Lost emails

Question

I seem to have lost incoming emails on my <PII removed>@hotmail.com account while I was on a cruise off the New England coast. I was talking with <PII removed> via computer but got cut off.

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* PII REMOVED BY MODERATOR

Answer 1

Please note that our forum is a public platform, and I modified your question to hide your personal information in the description. Kindly ensure that you hide any personal or organizational information the next time you post an error or other details to protect personal data. 

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Hi Lew G. Brown,

I understand you were already connected with a support representative and then the text session was cut off. Please note that this is a user-to-user forum, so contributors here cannot reopen or access your previous support chat, but I can share the correct ways to get back to Outlook.com support.

The Q&A Assist answer above provides the right mailbox checks for missing emails, such as Junk Email, Other, Deleted Items, rules, Archive, blocked senders, and recent activity. Have you had a chance to try those checks yet? I would also like to add the steps to reconnect with Outlook.com support directly.

1/ Contact Outlook.com support while signed in

1. Go to Outlook.com and sign in.  
2. Click the Help icon (question mark) in the top right corner.  
3. In the Help pane that opens, type a brief description of your issue (e.g., "email management"), then press Enter.   
4. Scroll down the page until you see "Still need help?", click Yes.   
5. Select "Chat with a support agent in your web browser."  
6. Review the description of your issue and confirm your email address (ensure it's an email you can access).  
7. Click Confirm to create the service request and then Start chat to connect with an agent.  
8. The screen will indicate that your request has been submitted and the system is connecting you to Outlook.com live chat support, which may take a moment to load.  

2/ Contact Microsoft Support from the support page

1. Visit the Microsoft Support contact page: Contact - Microsoft Support  
2. In the search bar provided on the page, type "Outlook issue" and press Enter.  
3. Click on the "Get Help" button that appears.  
4. Scroll down the page until you see and click on the "Contact Support" option.  
5. When prompted to select your product or service, choose "Other Products".  
6. For the category, choose "Outlook".  
7. Look for and click on "Chat with a support agent in your web browser".  
8. Confirm your personal email when prompted - this is the email Microsoft will use to communicate with you during and after the support session.  
9. Explain your situation clearly: Be concise but provide all the relevant details.    

I hope this helps you reconnect with Outlook.com support and continue the missing email review.

Answer 2

Check the following in the Hotmail/Outlook.com account to locate the missing incoming emails:

1. Junk Email folder
   Sometimes legitimate messages are marked as junk.
   • Go to the Junk Email folder.
   • If the missing messages are there, select them and choose Not junk > Not junk.
   • On Outlook for iOS/Android, go to Junk Email, select the message, then … > Move to Inbox.
   • In a mobile browser, go to Junk Email, select the message, then … > Mark as not junk.
     Note: Messages are automatically removed from Junk Email after 30 days and cannot be recovered.
2. Focused/Other tabs
   If Focused Inbox is enabled, some mail may be in Other:
   • In Outlook.com, select the Other tab and look for the missing messages.
   • If a message belongs in Focused, select it and choose Move to > Move to Focused inbox.
   • In Outlook for iOS/Android or a mobile browser, select Other, select the message, then … > Move to Focused inbox.
3. Deleted Items folder
   Messages may have been deleted accidentally:
   • Open Deleted Items and look for the missing emails.
   • If found, select the message and choose Restore.
   • If not visible, in Deleted Items select Recover items deleted from this folder, then select the message and choose Restore.
     Notes:
   • Messages removed from Deleted Items are recoverable for 30 days.
   • Recovery of items removed from Deleted Items must be done on a computer (not iOS/Android/mobile browser).
   • Messages deleted from a child’s account cannot be recovered.
4. Filter and rules
   Messages may be hidden by filters or moved by rules:
   • In Outlook.com, select Filter above the message list and choose All so no filter hides messages.
   • Check Rules settings and review Inbox/Sweep rules. If a rule is moving messages out of the Inbox, edit or delete that rule. (Rules must be viewed/edited on a computer.)
5. Archive folder
   • Check the Archive folder for the missing messages.
   • If found, select the message and choose Move to > Inbox.
   • On Outlook for iOS/Android or a mobile browser, go to Archive, select the message, then … > Move to folder > Inbox.
6. Blocked senders and server-side rules (if using Mail/Calendar for Windows 10)
   If the account is also used in Mail for Windows 10:
   • Sign in to Outlook.com or Outlook on the web.
   • Go to Settings > Options/Mail > Blocked Senders or Block and allow and remove the sender/domain if present.
   • In Inbox and sweep rules, uncheck any rules that might move or delete messages and check the folders where rules send mail.
7. Check account activity and sign-in
   If there was unusual activity or sign-in issues while traveling:
   • Review the account’s recent activity at the Recent activity page to see if there was suspicious access.
   • If the account was compromised, follow the guidance in What is the Recent activity page? and related documentation to secure it.
8. If email still appears missing
   • Use the Outlook.com Help menu or the support link to contact Outlook.com support while signed in.
   • If self-help does not resolve the issue, scroll to Still need help? and select Yes to reach support.

For any period when Microsoft cloud storage or mailbox might have been full, note that messages sent during that time can be bounced and are unrecoverable.

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References:

• Email is missing from your Outlook.com inbox
• Where are my email messages or calendar events in Mail and Calendar for Windows 10?
• Can't send or receive email in Outlook.com
• I lost my email and mobile i used to register in microsoft certification how to transfer or recover account? - Microsoft Q&A
• Stopped receiving emails on my account. - Microsoft Q&A
• Can't sign in to my email - Microsoft Q&A
• How do I recover my old email messages, my contacts and everything else I had in Outlook? - Microsoft Q&A
• MSN email issues - Microsoft Q&A