.. _man-1_doveadm-expunge:

===============
doveadm-expunge
===============

NAME
====

doveadm-expunge - Expunge messages matching given search query

SYNOPSIS
========

**doveadm** [*GLOBAL OPTIONS*] **expunge** [**-S** *socket_path*] [**-d**] **-A** *search_query*

**doveadm** [*GLOBAL OPTIONS*] **expunge** [**-S** *socket_path*] [**-d**] **-F** *file* *search_query*

**doveadm** [*GLOBAL OPTIONS*] **expunge** [**-S** *socket_path*] [**-d**] **-u** *user* *search_query*

DESCRIPTION
===========

This command can be used to expunge mails matching the given search
query. It is typically used to expunge old mails from users' Trash
and/or Spam mailboxes. To test which messages a given search query would
match, you can use *doveadm fetch* or *doveadm search* commands.

In the first form, :man:`doveadm(1)` will execute the **expunge** action
with the environment of the logged in system user.

In the second form, the command will be performed for all users.

In the third form, :man:`doveadm(1)` will expunge messages of the users
listed in the given *file*.

In the fourth form, only matching mails of the given *user* (s) will be
expunged.

.. include:: global-options.inc


OPTIONS
=======

.. include:: option-A.inc

.. include:: option-F-file.inc

**-d**
   Delete the mailbox if it is empty after expunging.

.. include:: option-S-socket.inc

.. include:: option-u-user.inc

ARGUMENTS
=========

*search_query*
   Expunge messages matching this search query. See
   :man:`doveadm-search-query(7)` for details.

EXAMPLE
=======

This example expunges messages from Spam mailbox that were saved/copied
there more than two weeks ago:

.. parsed-literal::

   **doveadm expunge -u jane.doe@example.org mailbox Spam savedbefore 2w**

.. include:: reporting-bugs.inc

SEE ALSO
========

:man:`doveadm(1)`,
:man:`doveadm-search(1)`