loss of contacts

Question

i was recently hacked and lost the gmail that had every contact ive ever had in life,and have no idea how to get them back as i am 65y.o.and severely tech challenged.i need a hero that can help me becuz i have critical dr.numbers and i have major heart issues and cant call any of my med.people,let alone my friends and family.PLEASE if theres someone that can help me then call me and ill give you my info.Thank you and God bless,C.L.562-355-5916

Answer 1

Recovery steps depend on where the contacts were stored and whether there is any backup. The context only covers Outlook/Microsoft accounts, so the following applies if those contacts were ever synced to Outlook or a Microsoft account on the PC.

1. Check if contacts exist in Outlook / Microsoft account
   • If Outlook was used on the computer or phone, sign in to Outlook (desktop app or Outlook on the web) with the same Microsoft account that was used before.
   • In Outlook, go to People (Contacts) and check if the contacts are still there. If they are, no further recovery is needed.
2. Check Deleted/Recoverable folders in Outlook (if contacts were in Outlook)
   If contacts were deleted from Outlook, they may still be recoverable: New Outlook / Outlook on the web / Outlook.com
   • Open Outlook and go to People.
   • Open the Deleted folder.
   • If the contacts are there, right‑click each needed contact and select Restore.
   • If not in Deleted:
     1. In People, open the Deleted folder.
     2. At the top, select Recover deleted (or Recover items deleted from this folder in New Outlook (Insiders)).
     3. Select the needed contacts and choose Restore.
   • Restored contacts go back to their original folder or the default Contacts folder.
   Classic Outlook (desktop)
   • In Outlook, open the Deleted Items folder and look for the missing contacts. If found, drag them back to Contacts.
   • If not there and using an Exchange account:
     1. Go to Deleted Items.
     2. On the Home tab, select Recover Deleted Items From Server.
     3. In the window that opens, sort by Subject or From and look for the contact names (contacts show as envelope icons and often have blank “From”).
     4. Select the contacts and choose Restore Selected Items, then OK.
     5. Recovered contacts will appear in Deleted Items; move them back to Contacts.
   If the contacts cannot be found in Deleted Items or the Recoverable Items folder, they are likely permanently deleted and cannot be recovered via Outlook.
3. Check for Outlook data files (.pst) on the computer
   If Outlook was used in the past on Windows, contacts may be in an Outlook Data File:
   • Open File Explorer.
   • Browse to:
     • C:\Users\<YourUserName>\Documents\Outlook Files\
     • or C:\Users\<YourUserName>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Outlook\
   • Look for files ending in .pst. These can contain emails, contacts, and calendar.
   • Copy any .pst file to an easy location (for example, Documents).
   • In Outlook desktop: File > Open & Export > Open Outlook Data File, select the .pst, and open it.
   • A new folder tree will appear; check its Contacts for the missing entries.
4. If contacts are recovered, back them up
   Once contacts are available again in Outlook, create a backup so they are not lost in the future:
   • In Outlook desktop:
     1. Select File > Open & Export > Import/Export.
     2. Choose Export to a file > Next.
     3. Select Outlook Data File (.pst) > Next.
     4. Select Contacts > Next.
     5. Choose a location and file name, then Finish.
   • Store this .pst file on an external drive or cloud storage.

If the contacts only ever existed in a Gmail account and were never synced to Outlook or backed up elsewhere, the recovery must be done through Google/Gmail’s own account and contacts recovery processes, which are outside the scope of the provided context.

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References:

• Restore or recover a deleted contact in Outlook
• Back up your contacts
• How do I recover my old email messages, my contacts and everything else I had in Outlook? - Microsoft Q&A