Outlook 2021 .pst file missing emails after Windows 11 update

Question

Outlook 2021 .pst file missing emails after Windows 11 update

dcs1e 20

AFter reccent Windows 11 update, my Office 2021 .pst files are missing over 1 year of Outlook emails and calendar items. The identical problem occurred on 2 unlinked computers. However, accessing Outlook mail through the Outllook Calendar APP, the lost emails and calendar items are still visible. Is there a way to download the outlook.pst file from the cloud or the Microsoft website? The files were not stored on OneDrive.

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Answer accepted by question author

Arlene D 36,225 Independent Advisor

Thanks for confirming that. Since your Outlook 2021 account was set up as POP, your emails and calendar items were stored locally in the .pst file, and once overwritten, that data is not recoverable from Microsoft servers.

The Outlook Calendar app shows data stored on the connected server, but Outlook 2021 cannot access or export that data unless it’s linked to a Microsoft 365 subscription or Exchange account. I suggest checking if Windows File History or a previous backup of your .pst file exists on either PC. You can find this by opening File Explorer, right clicking the folder that contained the .pst file, selecting Properties, then Previous Versions. If no backup exists, Microsoft does not have a way to restore or re-download POP .pst files.

dcs1e 20 Reputation points

2025-11-07T21:24:14.3966667+00:00

Thanks. There were no "previous versions" to primary or backup files on either PC. I'll try to access the missing emails/calendar items by adding a Microsoft 365 subscription.

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Your answer

dcs1e 20 Reputation points

2025-11-07T21:24:14.3966667+00:00

Thanks. There were no "previous versions" to primary or backup files on either PC. I'll try to access the missing emails/calendar items by adding a Microsoft 365 subscription.

Answer 1

Arlene D 36,225 Independent Advisor

Hi, I understand how worrying that is. Were your email accounts set up as POP or IMAP in Outlook?

This is important because if your account uses IMAP or Exchange, your emails and calendar data stay on the mail server, not in the local .pst file. Microsoft does not provide a way to download a .pst file from the cloud. You can re-create one by exporting your mailbox again through File, Open & Export, Import/Export, and choose Export to a file, then Outlook Data File (.pst). If your account was POP, check File, Account Settings, Data Files for the old .pst location or restore it using Windows File History or Backup.

dcs1e 20 Reputation points

2025-11-07T04:00:43.77+00:00

My original Outlook 2021 account was set up as POP, .pst file and a duplicate backup stored on both PCs were overwritten missing the email and calendar items. Data on the Outlook Calender APP are correct as stored on the server, but "data files require a MS 365 subscription" for export.