Unable to delete email messages in Outlook 2003

Question

I am running Outlook 2003 and Windows 10 on a Lenovo laptop. My email client profile had to be changed from pop3 to imap, when the outgoing email sever failed to recognize my username and password. When the change took place, a folder, similar to Personal Folders, was automatically created in Outlook for all my imap activity. All incoming email now goes to the new imap Inbox and is also stored under my account on my email provider, Windstream, website. When I try to delete incoming emails on Outlook, a line is drawn thrown the email date, title, etc., but they are not deleted. When I check them on the Windstream website, they are shown as unread. Windstream says it's an Outlook problem that I am unable to delete these messages. When I try to move the messages to the Trash folder, they remain in the Inbox, a copy is created in Trash, and I am unable to delete either message.

Answer 1

TL;dr:

That sounds as if you have configured outlook not to delete the items, but instead only mark them for deletion. They will be deleted when you explicitly ask outlook to do so. Please check this post.

Long version:

There are at least three common versions of 'deleting' email:

1. Immediately delete. Gone. Done.
2. Move to a trashcan/deleted items folder. Item is not deleted until you empty this.
3. Leave the item in place but mark it for deletion. Often the mail is shown but with a strikethough. Sometimes it is even hidden. (Tombstoned).

Option 2 and 3 do not imediately delete it.

In outlook you may^* have this option:

When I check them on the Windstream website, they are shown as unread.

This seems to be an independant issue. GEtting the local copies deleted is probably answered. But the root cause is 'why was the password no longer recognised', followed by 'how did outlook reconfigure?' 'what are its current settings?'. Which may include the 'do not delete (or even mark as read) mail on the server until it is locally deleted. Ask a seperate question for this, and include screenshots of the account settings (start, control panel, mail, ... those things). And that is assuming you use outlook on windows and not on a mac, then the place is probably different.

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^*: May because I have no idea which outlook you are using. The current one (outlook 2016 64 bit)? Ancient outlook 97? ...