Trash file missing in outlook after I re-entered my gmail account

Question

I had to re-enter my gmail email account into outlook in windows 11 and now my "trash" folder is missing - please help

Answer 1

Hi Amy Podd, 

Thank you for posting your question to the Microsoft Q&A forum. 

I'm sorry to hear you're missing the "Trash" folder in Outlook after re-adding your Gmail account on Windows 11. This is a common issue with IMAP setups—when you re-add a Gmail account to the classic Outlook app, it may only display a subset of folders initially, and the Trash folder could be hidden (unsubscribed) or not fully exposed by Gmail over IMAP. 

Don't worry; this is usually easy to fix. I'll walk you through the most effective steps below. We'll start with the most common solution (re-subscribing in Outlook) and then check a Gmail-side setting if needed. 

1. Re-subscribe to the Gmail Trash Folder in Outlook (Most Common Fix) 

In Outlook: 

• In the left folder pane, right-click the top-level folder for your Gmail account (it should be the account name at the top). 
• Select IMAP Folders. 
• Click Query (this retrieves the full list of folders from Gmail). 
• In the folder list that appears, find and select the "Trash" folder (it might show up as "[Gmail]/Trash" or similar). 
• Click Subscribe. 
• Click OK to close the window. 
• If the Trash folder still doesn't appear, right-click the top-level Gmail folder again and select Update Folder List. 
• Finally, restart Outlook to refresh everything. 

For more details, check out this Microsoft Support article: Choose which IMAP account folders appear in Outlook.

2. Ensure Gmail Is Allowing "Trash" to Show via IMAP (Gmail-Side Setting) 

If the above doesn't work, verify the setting in Gmail: 

• Open Gmail in your web browser and click the gear icon for Settings > See all settings. Go to the Labels tab. 
• Under "System labels," find "Trash" and make sure Show in IMAP is checked/enabled. 
• Save your changes, then go back to Outlook and repeat the steps in section 1 (IMAP Folders > Query > Subscribe, then Update Folder List). 

If you're still having trouble after these steps, try removing and re-adding the Gmail account again in Outlook (File > Account Settings > Account Settings > select the account > Remove, then add it back via File > Add Account). Also, ensure Outlook is fully updated via Help > Check for Updates. 

Please let me know if this resolves it or if you run into any errors. I’m here to help further. 

---

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

Note: 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 2

If your "Trash" folder is missing after re-entering your Gmail account in Outlook, it may be due to the folder not being properly synced or displayed. Here are a few steps you can take to troubleshoot this issue:

1. Check Folder Visibility: Sometimes, folders can be hidden. Ensure that the Trash folder is not hidden in your folder list. You can check this by right-clicking on your Gmail account in Outlook and selecting "Show Subfolders".
2. Refresh Your Account: Try refreshing your Gmail account in Outlook. You can do this by going to the "Send/Receive" tab and clicking on "Send/Receive All Folders".
3. Remove and Re-add the Account: If the folder is still missing, consider removing your Gmail account from Outlook and then re-adding it. This can help reset the folder structure and sync the folders correctly.
4. Check Gmail Settings: Log into your Gmail account via a web browser and check the settings to ensure that the Trash folder is enabled and not archived or deleted.
5. Use Advanced Find: If you suspect that items are in the Trash but not visible, you can use the Advanced Find feature to locate them. This can help you confirm if the items are just not displayed properly.

If these steps do not resolve the issue, you may want to consult further resources or support for Outlook and Gmail integration issues.

---

References:

• Default folder is missing in Outlook and Outlook on the web
• How to repair your Outlook personal folder file (.pst)