Almost Complete Data Loss

Question

Today my .hotmail address was working fine. All inbox history, archive history, OneDrive files intact. Then it all disappeared with the exception of a handful of archived emails. I noticed this after needing to print an email that came in one hour beforehand. This is across Outlook 365 on Mac, iOS, iPadOS, an air gapped Windows computer, and the outlook web version. I did not delete anything. There are no rules in place. I recovered deleted emails. I chatted with support multiple times. New emails are being received, but almost everything else disappeared in ways that seem impossible. I have another personal outlook account and a university enterprise outlook account in the same Outlook 365 apps; neither were affected. This is inexplicable. Can anyone explain what occurred and if it can be fixed?

Answer 1

Please note that this is a user-to-user community. As moderators, I have limited access to internal development details. My role is to direct users to the appropriate support channels and resources. While I cannot provide backend analysis, I will do my best to assist you within my responsibilities.   

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Hi Ciaran Cavanaugh

Please reply with:

• Are the missing emails absent from Outlook.com on the web search results?
• Are the missing OneDrive files visible in the OneDrive Recycle bin?
• Do you have Microsoft 365 Personal or Family on this same Hotmail account?
• Did Microsoft Support provide a case number? Please do not post the number publicly. Just confirm whether one exists.

Also try the steps below:

1) Check recovery from Outlook.com on the web 

Sign in to Outlook.com in a browser, then check Deleted Items and Junk Email. If available, open Deleted Items and use Recover items deleted from this folder.

2) Search all mailbox folders 

In Outlook.com, search for a known sender, subject, or keyword from one of the missing emails.

Also check:

• Inbox
• Archive
• Deleted Items
• Junk Email
• Sent Items
• Any custom folders

If Outlook.com web search does not find the messages, they may no longer be visible from the user side.

3) Check account security immediately 

Go to Microsoft account security, review recent activity, and change the password if anything looks unfamiliar. Also confirm that the recovery email, phone number, and sign-in methods are yours.

3) Check OneDrive directly on the web 

Sign in to OneDrive and search for the missing files. Then check the OneDrive Recycle bin. Please start from the OneDrive website.

4) If you have Microsoft 365 Personal or Family, use OneDrive restore 

If the missing files were in OneDrive and this Hotmail account has a Microsoft 365 subscription, use Restore your OneDrive.

OneDrive restore can help Microsoft 365 subscribers undo file and folder actions from within the last 30 days. Review the activity list carefully before restoring, because files created after the restore point may be moved to the OneDrive Recycle bin.

5) Contact Microsoft Support with the exact scope 

Since you already checked multiple devices and the issue also appears on the web, contact Microsoft Support from the affected account:

• Visit Contact - Microsoft Support (Only chat support is available for personal account)
• Type a brief description of your issue in the search box   
• Scroll down to the bottom > select Sign in to contact support   
• Log in to your personal Microsoft account.    
• Under Products & Services, select "Other Products"; Under Categories, select a suitable Category.  
• Click "Chat with a support agent in your web browser" (during business hours)

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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