emails deleted unable to recover - not in delete box

Question

Accidentally deleted a directory in outlook cannot find in delete box and not in recovery section either ???

Answer 1

Hi Jacqueline Pullin,

Welcome to Microsoft Q&A.

a missing folder can be either archived, moved, or not syncing correctly (and Recover deleted items” is only available for some mailbox types, such as certain Outlook.com or Exchange mailboxes, depending on retention settings).

Here are the fastest checks:

1) Check Archive

On Mac, Backspace can trigger Archive depending on your Outlook/keyboard settings. Please check your Archive folder to see if the emails (or folder contents) ended up there.

2) Rule out the “sub-folder trap” (folder was dragged, not deleted)

Folders can be accidentally dragged into other folders. To find it quickly:

• Use Outlook Search for a subject or sender from an email you know was in that folder
• Open the email from the results and check which folder it’s currently stored in (for example via Move or the message’s folder indicator)

If the email appears, the folder likely still exists and was moved rather than deleted.

3) New Outlook sync workaround

New Outlook for Mac can occasionally fail to refresh folder changes properly. If possible, toggle to Classic/Legacy Outlook and check again:

• Outlook menu / toggle: Try the New Outlook (turn it off to go Classic) Then re-check Deleted Items/Trash, Archive, and the folder list. Often the folder appears there first, and then syncs back.

4) Also check via webmail (confirms what the server has)

Sign in via a browser (Outlook.com, Gmail, iCloud, etc.) and check Trash/Deleted Items and Archive. If it’s not there either, recovery depends on the provider’s retention rules.

If you can tell me which type of account this is (Outlook.com / Microsoft 365 Family vs Gmail, iCloud, or another IMAP provider), I can explain exactly what recovery options are available for that mailbox.

Please let me know if this proves useful to you, or if you would like further assistance.

I'm looking forward to your reply.

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Answer 2

If you've accidentally deleted emails in Outlook and cannot find them in the Deleted Items folder or the recovery section, there are a few steps you can take:

1. Check the Recoverable Items Folder: If single item recovery is enabled, deleted items may be moved to the Recoverable Items folder. You can access this folder through the Recover Deleted Items feature in Outlook.
2. Use the EAC or PowerShell: If you have administrative access, you can use the Exchange Admin Center (EAC) or PowerShell commands to search for and recover deleted items. For example, using the Get-RecoverableItems cmdlet can help you find recoverable items based on specific criteria.
3. Retention Policies: Be aware that retention policies may affect the availability of deleted items. If the retention period has expired, the items may no longer be recoverable.

If you are unable to recover the items using these methods, they may be permanently deleted and not recoverable. It's always a good practice to regularly back up important emails to avoid such situations in the future.