Russian Archive folder

Question

My Outlook account was hacked, there has been a new folder named APNXB, which is Russian for archives. When I try to deleted this, this option is greyed out.

I cannot delete it by myself so want Microsoft to delete this folder from their side to stop any further information going to this folder.

Answer 1

Hello Matthew Redhead,

Thank you for posting your concern in the Microsoft Q&A forum. I understand that finding an unfamiliar, non-deletable folder like "APNXB" is alarming. 

I have reviewed the response from Q&A Assist. It is important to clarify that its suggestion to run the outlook.exe /resetfoldernames command is not appropriate for this issue. This advanced command is not designed to resolve this type of incident and will not affect folders that cannot be deleted within the Outlook interface. 

Please also understand that the volunteers, contributors, and external Microsoft employees in this Q&A forum, including myself, cannot access or modify individual accounts or delete folders from the server side. To get a definitive explanation for the "APNXB" folder and to have your account checked for any suspicious activity, you need to contact the official Microsoft support team for consumers. 

Based on the security risk you've identified, it's important to take the following steps immediately. 

1, Secure Your Account Immediately: 

As you have regained access to your account, the most important action is to ensure it is protected against future unauthorized access. The essential step for this is to enable Two-Step Verification (2SV), if it is not already active. This adds a critical layer of security by requiring two forms of identification to sign in. 

Direct Link for instructions: How to use two-step verification with your Microsoft account 

2, Contact Microsoft Support for Investigation: 

Once your account is secured, please contact the official Microsoft support team for consumers through their live chat. To reach an agent, you can follow these steps: 

1. Visit the Microsoft Support contact page: Contact - Microsoft Support 
2. In the search bar provided on the page, type "Contact support" and press Enter. 
3. Click on the "Get Help" button that appears. 
4. Scroll down the page until you see and click on the "Contact Support" option. 
5. When prompted to select your product or service, choose "Other Products". 
6. For the category, choose "Microsoft 365 and Office". 
7. Look for and click on "Chat with a support agent in your web browser". 
8. Confirm your personal email when prompted, this is the email Microsoft will use to communicate with you during and after the support session. 

When you connect with the agent, please have your account information ready and explain that you need assistance with a non-deletable folder in your Outlook and to check your account security. 

Please keep me posted on your progress.

Answer 2

It appears that the folder you are trying to delete in your Outlook account may be affected by a known issue related to default folders. If the folder is part of an auto-expanding archive, it cannot be deleted as this behavior is by design. When an archive mailbox in Exchange Online is automatically expanded, folders in the Deleted Items folder cannot be deleted, and no error message is returned when attempting to do so.

To resolve this issue, you might consider the following steps:

1. Check for any synchronization issues: Sometimes, third-party applications or mobile devices can cause issues with folder names and deletions.
2. Reset folder names: You can try running Outlook.exe /resetfolders and Outlook.exe /resetfoldernames to see if that resolves the issue.
3. Contact Microsoft Support: If the folder is indeed a result of unauthorized access, it’s important to secure your account and contact Microsoft support for assistance in removing the folder and securing your data.

Make sure to also change your password and enable two-factor authentication to prevent further unauthorized access.