How do I recover an accidentally deleted draft email?

Question

How do I recover an accidentally deleted draft email?

Answer 1

Hello @Tice, Marc (Elections),

To help provide the most accurate and effective guidance, could you please share a bit more information about your setup and the circumstances surrounding the issue?

• As this question is tagged for New Outlook for Windows and a business environment, could you please help confirm the following details:
• Are you using New Outlook for Windows, Classic Outlook, or Outlook on the Web (OWA)?
  • Is your account a Microsoft 365 business/work account, Exchange account, or personal Microsoft account (Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo,...)?
• Approximately when was the draft deleted?
• Do you recall whether the draft was deleted manually, or did it disappear unexpectedly?
• Have you already checked the Deleted Items folder and the Recover Deleted Items option? If so, what were the results?

This additional context will help better understand your environment and any troubleshooting steps already performed, allowing us to tailor our recommendations accordingly.

1. In the meantime, if you are using New Outlook for Windows or Outlook on the web, please try the following:

• Open the Deleted Items folder and check whether the draft is available there.
• If found, select the draft and choose Move > Drafts.
• If the draft is not in Deleted Items, open the folder and select Recover items deleted from this folder.

• Look for the deleted draft in the recovery list and select Restore.
• Also check the Junk Email folder in case the item was moved there unexpectedly.

Please also let me know the result after trying the steps above.

I look forward to your response so we can investigate further and work together to get this resolved.

Answer 2

If the draft was accidentally deleted, check these locations in order:

1. Deleted Items
   • In new Outlook, select Deleted Items.
   • Find the draft, select it, then use Move and choose Drafts or another folder.
   • If needed, right-click the item and select Restore.
2. Junk Email
   • If the draft is not in Deleted Items, check Junk Email.
   • Select the item and use Move to return it to Drafts or another folder.
3. Recoverable Items
   • If the draft is no longer in Deleted Items, open Deleted Items.
   • At the top of the message list, next to Recover items deleted from this folder, select Recover.
   • Select the deleted draft and choose Restore.
   • After recovery, the item may return to Deleted Items, so move it from there to Drafts.
4. If the draft still is not found
   • In classic Outlook, if the item is not available in the recovery window, the documented next step is to contact the system administrator.

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References:

• Recover and restore deleted items in Outlook
• In Outlook, I have created a draft email but somehow I have deleted it. Is there anyway to recover it? - Microsoft Q&A