emails going into IPM_SUBTREE folder and not inbox

Question

emails going into IPM_SUBTREE folder and not inbox

Andy Scott 0

emails going into IPM_SUBTREE folder and not inbox. I can only find email if I know it has been sent to me.

Andy Scott 0 Reputation points

2026-08-02T13:48:30.4866667+00:00

Hi

I forgot to mention, when I was having issues, I set up a new email address in Outlook which is same address with (1) after it. The original email address in still showing but does not receive any emails. They all now go to address (1), although most of those are hidden. I discovered I can find them if I search for my email address in the search bar and they show as being in IPM_SUBTREE. Bit of a pain having to do this every time just to make sure I am not missing anything.

I followed the original instructions and in the rules section 1 box was ticked - "send to person or public group"

In the rules section it has:

Apply this rule after the message arrives

send to original email without the (1) after it

move to the new email with (1) folder and stop processing more rules

I unticked the box so that rule is removed. However, emails still going into hidden folder.
Ruby Nguyen 640 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-08-03T20:24:00.0766667+00:00

Dear Andy,

Have you had a chance to try all of Hornblower409's suggestions? I would greatly appreciate it if you could share the outcome. I hope the issue has been resolved successfully.

Looking forward to your response.
Hornblower409 12,160 Reputation points

2026-08-05T23:56:35.8533333+00:00

@Andy Scott said

I unticked the box so that rule is removed. However, emails still going into hidden folder

So that did NOT solve the problem for new emails?

Were you able to recover the ones that had already been moved to IPM_SUBTREE?
Andy Scott 0 Reputation points

2026-08-06T11:59:40.03+00:00

Thanks for the replies. I will try suggestions at the weekend, so as not to interfere with work week.
Ruby Nguyen 640 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-08-06T21:46:38.6933333+00:00

Dear Andy,

Thanks for the update. No problem at all. I completely understand that you have other work priorities. Wishing you a productive and smooth week ahead.

2 answers

Your answer

Andy Scott 0 Reputation points

2026-08-02T13:48:30.4866667+00:00

Hi

I forgot to mention, when I was having issues, I set up a new email address in Outlook which is same address with (1) after it. The original email address in still showing but does not receive any emails. They all now go to address (1), although most of those are hidden. I discovered I can find them if I search for my email address in the search bar and they show as being in IPM_SUBTREE. Bit of a pain having to do this every time just to make sure I am not missing anything.

I followed the original instructions and in the rules section 1 box was ticked - "send to person or public group"

In the rules section it has:

Apply this rule after the message arrives

send to original email without the (1) after it

move to the new email with (1) folder and stop processing more rules

I unticked the box so that rule is removed. However, emails still going into hidden folder.
Ruby Nguyen 640 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-08-03T20:24:00.0766667+00:00

Dear Andy,

Have you had a chance to try all of Hornblower409's suggestions? I would greatly appreciate it if you could share the outcome. I hope the issue has been resolved successfully.

Looking forward to your response.
Hornblower409 12,160 Reputation points

2026-08-05T23:56:35.8533333+00:00

@Andy Scott said

I unticked the box so that rule is removed. However, emails still going into hidden folder

So that did NOT solve the problem for new emails?

Were you able to recover the ones that had already been moved to IPM_SUBTREE?
Andy Scott 0 Reputation points

2026-08-06T11:59:40.03+00:00

Thanks for the replies. I will try suggestions at the weekend, so as not to interfere with work week.
Ruby Nguyen 640 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-08-06T21:46:38.6933333+00:00

Dear Andy,

Thanks for the update. No problem at all. I completely understand that you have other work priorities. Wishing you a productive and smooth week ahead.

Answer 1

@Andy Scott said

emails going into IPM_SUBTREE folder and not inbox

If the suggestions from Ruby don't help (a broken Rule is the usual culprit).

1 -- How to turn off Outlook Today and recover the messages
[External Non-Microsoft Site] https://www.slipstick.com/outlook/email-missing-ipm_subtree/

2 -- Create a new Outlook Profile and see if it has the same problem.
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/outlook/create-an-outlook-profile

3 -- Possible temporary workaround (I can't test). Create an "All Mail" Rule that sends everything to the Inbox.

See "Step 2: Create a rule to move emails to inbox" in the Answer by "Ruby-N 02 Oct 2025" at
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-za/answers/questions/5573501/how-to-redirect-emails-from-ipm-subtree

Answer 2

Good day Andy,

Thank you for sharing your concern.

Just to gently clarify before we go any further, this is a user‑to‑user support forum. I don’t have the ability to access or investigate individual accounts because this is a user-to-user support forum. Moderators and contributors, including external Microsoft employees, do not have access to internal systems or the ability to directly take action on Microsoft product features. However, I truly hope I can help review your situation, offer some guidance, and support you in finding the right next steps as best as possible.

Based on your description, incoming messages should normally be delivered directly to the Inbox. If messages are instead appearing elsewhere within the mailbox structure, this is typically caused by an Outlook rule, a customized Inbox view or filter, or client issue.

Please see the following workarounds that will help you verify the issue:

Option 1: Check for Outlook rules that may be moving messages

Rules can automatically move, redirect, or delete incoming messages. An incorrect or overly broad rule is one of the most common causes of emails not appearing in the Inbox.

Open Classic Outlook.

Select File > Select Manage Rules & Alerts.

Review all rules listed under the Email Rules tab.

Look for any rule that moves messages to another folder or performs actions on all incoming mail.

Disable any suspicious rules by unchecking them.

Select Apply, then OK.

Send a test email to verify whether new messages now arrive in the Inbox.

Note: I recommend disabling rules first rather than deleting them so they can be restored if needed.

Option 2: Verify whether messages are being hidden by a view or filter

In some cases, messages are still in the Inbox but aren't visible because of a custom view or filter.

To reset the Inbox view, follow these steps:

Open Classic Outlook.

Select the Inbox folder > Go to the View tab > Select Reset View.

Confirm the reset if prompted.

Restart Outlook.

Check whether the missing messages now appear.

To clear all custom views, follow these steps:

Close Outlook. Press Windows + R to open the Run dialog.

Type:

outlook.exe /cleanviews

Select OK.

Reopen Outlook and check the Inbox again.

Option 3: Test Outlook in safe mode

Third party add ins can occasionally affect how messages are displayed or processed.

Close Outlook.

Press Windows + R.

Type:

outlook.exe /safe

Select OK.

Test whether new emails arrive normally in the Inbox.

If the issue doesn't occur in safe mode, an add-in may be contributing to the behavior:

Open Classic Outlook again.

Select File > Options > Add-ins.

At the bottom, set Manage to: COM Add‑ins and select Go.

User's image

Uncheck one add‑in at a time and restart Classic Outlook after each change.

Option 4: Repair Outlook app

Open Windows Settings > Go to Apps > Installed Apps > Locate Outlook app.

Select Advanced Options > Scroll down and choose Repair.

User's image

Once the repair is complete, reopen Outlook and test again.

Option 5: Reinstall Office apps

You may consider uninstalling the Office apps and then reinstalling them using the following steps:

Go to office.com > Apps and more > More apps > Install apps > Microsoft 365 apps > Apps & devices > Install Office.

User's image

After installation, Outlook may open in the New Outlook interface. To return to Classic Outlook, please refer to this document link: Revert to classic Outlook - Microsoft Support

Option 6: Contact Microsoft Support

If the issue still persists after trying the steps above, I recommend reaching out to your IT administrator to create a support ticket via Microsoft 365 Admin Center > Support > Help & Support for further backend investigation. In case you do not know who is your IT admin, kindly refer to this article: How do I find my Microsoft 365 admin? - Microsoft Support

A technical support engineer can perform a remote session to investigate the situation, verify the backend configurations, and run any necessary synchronization tools to resolve the problem. If the issue requires further attention, they can escalate it to a specialized team for deeper analysis.

I hope this information is helpful. If you have any questions or need further support, please don’t hesitate to reach out at any time.

Thank you for your patience and understanding.

If you have any extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment".

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