My e-mail's Deleted, Stuff to Save, and my Junk Emails have disappeared

Question

My Hotmail e-mail is all screwed up. It is very hard to deal with. I'm a long time user and the erosion over the years is hard to deal with. First off, my Deleted files and my Stuff to Save are not available anymore.

Second, when I browse my e-mails, it jumps to the next one, before I can look at them.

And finally, just recently, every e-mail has a header line above them. I wish I could remove the header and go back to the old way. It's way less confusing. I hope someone can help. Thanks Frank

Answer 1

It sounds like you're experiencing several issues with your Hotmail email account. Here are some potential reasons and solutions for each of the problems you mentioned:

1. Deleted Files and Stuff to Save Not Available: If your Deleted items are not visible, it could be due to a soft deletion. Deleted items typically move to the Recoverable Items folder, where they can be recovered if the retention period hasn't expired. In Exchange, the default retention period is 14 days, but this can be extended by admins. You can try using the "Recover Deleted Items" feature in Outlook to see if you can restore them.
2. Emails Jumping to the Next One: This issue may be related to how your email view is configured. If you are using a specific view setting, it might cause emails to jump. You can check your view settings by going to the View tab in the ribbon and selecting View Settings to adjust any filters or settings that might be causing this behavior.
3. Header Line Above Emails: The header line you are seeing could be part of a new view or layout setting in your email client. Unfortunately, there may not be a straightforward way to revert to an older layout if the application has been updated. You can explore the view settings to see if there is an option to change the layout or display settings to your preference.

If these solutions do not resolve your issues, consider reaching out to Microsoft support for further assistance.

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References:

• Items disappear or are not visible in an Outlook folder
• Soft-deleted and hard-deleted items

Answer 2

Are you using Outlook.com in a web browser or the Mail app on Windows or Mac? Also, did these changes happen after a recent update or sign-in on a different device?

For the missing Deleted Items, Junk Email, and custom folders like “Stuff to Save,” this usually happens when Outlook.com switches folder views, filters, or sync states. Please check that you are not viewing a filtered inbox and that all folders are expanded. https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/outlook-com-folders-disappear-or-go-back-to-a-previous-name-e6a38951-1c7f-4b31-8253-1e932e5dda99

The issue where emails jump to the next message is often caused by the Reading Pane or keyboard focus behavior. You can try changing or disabling the Reading Pane to regain control. https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/use-and-configure-the-reading-pane-to-preview-messages-in-outlook-2fd687ed-7fc4-4ae3-8eab-9f9b8c6d53f0

Regarding the new header line above every email, this is part of the updated Outlook.com message list and conversation view. While Microsoft no longer allows a full return to the classic layout, you can reduce clutter by adjusting Conversation View and message spacing. Refer to this link https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/view-email-messages-by-conversation-in-outlook-0eeec76c-f59b-4834-98e6-05cfdfa9fb07