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Recover addresses from a sent Email that used a distribution list

Anonymous
2023-10-11T15:43:56+00:00

Background and issue:

I need to check if a recipient was present in some past sent Emails, that used a distribution list of Outlook. The distribution list is still there, but unfortunately it has been updated. So one cannot ascertain - I believe - from the present distribution list if an address was present in the past or not on the same list. The issue rose from the fact that the sender says that one address was included in the list, but the supposed recipient claims that he did not receive anything.

Question:

Is there a way to extract (or simply check) if an Email address was present from a sent Email Message (or from those other recipients that claimed to have received it, or in any another way), when the Message was sent using a distribution list? Noting that the problem comes from the fact - as explained above - that distribution list has been meanwhile updated, so it seems of no use to ascertain the presence or not of an address in past messages.

Many thanks for any suggestion.

Anthony

Outlook | Windows | Classic Outlook for Windows | For education

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  1. Anonymous
    2023-10-12T00:40:13+00:00

    Thanks again for your checking.

    Expanding and broadening somehow the context of my question, I remain a bit skeptic to accept the idea that there is no way whatsoever to retrieve a recipient's address from a sent Email message, when a distribution list is used. Investigators would have in this case a real hard time if this would be true.

    What it is easier to accept with the current Outlook (and Exchange server) versions is that there is no a simple way to do it or that there is no way using only them.

    Best,

    A.

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  2. Anonymous
    2023-10-11T18:59:03+00:00

    Thank you Darpan,

    I followed your suggestion and I sent a feedback using your link.

    However, it seems impossible that there is no way to detect to whom an Email has been sent when using a distribution list. Forensic inquiries would be in real trouble, I guess, in this scenario.

    In the described case the distribution list contained all addresses from the same organization. This could make probably easier such an inquiry.

    From your answer however - tell me if I am wrong - I take that there is no help by inspecting the header of the sent Email or the header of one of the recipient's Email (to check if it present or not another recipient).

    If not from the Outlook client application, does the server keep some track record addresses in this case?

    Best,

    A.

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  3. Anonymous
    2023-10-11T20:46:15+00:00

    Hi AnthonyQ,

    Good day.

    Thank you for sharing some information with me.

    As you mentioned "does the server keep some track record addresses in this case?", I have again checked few things, but currently there is not any particular records so it can be address. At this moment, we need to share our unique suggestion to product developer team so that they can think and develop something new under the product service.

    I would really appreciate your valuable time. Thank you for your kind cooperation.

    Sincerely

    Darpan

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  4. Anonymous
    2023-10-11T18:11:21+00:00

    Hi AnthonyQ,

    Good day.

    Thank you for connecting with us in the Microsoft community.

    According to its description, I have checked a few things on my end, but there is currently no particular settings option to to achieve this specific requirement.

    In addition, Microsoft has created the feedback portal where users can share their valuable and unique suggestion directly to the product developer team to develop some new options under the product, so would you mind sharing your valuable ideas on the feedback portal so that the developer team can pay attention to your suggestion to develop more things in the product service?

    Here is the URL link to send your unique suggestion: Outlook · Community (microsoft.com). 

    I would really appreciate your valuable time. Thank you for your kind cooperation.

    Sincerely

    Darpan

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