How to stop Outlook from saving Sent emails in the Sent Items folder

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If you use Microsoft Outlook for your daily online communication, you can configure its settings to suit your needs. For example, you can choose whether to save copies of messages you send in the Sent Items folder.

How to stop Outlook from saving Sent emails

People often like to have a record of past emails saved in Outlook’s “Sent Items” folder. If you need to access an old email, you can go to this folder and check the emails you sent. You may then need to take action.

Related Article: How to install add-ins in Outlook for Android and iOS

Outlook can help you not just as a tool to manage your email messages, calendar, contacts, and tasks, but also as a time-management tool. You can verify if an email was delivered to the intended recipient, which can help you manage your time more effectively. However, the downside of this feature is that it starts saving all the sent emails in Outlook indiscriminately.

Access Word Options dialog box

Choose the ‘File’ tab and select ‘Options’ from the list of options displayed.

Switch to the Mail tab

When the Options dialog box opens, switch to the ‘Mail’ tab.

Disable the ‘Save copies of messages in the Sent Items folder’ option

In the right pane of the Options dialog box, go to the ‘Save Messages’ section.

There, look for the ‘Save copies of messages in the Sent Items folder’ option.

Now to disable Outlook from saving copies of messages in the Sent Items folder, just un-check the box next to the option.

Prevent Outlook from saving Sent Items using GPEDIT

  • Open Group Policy Editor and navigate to the following setting:
  • User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Microsoft Outlook 2016 > Outlook Options > Preferences > E-mail Options
  • Double-click on Save copies of messages in the Save Items folder.
  • Select the Enabled box and then select the Save copies of messages in the Sent Items folder.
  • You can configure some other settings here, as well.

Prevent Outlook from saving Sent Items using REGEDIT

  • HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Outlook\Preferences
  • HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Outlook\Preferences

For Outlook 2021/19/16 and Outlook for Office 365, the version number will be 16.0.

Create a DWORD Value Name and name it Save Sent. Give it a value as follows:

  • 0 = Sent emails will not be saved in the Sent Items folder.
  • 1 = Sent emails will be saved in the Sent Items folder.

Trust, that you find the post useful.

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