Lost email subfolder

Question

I accidently reset my emails to a foreign language, now that I have English back my subfolders are there but with no saved emails. How do I find the emails from the subfolders?

Answer 1

Changing the display language in Outlook should not delete or empty folders, so the items are likely either:

• In the wrong folder (for example, placed under the mailbox root), or
• Still present but not where expected after the language reset.

Use these steps in classic Outlook for Windows to search for and move the “missing” items:

1. In Outlook, select the Inbox folder of the affected account.
2. Click into the Instant Search box so the Search tab appears on the ribbon.
3. On the Search tab, select Search Tools > Advanced Find.
4. In Look for, choose Any type of Outlook item.
5. Select Browse….
6. In the folder tree, select only the root folder (typically shown as the email address or “Mailbox – <name>”) and clear the Search subfolders checkbox.
7. Select OK, then select Find Now.
8. Review the results list. This will show items that are in the root (and can appear “lost” from normal folder views).
9. For any items that belong in your subfolders, right‑click them, choose Move > Other Folder, select the correct folder, and select OK.

If the language change also caused default folders (Inbox, Archive, Junk, etc.) to be renamed or moved, run the folder reset commands:

1. Exit Outlook completely.
2. Press Windows + R to open Run.
3. Run:
   • Outlook.exe /resetfolders
   • then Outlook.exe /resetfoldernames
4. Restart Outlook and check whether the default folders and their contents now appear correctly.

If a specific default folder such as Archive ended up under Deleted Items, move its contents to a safe folder, then correct the folder structure as described above and move items back.

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References:

• Issues with default folders in Outlook
• Items placed in root folder seem to be lost in Outlook
• Archive folder is automatically added to your Office 365 mailbox