Undo the Delete Messages From Sender

Question

On my Samsung S23 Ultra mobile phone, I was attempting to delete a saved draft in MS Outlook when I was presented a prompt asking if I wanted to "Delete all messages from this sender." I clicked the option but was unaware that Outlook would delete ALL of my emails from my inbox and multiple folders, including the Delete folder. I now have no record of what was deleted and emails I intended to keep indefinitely are now gone. I am looking for a way to recover the deleted emails and revert back to my most recent instance before I selected the seemingly innocuous option.

Answer 1

Hi Steven Thompson

I understand you are having problem with accidentally selecting “Delete all messages from this sender” in Outlook for Android, which removed emails from multiple folders, and you now need to recover them.  

Please also follow these steps:  

• Recover the emails from the mailbox  
  • On a computer, open Outlook (web or desktop) and first check Deleted Items.  
• If emails are not in Deleted Items, check the Recoverable Items: select Deleted Items and use Recover items deleted from this folder, then select the items and choose Restore.  
• If you use classic Outlook for Windows: Deleted Items > Home tab > Recover Deleted Items from Server, then select items and restore.  

Please tell me how it goes. If the problem persists, please don’t hesitate to reply to this thread and I will be happy to help. Have a lovely day!   

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Answer 2

Outlook does not provide an “undo all deletes from this sender” feature on mobile, but deleted items may still be recoverable depending on how long ago they were removed and what type of account is used. Use the following recovery paths as soon as possible from a PC or Mac (mobile browsers cannot access the Recoverable Items folder):

1. Check Deleted Items and Junk Email

• Sign in to Outlook on the web or Outlook.com on a PC/Mac.
• In the left pane, select Deleted Items and Junk Email.
• If the messages are present:
  • Select the items (use the checkboxes).
  • On the ribbon, select Move → choose Inbox or the original folder, or drag them back to the desired folder.

2. Recover items removed from Deleted Items (Recoverable Items folder) If the messages are no longer in Deleted Items, they may still be in the Recoverable Items folder for a limited time.

In Outlook on the web / Outlook.com:

1. In the left pane, select the Deleted Items folder.
2. At the top of the message list, select Recover items deleted from this folder.
3. In the Recoverable Items list, select the messages to restore (Ctrl+Click or Shift+Click to select multiple).
4. Select Restore.

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.

3. Time limits and permanent deletion

• Email is automatically deleted from Deleted Items after 30 days in Outlook.com/Outlook on the web.
• Items removed from Deleted Items are recoverable from Recoverable Items for 30 days.
• If the messages are not in Deleted Items or Recoverable Items, they are likely permanently deleted and cannot be restored from Outlook. In an organization, an admin might still be able to recover items depending on retention policies, but this is not available in consumer Outlook.com accounts.

4. If using classic Outlook on a PC If the same mailbox is configured in classic Outlook for Windows:
5. Select the Deleted Items folder.
6. On the ribbon, use Recover Deleted Items (if available for that account) to open the Recoverable Items window.
7. Sort by From or Deleted On to help locate the affected messages.
8. Select the items and choose Restore Selected Items.

If the messages are not present in Deleted Items, Junk Email, or Recoverable Items (via web or classic Outlook), Outlook cannot revert the mailbox to the state before the “Delete all messages from this sender” action.

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References:

• Recover and restore deleted items in Outlook