Select button is no longer available to delete junk mail in mass quantities

Question

Select button is no longer available to delete junk mail in mass quantities

BRADFORD PEARCE 10

I recently noticed that my button called "Select" in my Junk mail folder is no longer available. This is the tool that brings up a check box for each email and you can either select all emails from the main box at the top of the email list or you can select individual emails to select and chose what to do with the email. The Select tool is missing in both Outlook and OWA. My Outlook is version "Microsoft Office LTSC Professional Plus 2024".

I have read many of the complaints about the Select button no longer being available in Outlook and OWA and the suggestions to correct it, but none have worked.

How do I get the Select button back? This is a much needed tool when I get so much junk mail every day.

Thank you.

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2 answers

Your answer

Answer 1

BRADFORD PEARCE 10

Hello,

Is this "interface change" going to be corrected anytime in the future? What I don't understand is why Microsoft would make such a grandiose change that effects so many end users ability to manage their email. This is / was a major tool in using Outlook and the suggested work arounds add more steps and work to the process. Most end users are being overwhelemed with junk mail and it is difficult to manage our email in the Junk folder without this tool.Here is the weirder part:

I have 4 Microsoft email accounts, two are really old MSN.com accounts and two are newer Outlook.com accounts. My main email account does not have the Select feature, the second and not much younger that the first MSN.com account DOES HAVE THE SELECT BUTTON. The two Outlook.com accounts HAVE THE SELECT BUTTON, but have a different layout then the older MSN.com accounts. The above was verified using OWA. Outlook still does not have the select button for any of the 4 accounts.

Something really idiotic is going on here. I also have it setup to toggle between all 4 accounts on one OWA login.

Kai-H 28,605 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-10-15T08:59:58.8+00:00

Hi, BRADFORD PEARCE

I understand your frustration, especially since the Select control is still available on some of your accounts but missing from others. That inconsistency suggests this is related to an account-side interface rollout or configuration rather than your Office installation or browser. Unfortunately, Microsoft has not published a schedule confirming whether the previous Select behavior will be restored.

Because the feature differs between accounts in the same browser session, reinstalling Office or clearing browser data is unlikely to correct it. For now, the practical options are:

Open the Junk Email folder and press Ctrl+A to select the messages without opening one first.

If you want to remove everything, use Delete all at the top of the Junk Email folder. Microsoft’s current instructions list this as the supported method for emptying Junk Email. See Microsoft’s junk email guidance

Submit feedback separately from each affected account through Help > Feedback > Report a problem. Include that the Select control appears on two accounts but not the other two when all four are accessed in the same OWA session. That comparison may help identify an account-specific rollout issue.

I agree that these alternatives are not equivalent when you need to review and select only certain junk messages. However, Microsoft Q&A is a public support community, so contributors here cannot restore the control or provide a confirmed timeline for an interface change. The feedback report is the appropriate route for getting this account-specific inconsistency in front of the Outlook product team.

Answer 2

Hi, BRADFORD PEARCE

This appears to be a recent Outlook interface change rather than a problem with your Office installation. The message checkboxes are now hidden until selection mode is enabled, and there is currently no setting to keep them permanently visible.

Here are some suggestions you can try:

In Outlook on the web, open Junk Email and look beside the folder name for a small square Select icon. Select it to display the checkboxes, then use the top checkbox to select all messages.

If the icon is also missing, place the pointer inside the message list and press Ctrl+A, then press Delete. This shortcut has worked for the same recent issue.

To remove everything without selecting messages individually, right-click Junk Email and choose Empty folder. In Outlook on the web, you may instead see Delete all at the top.

Since the control is missing in both Outlook and OWA, reinstalling Office is unlikely to help. If none of these options appears, use Help > Feedback in OWA to report the interface problem.