EmailOS Delete Command Documentation

The mailos delete command permanently removes emails or drafts from your email account.

Basic Usage

mailos delete [flags]

Deletes emails based on specified criteria. Requires confirmation flag for safety.

Command-Line Flags

Basic Options

Flag	Short	Type	Default	Description	Example
--account		string		Email account to use	mailos delete --account value
--days		int	0	Delete emails older than N days	mailos delete --days value
--from		string		Delete all from sender	mailos delete --from value
--subject		string		Delete all with subject	mailos delete --subject value

Advanced Options

Flag	Short	Type	Default	Description	Example
--after		string		Delete emails after date (YYYY-MM-DD)	mailos delete --after value
--before		string		Delete emails before date (YYYY-MM-DD)	mailos delete --before value
--confirm		bool	false	Confirm deletion	mailos delete --confirm
--drafts		bool	false	Delete drafts instead of regular emails	mailos delete --drafts
--ids		uintslice		Email IDs to delete	mailos delete --ids value

Safety Features

Confirmation Required

All delete operations require the --confirm flag to prevent accidental deletions:

# This will fail with an error
mailos delete --from spam@example.com

# This will work
mailos delete --from spam@example.com --confirm

Preview Before Deletion

The command shows what will be deleted before proceeding:

mailos delete --from spam@example.com --confirm
# Output:
# Found 15 email(s) to delete:
#   - [Jan 2] From: spam@example.com - Special Offer!
#   - [Jan 3] From: spam@example.com - Limited Time Deal
#   ... and 13 more
# ✓ Deleted 15 email(s)

Examples

Delete specific emails by ID

# Get email IDs first
mailos search --from unwanted@example.com

# Delete specific emails
mailos delete --ids 123,456,789 --confirm

Delete all emails from a sender

mailos delete --from marketing@company.com --confirm

Delete emails by subject

mailos delete --subject "Unsubscribe" --confirm

Delete old emails

# Delete emails older than 90 days
mailos delete --days 90 --confirm

# Delete emails before specific date
mailos delete --before 2024-01-01 --confirm

Delete drafts

# Delete all drafts
mailos delete --drafts --confirm

# Delete drafts from specific sender
mailos delete --drafts --from old@example.com --confirm

Combine filters

# Delete old emails from specific sender
mailos delete --from newsletter@example.com --days 30 --confirm

# Delete emails in date range
mailos delete --after 2024-01-01 --before 2024-06-01 --confirm

Output Information

The delete command provides detailed feedback:

mailos delete --from spam@example.com --confirm
# Output:
# Reading emails to delete...
# Found 8 email(s) to delete:
#   - [Dec 15] From: spam@example.com - You've Won!
#   - [Dec 16] From: spam@example.com - Claim Your Prize
#   - [Dec 17] From: spam@example.com - Final Notice
#   ... and 5 more
# ✓ Deleted 8 email(s)

Getting Email IDs

Use the search command to find email IDs before deletion:

# Search for emails to get IDs
mailos search --from unwanted@example.com
mailos search --subject "promotion"
mailos search --days 30

Error Handling

Common errors and solutions:

# Missing confirmation
Error: please use --confirm flag to delete emails
# Solution: Add --confirm flag

# Invalid date format
Error: invalid --before date format (use YYYY-MM-DD)
# Solution: Use YYYY-MM-DD format: 2024-01-01

# No emails found
No emails found matching criteria
# This is normal - no action needed

Safety Best Practices

1. Always test first: Use mailos search with the same criteria to see what would be deleted
2. Start small: Delete a few emails first, then scale up
3. Use specific filters: Combine multiple flags to target exactly what you want to delete
4. Backup important emails: Export critical emails before bulk deletion

Test Before Delete Workflow

# 1. Test the search criteria first
mailos search --from marketing@company.com --days 30

# 2. Review the results, then delete with same criteria
mailos delete --from marketing@company.com --days 30 --confirm

Folder Support

• Inbox: Default target for email deletion
• Drafts: Use --drafts flag to target draft folder
• Gmail: Automatically handles Gmail's special folder structure

Notes

• Deletions are permanent and cannot be undone
• Large bulk deletions may take several minutes
• The command processes up to 1000 emails per operation
• Deleted emails are moved to trash/deleted items folder (behavior depends on email provider)
• Some email providers may have additional retention policies

Troubleshooting

Authentication errors

1. Check your email configuration: mailos setup
2. Verify your email password/app password is correct
3. Ensure IMAP access is enabled for your email provider

Connection issues

1. Verify internet connection
2. Check if your email provider's IMAP server is accessible
3. Try again later if server is temporarily unavailable

Permission errors

1. Ensure your email account has delete permissions
2. Some corporate accounts may restrict deletion
3. Contact your email administrator if needed

See Also

• mailos search - Find emails before deletion
• mailos read - Read specific emails before deciding to delete
• mailos drafts - Manage draft emails