Why did all of my read emails disappear from Hotmail?

Question

Yesterday morning, my Hotmail email account was working fine. I got an email stating that there was a suspicious login on my account and the location was Bangladesh. There was a link on there to report if it was me or not. I clicked on the link and nothing ever loaded. I then tried to reset my password, but I was in an area with poor service and could not get it to load right away. My mailbox was still working and showing previous emails though. A few hours later all of my emails in my mailbox disappeared? It still shows my junk mail, deleted emails and sent emails, but nothing in my Inbox? I am still getting new emails today, but all of the emails from before yesterday afternoon are gone? Please help me figure this out and if there is a way to recover them?

Answer 1

Hi Ryan Stark

I hope you are doing well ! I just want to check if you have had a chance to test the steps earlier? Please let me know if they helped resolve the issue or if you are still experiencing any difficulties. I am here to assist you further.

Best Regards

Answer 2

Dear Ryan Stark

Please note that this is a user-to-user community. As moderators, we have limited access to internal development details. Our role is to direct users to the appropriate support channels and resources. While we cannot provide backend analysis, we will do our best to assist within our responsibilities. 

Thank you for reaching out to the Microsoft Q&A forum. I understand you are having problem with Hotmail/Outlook.com Inbox: previously read emails disappeared after a suspicious sign-in alert, while new emails still arrive. I am happy to assist you. Please follow these steps:  

• Confirm whether mail is hidden vs deleted
  • Check Junk Email, Other (Focused Inbox), and Deleted Items, because mail can be moved by apps or misclassified. If you find the missing mail in Junk or Other, move it back to Inbox. See: Email is missing from your Outlook.com inbox - Microsoft Support 
• Recover mail that was removed from Inbox 
  • If the messages are not in Deleted Items,  Check Recover and restore deleted items in Outlook - Microsoft Support from within Deleted Items to restore recoverable mail.  
• Check if forwarding is diverting mail out of Inbox 
  • Because you saw a suspicious sign-in, verify forwarding is not enabled. To turn forwarding on/off in Outlook.com (Mail > Forwarding). See: Turn on or off automatic forwarding in Outlook.com - Microsoft Support 
• Check sign-in activity and mark the suspicious attempt as not yours 
  • Visit the Recent activity page under “Unusual activity,” select “This wasn’t me” to help block unauthorized access faster. Signing in to your account directly (instead of clicking links in the alert email) to review activity safely.  
• If the account was compromised, use Microsoft’s recovery guidance via How to recover a hacked or compromised Microsoft account - Microsoft Support and fill in the account recovery form.  
• If all steps above fail. 
  • Visit Contact - Microsoft Support     
  • Type a brief description of your issue in the search box    
  • Scroll down to the bottom > select Sign in to contact support    
  • Log in to your personal Microsoft account.     
  • Under Products & Services, select "Other Products"; Under Categories, select a suitable Category.   
  • Click "Chat with a support agent in your web browser" (during business hours) 

If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment".  

Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread. 

Answer 3

It sounds like your Hotmail account may have been compromised, especially given the suspicious login notification you received. Here are some steps you can take to investigate and potentially recover your missing emails:

1. Check Filters and Rules: Sometimes, emails can be automatically moved to other folders due to rules or filters. Check your settings in Outlook to see if any rules are diverting emails from your Inbox.
2. Look in Other Folders: Since you mentioned that your junk mail and deleted emails are still visible, check if your Inbox is set to show only unread emails or if there are any hidden items. You might also want to check the Archive folder if it exists.
3. Account Recovery: Since you experienced a suspicious login, it’s crucial to secure your account. Change your password immediately and enable two-factor authentication if you haven't already. This will help prevent unauthorized access in the future.
4. Contact Microsoft Support: If you cannot find your emails after checking the above, it may be necessary to reach out to Microsoft Support for assistance. They can help you investigate any potential issues with your account and guide you through recovery options.
5. Monitor for Further Issues: Keep an eye on your account for any unusual activity. Inform your contacts about the situation to prevent them from falling victim to any phishing attempts that may arise from your compromised account.

If your emails were deleted or moved due to a rule or a compromise, Microsoft Support may have additional tools to help recover them.

---

References:

• Hacker set up continuous draft ransomware email - Microsoft Q&A
• My personal hotmail account hacked by hacker with authentication app enabled - Microsoft Q&A