Emails deleted from outlook go directly to "Recoverable Items\Deletions" instead of "Deleted Items"

Question

I am experiencing an issue with a Microsoft 365 Exchange business Online mailbox and I would like to understand the root cause and possible solutions.

Environment:

• Microsoft 365 Exchange Online
• Outlook desktop (classic version, latest build)
• Outlook mobile app (iOS and Android)

When emails are deleted from the Outlook mobile app, they sometimes do not go to the "Deleted Items" folder. Instead, they go directly to:

Recoverable Items → Deletions

This behavior is inconsistent. Sometimes emails go to "Deleted Items" as expected, but other times they are hard-deleted and only visible via "Recover deleted items".

Does anyone have an solution for this?

Answer 1

The behavior you're experiencing, where emails deleted from the Outlook mobile app sometimes go directly to the "Recoverable Items\Deletions" instead of the "Deleted Items" folder, can be attributed to the concept of soft deletes and hard deletes in Microsoft Exchange Online.

When an item is deleted from the Deleted Items folder or directly from another folder using Shift+Delete, it is considered a soft delete and moves to the Recoverable Items folder, specifically into the Deletions subfolder. This is designed to protect against accidental or malicious deletions. The inconsistency you are observing may arise from different methods of deletion being employed in the mobile app, which can lead to hard deletions in some cases.

To address this issue, consider the following:

1. Check Deletion Settings: Ensure that the settings for deleted item retention are configured correctly in your Exchange Online environment. By default, deleted items are retained for 14 days, but this can be adjusted by administrators.
2. User Training: Educate users on how to delete items properly in the mobile app to ensure they understand the difference between soft and hard deletes.
3. Outlook App Updates: Ensure that the Outlook mobile app is updated to the latest version, as updates may resolve bugs related to item deletion.
4. Contact Support: If the issue persists, consider reaching out to Microsoft support for further assistance, as there may be specific configurations or issues affecting your mailbox.

Understanding the Recoverable Items folder and its function can help in managing deleted items more effectively. Users can recover items from this folder using the Recover Deleted Items feature in Outlook or Outlook on the web.

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References:

• Soft-deleted and hard-deleted items
• Recoverable Items folder in Exchange Online