Someone deleted emails from my hotmail account.

Question

A few weeks ago i received a message that someone changed the password from my hotmail account.

I acted fast and managed to recover the account, changed all informations back and added more layers of security.

However today i realized that the hacker managed to complete delete some emails from my account, namely from steam. I lost access to my steam account and im in the process of recovering it, but when i check my email i can't find old steam emails anywhere.

I checked deleted items and the option check deleted items from this folder and i still can't find those emails.

Is there any way to recover everything that got deleted? i believe the hack happened on February 10.

Answer 1

Hi Ricardo Oliveira

Thank you for reaching out to Microsoft Q&A Forum, and I’m sorry to hear about what happened with your account.

Please make sure you’ve already tried all the suggestions provided by Q&A Assist. In addition, please try the following steps:

1. Check mailbox rules and forwarding

• Go to Settings > Mail > Rules and Forwarding at https://outlook.live.com
• Hackers often create rules that automatically delete or forward Steam emails.

2. Search all folders

• Search under All folders for keywords like “Steam” or “steampowered.”
• Attackers sometimes move emails into hidden or obscure folders rather than deleting them.

3. Check old devices or apps for cached emails

If you previously used Outlook for Windows/Mac, iOS Mail, Android Mail, or an older laptop, those devices may still contain locally cached emails from before the hack.

Additionally, please scan all your devices for malware to ensure there are no keyloggers or compromised applications that could allow attackers to regain access.

Please feel free to let me know how it goes. Thank you for your patience and understanding.

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Answer 2

If the deleted Steam emails are not in Deleted Items and not in Recover items deleted from this folder/Recoverable Items, recovery is only possible while they are still retained on the server and within the configured retention period.

For a personal Hotmail/Outlook.com account used in Outlook for Windows, try all of the following paths:

1. Check Deleted Items and Recoverable Items in Outlook for Windows (classic)
   1. In classic Outlook, select the Deleted Items folder.
   2. Look for the Steam messages there.
   3. If not present, use the Recover Deleted Items feature (if available in the ribbon for that account) to open the Recover Deleted Items window and search there. Use the Subject, Deleted On, or From column headers to sort and help locate items.
   4. Select any found items and choose Restore Selected Items.
   Notes from the classic Outlook guidance:
   • All items in the Recoverable Items folder (including contacts, calendar items, and tasks) appear with the same envelope icon.
   • Multiple items can be recovered using Ctrl+click or Shift+click, then Restore Selected Items.
   • An administrator may control how long items remain recoverable; after that period, items are permanently deleted and cannot be recovered from the mailbox.
2. Check Deleted Items and Recoverable Items in Outlook.com / Outlook on the web
   1. Sign in to Outlook.com or Outlook on the web on a PC or Mac (the Recoverable Items folder cannot be accessed from a mobile browser).
   2. In the left pane, select Deleted Items.
   3. At the top of the message list, select Recover items deleted from this folder.
   4. In the Recoverable Items list, look for the Steam messages (sort by subject or from address if needed).
   5. Select the items and choose Restore.
   Notes for Outlook.com / web:
   • Email is automatically deleted from Deleted Items after 30 days.
   • Items removed from Deleted Items are recoverable for 30 days.
   • Junk email is retained for 30 days before automatic deletion.
   • Recovered items are restored to their original folder when possible; if the original folder no longer exists, messages go to Inbox.
3. If nothing appears in Recoverable Items
   • For consumer Hotmail/Outlook.com accounts, once items are gone from Deleted Items and the Recoverable Items area (and the retention window has passed), they are considered permanently deleted and cannot be restored from the mailbox.
   • In an enterprise/Exchange Online scenario, an admin might still recover items if the mailbox is on hold and within the deleted items retention period, but this does not apply to standard personal Hotmail/Outlook.com accounts.
4. If this is an enterprise/managed account (Exchange Online)
   • An administrator can use Microsoft Purview audit and eDiscovery tools to confirm deletion activity and, if applicable, recover items that are still within the deleted items retention period or preserved by a hold. For example:
     • Use the audit log to determine if and when a user (or attacker) deleted items and whether they were soft-deleted or hard-deleted.
     • Run a content search to locate soft-deleted and hard-deleted items in the Recoverable Items folder if they match a search query.
   • Users can recover soft-deleted items themselves as long as the deleted items retention period (14 days by default, up to 30 days if configured higher) has not expired.

Given the hack occurred in early February and the deletions were likely done then, if more than the applicable retention period has passed and the Steam messages are not visible in Deleted Items or Recoverable Items (in either Outlook for Windows or Outlook.com), those emails cannot be recovered from Microsoft’s side. In that case, continue recovery with Steam using their own account recovery processes, as the original emails are no longer available in the mailbox.

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References:

• Recover and restore deleted items in Outlook
• Search the audit log to investigate common support issues