Messages disappear from inbox?

Question

I am able to answer some messages and keep the original in my inbox, but others disappear from my inbox when I answer, seemingly at random. How do I retain all incoming messages in my inbox, so I can choose to delete them as I see fit, rather than having outlook delete things that I consider important?

Answer 1

No, it did not, because some of those options are not available in my version.

Answer 2

In my Inbox, in Filter, All is selected and Unread is not selected.

Answer 3

Hi @Cheller, 

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

Based on the details you shared that some emails remain in your Inbox after you reply while others disappear in the new Outlook. I truly appreciate the clear description of your experience and the effort you have taken to investigate it. 

In the new Outlook, this behavior most often occurs when the Inbox is filtered to show only unread mail. After you reply, Outlook marks the message as read, so it no longer appears in that filtered view. You can clear the Unread filter to show everything again. Additionally, automated features can relocate messages after you reply, including Focused Inbox, which separates mail into Focused and Other, as well as Rules and Sweep, which can move or delete messages based on conditions you have set. Finally, conversation tools such as Ignore and Conversation Clean Up can remove current and future messages in a thread or redundant replies to Deleted Items, which can make the movement feel random.  

Below are some workable options that might be the most appropriate for your current situation: 

1/ Show all mail in your Inbox, then decide what to keep 

• In your Inbox, select Filter, choose All, and make sure Unread is not selected. This restores a full view of your messages.  
• If you prefer not to split your Inbox, open View settings, go to Mail, then Layout, and turn Focused Inbox off so all messages appear in one list.  
• If a message is missing, use the search bar and built‑in filters to search All in your current mailbox, then clear the search to return to your normal view. 
• References: 
  • View only unread messages in Outlook - Microsoft Support 
  • Focused Inbox for Outlook - Microsoft Support 

2/ Review automation that might move mail after you reply 

• Open Settings, select Mail, then Rules. Disable or delete any rule that moves or deletes messages you want to keep. You can also adjust rule order or temporarily toggle rules off.  
• From your Inbox toolbar, select Sweep on a message from a frequent sender and review the options. If a Sweep rule is set to keep only the latest message or delete messages after ten days, change or remove it. Sweep runs once per day.  
• If you archive often, check the Archive folder because the Archive button moves items out of Inbox while keeping them searchable and available across devices.  
• References: 
  • Manage email messages by using rules in Outlook - Microsoft Support 
  • Organize your inbox with Archive, Sweep, and other tools in Outlook on the web - Microsoft Support 

3/ Undo conversation actions that hide or reduce threads 

• Open Deleted Items and look for the thread. If you see Stop ignoring on the toolbar, select it to deliver current and future messages back to the Inbox.  
• If you recently used Clean Up, restore any needed messages from Deleted Items and avoid running Clean Up on active conversations you intend to keep intact. Clean Up moves redundant messages to Deleted Items.  
• After these checks, use search to confirm where a message resides, then move it back to Inbox if desired. The built‑in search filters make it easy to narrow results by sender, subject, or status.  
• References: 
  • Ignore all email messages in a conversation - Microsoft Support 
  • Use Conversation Clean Up to delete redundant messages in Outlook - Microsoft Support 

If messages still leave the Inbox after you reply, please tell me which folder they go to and whether any Rules or Sweep settings were active. I will tailor the next steps to your exact setup. 

I hope this response has helped address your question and clarify the behavior you're experiencing. Please feel free to reply if you have any further questions, I would be happy to assist further.  

Thank you for your patience and your understanding. I look forward to continuing the conversation. 

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