Restore Deleted Email Messages in Outlook.com

If you ever accidentally delete an email message in your Outlook.com program, you can try recovering them in your Deleted Items or Junk Email Folder if they’ are still there. However, if you have also removed emails from Deleted folder, there are possibilities that you can recover them as well. To know how to restore deleted email messages in your Outlook account, follow the instructions provided below.

Check your Outlook Versions for Instructions

The instructions provided here can be a bit different depending on whether you are using Outlook.com beta or not. First, know the version of your Outlook.com, and then follow the instructions accordingly.

Steps for the Outlook.com Beta

If you are using an Outlook.com beta version, you will need to follow the instructions provided herein below.

When you remove an email, a calendar item, or a contact in your Outlook account, it is moved to the Deleted Items folder before getting permanently removed from your account. In case you don’t find the email in the Deleted Items folder, check your Junk Email folder.

1.) Click on the “Deleted Items” or “Junk Email” located in the left pane. In case you don’t see any of the folders listed, click on the down-arrow next to the “Folders” option.

2.) For the “Deleted Items folder”, locate and select the email which you wish to recover and select “Restore” option.

NOTE: You will not be able to restore emails that have been deleted from your “Deleted Items” folder.

3.) For “Junk Email Folder”, select the email which you wish to recover, and click on the “Not junk” option.

Steps for the Classic Outlook.com

When you remove an email, a calendar item, or a contact in your Outlook account, it is first moved to the “Deleted Items folder” before getting permanently removed. In case you don’t find an email listed in your Deleted Items folder, check your Junk Email folder.

1.) Click on the “Deleted Items” or “Junk Email” folder located on the left-hand side panel. If you are unable to find any of the said folders, click on the down-arrow icon next to the “Folders” option.

2.) For Deleted Items Folder, select the email which you wish to recover and click on the “Recover” option.

3.) For Junk Email Folder, select the email you wish to restore and click on the “Not junk” option.

Steps to Recover Emails(s) That Has Been Deleted from your Deleted Items Folder

In case you have not found your email in the “Deleted Items folder”, you can try looking for the email in the “Recoverable Items folder”.

1.) Select “Deleted Items” option from the left panel of your Outlook window.

2.) Click on the “Recover deleted items” option located at the top of your email list.

3.) Next, select the items which you wish to recover from the list and click on the “Recover” option.

4.) After that, click on the “OK” button.

Location Where Recovered Items Go

Generally, the items your recover by following the above steps will get stored in their original location (if possible). In case the original location of the recovered item does not exist any longer, you can look for the items as mentioned below:

  • Emails will go to the Inbox folder.
  • Contacts will go to the Contacts folder.
  • Calendar items will go to the Calendar.
  • Tasks will go to the Task folder.

Prevent Outlook from Emptying Deleted Items Folder Each Time you Log Out

By default, Outlook may empty the Deleted Items folder each time you log out of your Outlook account. You can change this action by following these steps:

1.) Go to the Gear icon > Options.

2.) Click on the Message options and deselect the option – Empty the Deleted Items folder when I sign out.

Important Tips About Deleted Items

  • Items that get deleted from your “Deleted Items folder” can be recovered in the last 30 days only.
  • Emails in your Junk Email folder are removed automatically after 14 days. Once removed, they are not recoverable.
  • If you can’t find the deleted emails you wish to recover, they might have been removed permanently from the Junk Email folder or Deleted Items folder. It is not recommended to keep your emails in either of the said folders.
  • If the emails are deleted from child accounts, it is not possible to recover them. This helps in making parents confident that the email once deleted from their children’s accounts are not recoverable.
  • IN order to keep your Outlook.com account active, make sure to log in to your account at least once in every 365 days. If your account remains inactive for more than 365 days, your account can be removed and recovery of the same will not be possible.

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