missing saved email messages

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missing saved email messages

Dan Zietlow 0

How to recover my saved hotmail messages that Microsoft deleted from my hotmail folders?

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Answer 1

Chloe-V 8,590 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Hi Dan Zietlow,

Welcome to Microsoft Q&A forum.

I understand how concerning it is when emails in your Hotmail account suddenly go missing.

To narrow this down quickly, could you please confirm:

Is this a personal Microsoft email account (@hotmail.com/@outlook.com/@live.com) or a work/school account?
Which device/app are you checking on: Outlook.com on the web (PC/Mac), Outlook app (Windows/Mac), or a phone (iOS/Android)?
Are emails missing from the whole mailbox, or only one folder / a specific time range?

On Outlook.com on the web using a PC/Mac, go to Deleted Items > select Recover items deleted from this folder and see if the missing emails appear there, then restore them.

Once you share your answers and the result of the recovery check, I’ll guide you with the next steps based on your specific scenario.

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.

Chloe-V 8,590 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-04-02T06:40:57.41+00:00

Hi Dan Zietlow,

Is there any update from you?

If yes, please feel free to let us know.
Dan Zietlow 0 Reputation points

2026-04-02T14:49:15.8533333+00:00

The saved emails Microsoft deleted were in several folders, not just one folder.
The saved emails Microsoft deleted are not in my hotmail Junk or Deleted folders.
Chloe-V 8,590 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-04-05T00:08:17.73+00:00
Hi Dan Zietlow,

I’m sorry you’re dealing with this — losing saved emails across multiple folders is understandably worrying, especially when they aren’t showing in Junk or Deleted Items.

Because you’ve confirmed the messages are missing from several folders and not in Junk/Deleted Items, the last self-service recovery check on Outlook.com is to open Deleted Items and select Recover items deleted from this folder, then restore anything you find there.

Also, if you haven’t already, please quickly check Focused/Other (if Focused Inbox is enabled) and make sure the message list filter is set to All.

If the emails still don’t appear in Recover items deleted from this folder, the most appropriate next step is to contact Microsoft Support so they can review the mailbox state on the service side.

Please note that this is a user-to-user support forum. Moderators, contributors including external Microsoft employees cannot directly intervene in Microsoft product features or access back-end systems. Our role is limited to providing technical guidance on reported issues, requests, or ideas only.

Go to Contact Us: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/contactus

Click Show expanded list of products

Select Outlook > Get Home support

Type Outlook live chat in the search box, then select Get Help > Contact Support

If you can’t sign in to the affected account, sign in with a different Microsoft account to access support options

Under Products & Services, select Other Products > Outlook, then choose Chat with a support agent via web browser.

Thank you for your time and understanding.

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missing saved email messages

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