communications and authentication credentials even when you believe your information is secure 15.

Outlook creates several types of data that pose privacy risks:

  • Temporary files containing email content and opened attachments 5
  • Logs that reveal your usage patterns 1 2 16
  • Telemetry data about your system and behavior 2
  • Local copies of cloud-based data 1 13 14

This category improves privacy by removing locally stored traces of your communications, preferences, and usage patterns that could be analyzed to reveal sensitive information.

It improves security by removing email attachments that could contain malicious code 17. Email attachments in Outlook are a common way for malware to spread 17. Attackers can create hidden rules to automatically forward your emails without your knowledge 16.

It improves system performance by clearing accumulated cached data and log files that can grow extremely large over time, sometimes reaching several gigabytes 18.

Forensic tools can extract both email content and metadata about when emails were sent, received, and accessed 6 11 19. When draft emails are opened in Outlook, they're opened in draft mode, which alters metadata, potentially compromising data integrity 20. This means simply opening an email draft can change important information about when it was created or modified, which could become problematic if these emails are later used as evidence or in legal proceedings. It can also lead to accidental sending of confidential information if you're just trying to review content.

However, this category cannot:

  • Remove data stored on Microsoft's cloud servers 1 13 14
  • Clear entries in your Windows Search database that might contain copies of email content 11
  • Affect your email data stored with your email provider
Caution

After clearing Outlook data, you may need to sign in again, rebuild caches, and re-download content when you next use the application.

Safe for General Use
This script has Normal protection level option. This is recommended for all users to improve without any noticeable impact on the system functionality.
Sources
PrivacyLearn.com maintains strict sourcing standards for accuracy, integrity and up-to-date content. Our content relies on authoritative sources including vendor documentation, industry standards, and verified research. Learn more about our verification process and quality standards in our editorial standards page.

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Choose one of two ways to apply:

Download script​

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  • Easy-to-apply
  • Free
  • Open-source

Normal — Functional Privacy​

  • Recommended for all
  • Safe for daily use
  • No impact on system stability

Read more about Normal and other protection levels

Help

How to apply "Clear Outlook data" using script​

  • ≈ 2 min to complete
  • Tools: Web Browser
  • Difficulty: Simple
  • ≈ 6 instructions
  1. 1

    Choose protection

    Choose one of the options with different impact levels:

    • Normal​

      Some safe scripts minimal system impact.

    • High​

      Some advanced scripts with high system impact.

    • Maximum​

      Some not recommended scripts with very high system impact.

    Learn more about protection levels

  2. 2

    Download

    Download the script file by clicking on the   Apply protection  button above.
  3. 3

    Keep the file

    If warned by your browser, keep the file.
  4. 4

    Open

    Open the downloaded file.
  5. 5

    Exit

    Once it's done, press any key to exit the window.
  6. 6

    Restart

    Restart your computer for all changes to take effect.

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Help

How to apply "Clear Outlook data" using privacy.sexy​

  • ≈ 3 min to complete
  • Tools: privacy.sexy
  • Difficulty: Simple
  • ≈ 4 instructions
privacy.sexy is free and open-source application that lets securely apply this action easily with more advanced options.
  1. 1

    Open or download

    Open or download the desktop application
  2. 2

    Choose script

    1. Search for the category name: Clear Outlook data
    2. Check the category by clicking on the checkbox of the category.

    Applying Normal to limit the impact.

  3. 3

    Run

    Click on ▶️ Run button at the bottom of the page.

    This button only appears on desktop version (recommended). On browser, use 💾 Save button.

Explore This Guide​

  • 3 Privacy settings

Choose what to protect based on your needs:This script already includes these options.
You can review, apply or reverse each option individually.
Click any option to learn more about what it does.

  • Some settings and commands may require technical knowledge to apply correctly.
  • Most users find the Normal protection above sufficient.

  • Clear Outlook logs and telemetry​

    This script removes Outlook diagnostic logs and telemetry data to enhance privacy without affecting performance. The diagnostic logs and teleme...

  • Clear Outlook caches​

    This script clears Outlook's caches to protect your privacy by removing traces of your email activities within the application. The current ver...

  • Clear Outlook user data​

    This script removes locally stored Outlook data from your computer, including web storage, cached settings, and downloaded attachments. Outlook...

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About the Creators​

These people have authored this documentation and written its scripts:

  • Avatar of undergroundwires. The creator of PrivacyLearn and privacy.sexy. Black and white portrait showing a person wearing a polka dot tie and suit jacket, reflecting the professional expertise behind the privacy protection tools.
    • Certified security professional
    • 7+ years experience securing banks
    • Open-source developer since 2005
    • EU advisor, Public Speaker, Moderator
    • Hundreds across the globe
    • Testers, reviewers, developers
    • Companies, military agencies
    • Community since 2017
About Us

Reviewed By​

This guide has undergone comprehensive auditing and peer review:

  • Expert review by undergroundwires​

    • Verified technical accuracy and editorial standards
    • Assessed system impact and user privacy risks
    • Audited and verified using automated security tests

  • Public review by large community​

    • Privacy enthusiasts and professionals peer-reviewed
    • Millions of end-users tested across different environments
    • Audited and verified using third-party security software

History​

We continually monitor our guides, their impact and other potential privacy options. We update our guides when new information becomes available. On every update, we publicly store who made the change, what has been changed, why the change was made and when the change was made.

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