How to recover lost folders in Outlook

Question

I have lost several emails located within Archive folders.

I usually create backup folders and subfolders in order to save important messages for follow up, and also to prevent inbox from getting overpopulated.

I categorize such fodders by year and subfolders by different subjects.

What I systematically do is after a couple days delete nonimportant messages and then drag important ones to their respective subfolders.

What has happened a couple of times is that I have lost some subfolders including their content which in some cases were hundreds of messages previously saved in such folders.

I have looked within the hole Archive tree for those files, and they appear to be nowhere in the computer, not even in the deleted messages.

Can anyone has seen this issue or can help on how to resolve it?

 

I would greatly appreciate any help provided.

 

Answer 1

Hi @Jose Antonio Flores ,

I’m sorry to hear about your lost emails, in order to better understand your issue, please provide some more information:

1. If you search these emails, will these emails appear?
2. What type of account are you using?

In this case, here are some steps you can try to resolve this issue:

Check the Recoverable Items Folder:

• Sometimes, items that are deleted bypass the Deleted Items folder and go directly to the Recoverable Items folder.
• Go to the Deleted Items folder.
• Click on Recover items deleted from this folder at the top.
• Look for your missing folders there.

Use the Search Feature:

• Use the search bar in Outlook to search for specific emails or items that were in the missing folder. This might help you locate where the folder has been moved.

Reset the View Settings:

• Sometimes, view settings can cause folders to disappear. Go to the View tab, select Change View, and then click Reset View. This can help restore the default view settings.

Check for Hidden Folders:

• Right-click on the Archive folder and select Data File Properties.
• In the dialog box, click on Folder Size. This will show you all folders and subfolders, including hidden ones.

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