# Removing Duplicate Emails in Outlook 2013, 2016: A Step-by-Step Guide
Are you tired of scrolling through your Outlook inbox and seeing the same email over and over again? Duplicate emails in Outlook can be frustrating, cluttering up your inbox and making it difficult to stay organized. Luckily, removing duplicate emails in Outlook 2013 and 2016 is a breeze. In this guide, we’ll take you through the steps to delete duplicate emails and keep your inbox tidy.
## Step 1: Identify Duplicate Emails
Before you start deleting emails like a madperson, it’s important to identify which emails are duplicates. There are a few different ways to do this in Outlook.
### Using the “Clean Up” Tool
Outlook has a built-in Clean Up tool that can help you identify and remove duplicate emails. To use this tool, follow these steps:
1. Select the folder where you want to remove duplicates.
2. Click on the “Home” tab and select “Clean Up” in the “Delete” group.
3. Choose “Clean Up Folder” if you want to remove duplicate emails in the entire folder, or “Clean Up Conversation” if you want to remove duplicates within a specific conversation.
4. Outlook will scan through your emails and identify potential duplicates. Review the list to make sure nothing important is flagged as a duplicate.
5. If you’re happy with the list, click “Clean Up Folder” or “Clean Up Conversation” to delete the duplicates.
### Using a Duplicate Remover Tool
If you have a large inbox or want to be extra careful about identifying duplicates, you can use a duplicate remover tool. There are a variety of third-party tools available, or you can use the built-in one in Outlook. To do so, follow these steps:
1. Select the folder you want to remove duplicates from.
2. Click on the “Home” tab and select “Find Duplicates” in the “Find” group.
3. Outlook will ask you to confirm that you want to look for duplicates. Click “Yes”.
4. Outlook will scan through your emails and find duplicates. Review the list to make sure nothing important is flagged as a duplicate.
5. If you’re happy with the list, select the duplicates you want to delete and click “Delete”.
## Step 2: Prevent Duplicate Emails
Now that you’ve removed the duplicates cluttering up your inbox, it’s time to prevent duplicate emails from showing up in the future. Here are a few tips to help you do that:
### Tip 1: Use Rules to Manage Incoming Emails
Outlook has a powerful rules engine that can help automate your email management. You can set rules to automatically move, delete, or flag certain emails based on criteria like sender, subject, or content. By using rules, you can prevent duplicate emails from showing up in your inbox by automatically deleting them as soon as they arrive.
### Tip 2: Use PST or OST Files
If you’re working with a large inbox or receive a lot of emails, you may want to consider using PST or OST files. PST files are used to store your email messages, calendar entries, and other items in Outlook. By separating your emails into PST files, you can prevent duplicates from showing up in your inbox by only downloading new messages.
### Tip 3: Use a Third-Party Tool
There are a variety of third-party tools available that can help you prevent duplicate emails in Outlook. These tools offer more advanced features than the built-in tools in Outlook, such as automatic deduplication, cross-mailbox deduplication, and real-time tracking. Some popular options include Duplicate Remover for Outlook, Deduper for Outlook, and ODIR.
## Step 3: Keep Your Inbox Organized
Finally, it’s important to keep your inbox organized to prevent duplicates from showing up. Here are a few tips to help you do that:
### Tip 1: Use Folders to Organize Your Emails
By using folders to organize your emails, you can keep everything in its proper place and prevent duplicates from showing up. Consider creating separate folders for different types of emails, such as work emails, personal emails, and newsletters.
### Tip 2: Archive Old Emails
If you have a lot of older emails cluttering up your inbox, consider archiving them to keep your inbox tidy. Archiving moves emails out of your inbox and into a separate folder, where they can be easily accessed if needed.
### Tip 3: Regularly Delete Unimportant Emails
Finally, make it a habit to regularly delete unimportant emails from your inbox. This will help keep your inbox organized and prevent duplicates from showing up.
In conclusion, removing duplicate emails in Outlook 2013 and 2016 is a simple process that can help you keep your inbox tidy and organized. By following these steps and tips, you can prevent duplicates from showing up in the future and maintain a clutter-free inbox.