Deleted email recovery
Summary
This guide helps you troubleshoot and resolve: Deleted email recovery. Follow the steps below to fix the issue.
Common Causes
Understanding Deleted Email Recovery
When an email disappears from your Outlook inbox it may still be recoverable. Exchange and Outlook retain deleted items for a limited time, allowing you to restore important messages without needing a full mailbox restore.
Recovering Deleted Items in Outlook
Step 1: Use the Recover Deleted Items folder
- Open Outlook and navigate to the Deleted Items folder.
- Click the Folder tab on the ribbon and select Recover Deleted Items.
- In the dialog, select the messages you wish to restore, then click Restore Selected Items.
- The recovered emails will reappear in their original folders.
Step 2: Recover items from the Exchange Recoverable Items store
- If the messages are not visible in Outlook’s
Recover Deleted Itemswindow, they may be in the server‑side Recoverable Items store. - In Outlook Web App (OWA), open the Deleted Items folder, then click Recover items deleted from this folder at the top.
- Select the required emails and choose Restore. They will be returned to the Deleted Items folder.
Step 3: Request an admin‑initiated mailbox restore
- If the items are older than the retention period or have been purged, contact your Exchange administrator.
- The admin can perform a mailbox restore from a backup or from the In‑Place Hold/Litigation Hold area.
- Once restored, the recovered messages will appear in the user’s mailbox.
Step 4: Verify retention policies and mailbox limits
- Check your organisation’s Retention Policy settings in the Exchange admin centre to understand how long deleted items are kept.
- Ensure the mailbox is not exceeding its storage quota, as this can cause automatic purging of older items.
For detailed guidance on backing up and restoring Outlook data files, see our article on Backing Up and Restoring Outlook Data Files (.pst/.ost).
Once the retention period has expired, deleted items are permanently removed and cannot be recovered.
When Recovery Fails
If you are still unable to locate the missing email, it may be related to a broader delivery issue. Refer to Email not sending or receiving for additional troubleshooting steps.
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