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This article is specifically for Outlook 2003 but it may be relevant for Outlook 2007. I haven’t checked so don’t ask me “why doesn’t this work in Outlook 2007?”.

When you delete an email from your mailing account using Outlook and IMAP, it still displays the message but puts a line through it. These messages live on the server until they are “purged,” taking up space and viewable in other clients (such as webmail).

How to fix?

1. Go to Edit > Purge Deleted Messages.

To make this step easier you can add the Purge Deleted Messages button to your Outlook toolbar.

1. Go to View > Toolbars > Customize…
2. Click the second tab for Commands and click on Edit in the left column.
3. Scroll down to the bottom of the commands list and select Purge Deleted Messages
4. Drag the “Purge Deleted Messages” button up to the toolbar at the top of the screen and drop it next to the Delete button

If you just can’t stand the site of the email with a line through it, never fear. It is possible to hide those bastards. To do this do this…

1. Go to View > Arrange By > Current View > Hide Messages Marked For Deletion

But remember, you still need to purge them to remove them permanently.