Delete email permanently in Gmail

If you delete a message from your Inbox or one of your custom folders, it will still appear in [Gmail]/All Mail.

Here’s why: in most folders, deleting a message simply removes that folder’s label from the message, including the label identifying the message as being in your Inbox.

[Gmail]/All Mail shows all of your messages, whether or not they have labels attached to them.

If you want to permanently delete a message from all folders:

1. Move it to the [Gmail]/Trash folder (or [Gmail]/Bin or national version).
2. Delete it from the [Gmail]/Trash folder (or [Gmail]/Bin or national version).

All emails in [Gmail]/Spam and [Gmail]/Trash are deleted after 30 days.
If you delete a message from [Gmail]/Spam or [Gmail]/Trash, it will be deleted permanently.

Here’s how this looks like using Mail.dll .NET IMAP component:

// C# version:

using(Imap imap = new Imap())
{
	imap.ConnectSSL("imap.gmail.com");
	imap.UseBestLogin("user@gmail.com", "password");

	// Recognize Trash folder
	List<FolderInfo> folders = imap.GetFolders();
 	CommonFolders common = new CommonFolders(folders);
 	FolderInfo trash = common.Trash;

	// Find all emails we want to delete
	imap.SelectInbox();
	List<long> uids = imap.Search(Expression.Subject("email to delete"));

	// Move email to Trash
	List<long> uidsInTrash = new List<long>();
	foreach (long uid in uids)
	{
		long uidInTrash = (long)imap.MoveByUID(uid, trash);
		uidsInTrash.Add(uidInTrash);
	}

	// Delete moved emails from Trash
	imap.Select(trash);
	foreach (long uid in uidsInTrash)
	{
		imap.DeleteMessageByUID(uid);
	}

	imap.Close();
}

' VB.NET version:

Using imap As New Imap()
	imap.ConnectSSL("imap.gmail.com")
	imap.UseBestLogin("user@gmail.com", "password")

	' Recognize Trash folder
	Dim folders As List(Or FolderInfo) = imap.GetFolders()
	Dim common As CommonFolders = new CommonFolders(folders)
	Dim trash As FolderInfo = common.Trash

	' Find all emails we want to delete
	imap.SelectInbox()
	Dim uids As List(Of Long) = imap.Search(_
		Expression.Subject("email to delete"))

	' Move email to Trash
	Dim uidsInTrash As New List(Of Long)
	For Each uid As Long In uids
		Dim uidInTrash As Long = imap.MoveByUID(uid, trash)
		uidsInTrash.Add(uidInTrash)
	Next

	' Delete moved emails from Trash
	imap.[Select](trash)
	For Each uid As Long In uidsInTrash
		imap.DeleteMessageByUID(uid)
	Next

	imap.Close()
End Using

You can also use bulk methods to handle large amount of emails faster:

// C# version:

using(Imap imap = new Imap())
{
	imap.ConnectSSL("imap.gmail.com");
	imap.UseBestLogin("user@gmail.com", "password");

	// Recognize Trash folder
	List<FolderInfo> folders = imap.GetFolders();
 	CommonFolders common = new CommonFolders(folders);
 	FolderInfo trash = common.Trash;

	// Find all emails we want to delete
	imap.SelectInbox();
	List<long> uids = imap.Search(Expression.Subject("email to delete"));

	// Move emails to Trash
	List<long> uidsInTrash = imap.MoveByUID(uids, trash);

	// Delete moved emails from Trash
	imap.Select(trash);
	imap.DeleteMessageByUID(uidsInTrash);

	imap.Close();
}

' VB.NET version:

Using imap As New Imap()
	imap.ConnectSSL("imap.gmail.com")
	imap.UseBestLogin("user@gmail.com", "password")

	' Recognize Trash folder
	Dim folders As List(Or FolderInfo) = imap.GetFolders()
	Dim common As CommonFolders = new CommonFolders(folders)
	Dim trash As FolderInfo = common.Trash

	' Find all emails we want to delete
	imap.SelectInbox()
	Dim uids As List(Of Long) = imap.Search(Expression.Subject("email to delete"))

	' Move email to Trash
	Dim uidsInTrash As List(Of Long) = imap.MoveByUID(uids, trash)

	' Delete moved emails from Trash
	imap.[Select](trash)
	imap.DeleteMessageByUID(uidsInTrash)

	imap.Close()
End Using

Please also note that there are 2 additional sections in the “Gmail settings”/”Forwarding and POP/IMAP” tab:

“When I mark a message in IMAP as deleted:”

• Auto-Expunge on – Immediately update the server. (default)
• Expunge off – Wait for the client to update the server.

“When a message is marked as deleted and expunged from the last visible IMAP folder:”

• Archive the message (default)
• Move the message to the Trash
• Immediately delete the message forever

Those settings change the default behavior of the account and modify DeleteMessage* methods behavior.