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Emails are a crucial part of communication for both individuals and businesses. One of the most commonly used applications for it is Microsoft Outlook. Although users leverage its intuitive interface and high-tech security at most times, the possibility of encountering glitches is not uncommon. One of these issues is duplicate Outlook emails that users of all Outlook versions face. It’s important to know how to remove duplicate emails in Outlook, as you don’t want your inbox to get cluttered with emails you’ve already read. The great thing is that it’s possible to do this in every Outlook version. In this article, you’ll find the causes of this issue and how to fix it.

Why Duplicate Emails in Outlook Occur

In order to effectively remove duplicate email addresses in Outlook, you must first understand the reasons for their occurrence. Common causes include the following.

• You have configured the rules wrongly, which is leading to the duplication of email addresses.
• Employing the same email account for different devices results in the continuous synchronization of Outlook messages.
• Antivirus software is also a reason for getting duplicate emails.
• Wrong mailbox settings will make you get the same message repeatedly.
• The Send/Receive frequency is short, which is why you are facing the email duplication issue in Outlook.

How to Remove Duplicate Messages in Outlook?

You can remove the same or duplicate emails through a couple of measures. All of them are described here.

Inspect the settings of your Outlook account.

Inspecting your account settings is the first step to getting rid of the same emails. To know how to delete duplicate emails in Outlook 2016, adhere to these steps.

1. In Outlook, head to the ‘File‘ menu and choose ‘Info.’
2. After that, tap ‘Account Settings.’
3. You will see its window. In it, tap the ‘Email‘ tab.
4. Now find the name of your Outlook account where there are duplicate emails.
5. If you see this account more than once, remove it.
6. To do so, just select the account and tap ‘Remove.’
7. Once you remove the account, tap ‘Close.’

Also Read: Stop Receiving Duplicate Emails in Gmail

Increase the frequency of inbox updates.

Increasing the frequency of inbox updates will also help you eliminate this problem. Here’s how to delete duplicate emails in Outlook 2010, 2013, and 2016.

1. Launch Outlook and tap the ‘Send/Receive‘ option.
2. Now, choose either ‘Receive groups‘ or ‘Define send.’
3. Configure the value of ‘Schedule an automatic send/recovery every‘ to any time between 15 to 30 minutes.

Setup rules correctly

If the rules are not set up correctly, it creates issues among the various email folders. So, set them correctly and check that only a specific instance of Outlook is operating. Below are the simple steps to create a rule in Outlook.

1. Right-tap on any email and choose ‘Rules.’
2. Now, click ‘Create rule.’
3. After that, choose a condition and the corresponding action to take for a specific message.
4. Choose ‘OK‘ after that.
5. You can now run the rule right away by choosing to run it on the messages in the existing folder.

Use the import/export option to remove duplicate emails in Outlook. The import/export option also works perfectly to delete the same messages in Outlook. Navigate to the ‘File‘ menu in Outlook and go through these points.

1. After tapping the ‘File‘ menu, select ‘Open & Export.’
2. Now, choose ‘Import/Export.’
3. After that, opt to import from a different program or file.
4. Pick the ‘Outlook data file (.pst)‘ option.
5. Click ‘Next.’
6. Now, browse the Outlook file.
7. Place a tick against ‘Do not import duplicates.’
8. Choose the needed folder to import.
9. Now, place a tick on the ‘Include subfolders’ option.
10. You must also check the option saying ‘Import items into the same folder.’
11. Then tap ‘Finish.’

Clean the inbox manually.

To eliminate the same emails, it is good to perform an inbox cleanup. So, to carry out Outlook clean up duplicate emails, use the utilities offered in the email client.

• In Outlook, choose a ‘Mailbox‘ folder.
• Go to ‘Home‘ followed by ‘Cleanup.’
• Here are the options you will see

1. The Clean up Folder option eliminates duplicate emails from a specific folder.
2. The Clean up Folders and Subfolders option will clean all the duplicate subfolders and folders
3. The Clean up Conversation option deletes and shifts the same emails in a specific conversation.

• Right-tap the folder named ‘Deleted Items.’
• Now tap ‘Empty folder.’
• This will delete all messages permanently.

Disable your antivirus program

The antivirus program frequently interrupts applications like Outlook and causes issues. For removing duplicate emails in Outlook, try disabling your antivirus and check if the problem resolves.

1. Launch your antivirus program, and locate the option to switch it off.
2. After turning it off, start Outlook again.
3. Examine whether the duplicate emails are still in your inbox.
4. If you don’t find them, it means the antivirus software was causing the problem.

Uncheck the option to leave messages on the server

If you’ve configured Outlook to leave messages on the server, Outlook will remember it downloaded. The mail server, however, does not know the emails you downloaded. It is a major cause of why you download same messages on your computer. For removing Outlook duplicates, you must disable the option of ‘Leave messages on the server.’

After that, uncheck the ‘Send and Receive‘ option and clean the server mailbox. Then recheck it. As a good practice, just leave emails on the server for not more than 10 days.

Modify the mail forwarding settings

Oftentimes, a mail forwarding loop makes it impossible for you to get mail. It makes the email sent to you go back to the sender. It’s likely that you have setup email forwarding in a manner that there is no final spot for your messages to land.

So, change the mail forwarding settings. Ensure that irrespective of the email address they are delivered to, they have an ultimate destination.

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I check email duplicity in Outlook?

It’s not possible to find whether an email is a duplicate by just seeing it once. You must use the properties of an email, such as its subject, text, recipient, sender, and attachment. Perform a search through these fields. If you happen to see a particular email numerous times, they are duplicates.

Why is it necessary to remove duplicate emails in Outlook?

Duplicate emails cause various problems. First of all, they lead to inbox cluttering. It confuses you whether you have actually replied to a certain mail or not. An increase in duplicate emails makes your mailing system run slower. Moreover, it may also cause Outlook to freeze.

Boost Your Productivity by Removing Duplicate Emails

Now that you know how to remove duplicate emails in Outlook, you won’t waste time finding the right information. You also don’t need to deal with the hassle of replying to multiple messages. If you need more assistance, talk to an email technical support expert.