How to restore all deleted emails after being hacked?

Question

The deleted folder option does not contain any emails that hackers swiped away.

Recover items deleted from this folder (50 items) only consist of spam/hacker emails.

All emails in all folders disappeared.

What actions can I take to restore my emails?

#deletedemails #hackedemail

Answer 1

Hi, I'm John!

About getting hacked:

Check if you still have access to your Microsoft account and make sure you're currently signed in https://account.microsoft.com/ If you’re locked out, let me know.

Check your account rules and forwarding settings, hackers create rules that automatically forward or delete emails. You can do this in Outlook settings under Mail > Rules and Forwarding. https://support.microsoft.com/office/manage-email-messages-by-using-rules-in-outlook-c24f5dea-9465-4df4-ad17-a50704d66c59

Just to be safe, I’d recommend to sign out everywhere. Visit: https://account.live.com/proofs/manage/additional Scroll down to Sign me out and select "Sign me out".

• After signing out everywhere, please monitor if the issue persists in the coming hours.

And changing your password again and enabling two-step verification if you haven’t already. This will add an extra layer of security to prevent future unauthorized access. "How to help keep your Microsoft account secure" https://support.microsoft.com/account-billing/how-to-help-keep-your-microsoft-account-secure-628538c2-7006-33bb-5ef4-c917657362b9

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About missing emails:

Since your account was compromised, it’s possible the attacker deleted or moved your old emails.

Please check your Deleted Items folder and click “Recover items deleted from this folder” at the bottom, sometimes older messages can still be restored from there. Also check your Archive or Junk Email folders. "Recover and restore deleted items in Outlook" https://support.microsoft.com/office/recover-and-restore-deleted-items-in-outlook-49e81f3c-c8f4-4426-a0b9-c0fd751d48ce

If the emails don’t appear under “Recover items deleted from this folder,” it means they’ve been permanently removed from the mailbox and unfortunately can’t be recovered.

To prevent this from happening again, I recommend turning on two-step verification and reviewing your recent activity page to make sure your account is fully secure. "How to help keep your Microsoft account secure" https://support.microsoft.com/account-billing/how-to-help-keep-your-microsoft-account-secure-628538c2-7006-33bb-5ef4-c917657362b9

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Let me know if you have any further questions or concerns.

Click "Add comment" to let me know.

Regards,

John J.D.

Answer 2

For a hacked Outlook.com / Outlook on the web account where emails were deleted, only the items still retained by the service can be restored.

1. Check Deleted Items and Recoverable Items
   1. In Outlook on the web / Outlook.com, open the Deleted Items folder in the left pane.
   2. At the top of the message list, select Recover items deleted from this folder.
   3. In the Recoverable Items list, select any legitimate messages that were deleted and choose Restore.
      • Ctrl+Click selects individual messages; Shift+Click selects a range.
   4. Restored items go back to their original folders when possible. If the original folder no longer exists:
      • Messages go to Inbox.
      • Calendar items go to Calendar.
      • Contacts go to Contacts.
      • Tasks go to Tasks.
2. Understand current limitations
   • If the only items shown under Recover items deleted from this folder are spam/hacker emails, and legitimate emails are not present, those legitimate emails have likely been permanently removed from Deleted Items and the Recoverable Items store.
   • When items are permanently removed from both Deleted Items and Recoverable Items, they cannot be restored through Outlook.com/Outlook on the web.
3. Check other Outlook clients (if applicable)
   • If the account was also used in classic Outlook (desktop), repeat a similar check there:
     1. In classic Outlook, select the Deleted Items folder.
     2. On the Home tab, select Recover Deleted Items From Server.
     3. Select any needed items and choose Restore Selected Items.
   • If nothing appears there except spam/hacker messages, then no further recovery is available from the mailbox side.
4. Future protection steps (summary)
   • Since the account was hacked, ensure security is fully remediated (password change, MFA, removal of malicious rules/forwarding, etc.) so that restored items are not deleted again. (Security cleanup details are outside the provided context but are critical in practice.)

If legitimate messages are not visible in either Deleted Items or Recoverable Items (web or classic Outlook), there is no supported way in the provided documentation to restore them.

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References:

• Recover and restore deleted items in Outlook
• Working with message folders in Outlook.com