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 Online and Outlook retain deleted items for a limited time, allowing you to restore important messages without needing a full mailbox restore.

It is important to distinguish between a soft-delete and a hard-delete:

• Soft-delete: An item moved to the Deleted Items folder. It remains recoverable by the user until the folder is emptied or the retention period expires.
• Hard-delete: An item removed using Shift+Delete, or purged from the Deleted Items folder. It moves to the hidden Recoverable Items folder on the server and remains there until the retention period expires.

Once an item is purged from the Recoverable Items store or the retention period expires, it is generally permanently deleted and cannot be recovered through standard Outlook features.

Recovering Deleted Items in Outlook Desktop

Microsoft 365 Apps for Enterprise or Business (Classic Outlook)

1. Open Outlook and navigate to the Deleted Items folder in your folder list.
2. Click the Home tab on the ribbon.
3. Select Recover Deleted Items from Server, or right-click the Deleted Items folder and choose Recover Deleted Items from the context menu.
4. In the Recover Deleted Items dialog, select the messages you wish to restore.
5. Click Restore Selected Items.
6. The recovered emails will reappear in their original folders.

New Outlook for Windows

1. Open New Outlook for Windows.
2. Navigate to the Deleted Items folder.
3. Right-click the Deleted Items folder and select Recover deleted items.
4. Select the messages you wish to restore.
5. Click Restore.

Outlook for Mac

1. Open Outlook for Mac.
2. Navigate to the Deleted Items folder.
3. Right-click the Deleted Items folder and select Recover deleted items.
4. Select the required emails and choose Restore.
5. Recovered items typically return to their original folder or the Inbox, depending on your Outlook version.

Recovering Deleted Items in Outlook on the Web

1. Sign in to Outlook on the web at outlook.office.com.
2. In the left navigation pane, select the Deleted Items folder.
3. At the top of the message list, click Recover items deleted from this folder.
4. Select the emails you want to restore.
5. Click Restore.
6. Recovered items are returned to their original folder or the Inbox.

Mobile Outlook (iOS and Android)

The Outlook mobile app does not include a native Recover Deleted Items feature. If you have deleted an email on your mobile device:

• Check the Deleted Items folder in the app first.
• Sign in to Outlook on the web using a desktop or mobile browser and follow the steps above to recover items from the server.
• If the item is no longer recoverable through Outlook on the web, contact your administrator to request assistance.

Microsoft 365 Retention and Recoverable Items

Microsoft 365 Exchange Online typically retains soft-deleted items for 14 days by default. This retention period can be configured up to 30 days for deleted items, depending on your organisation’s retention policy and licence type. Items held in the Recoverable Items store are subject to separate retention settings managed by your administrator.

If an item has been purged from Recoverable Items, or if the retention period has expired, the data is generally permanently lost. There is no standard user-level recovery path after this point.

Recovering Items from Shared Mailboxes

To recover deleted items from a shared mailbox, you must have the appropriate permissions (typically Full Access or Send As) granted by your organisation’s administrator.

1. Add the shared mailbox to your Outlook profile or open it in Outlook on the web.
2. Navigate to the shared mailbox’s Deleted Items folder.
3. Use the standard Recover Deleted Items feature as described above.
4. If you do not see the recovery option, contact your administrator to verify your permissions.

Recovering Items from Archive Mailboxes

Deleted items from an Online Archive are managed separately from your primary mailbox. Recovery steps are similar, but you must navigate to the Online Archive section of your folder list rather than your primary mailbox folders. Retention policies for archive mailboxes may differ from those applied to your primary mailbox, so check with your administrator if items are not appearing in the recovery dialog.

Admin Recovery Options

If user-level recovery is not possible, your Microsoft 365 administrator has additional recovery paths:

• Single item recovery: An administrator can recover specific deleted items from the Recoverable Items store using the Exchange admin centre or PowerShell, without performing a full mailbox restore.
• Microsoft Purview compliance centre / eDiscovery: For items subject to legal or compliance holds, an administrator can use the Microsoft Purview compliance centre to place a hold or perform an eDiscovery search to locate and recover deleted content.
• Litigation Hold or In-Place Hold: Items under hold may remain recoverable by an administrator even after the standard user retention period expires.

Admin-initiated restores typically take between 24 hours and several business days, depending on the method used, the size of the mailbox, and whether data must be restored from a backup. Ask your support team for an estimated timeframe when you submit your request.

Troubleshooting Missing or Greyed-Out Recovery Options

If the Recover Deleted Items button is missing, disabled, or greyed out:

• Ensure you are connected to an Exchange Online or Microsoft Exchange server. This feature is not available for POP or IMAP accounts.
• Confirm you are viewing the Deleted Items folder, not another folder such as Junk Email.
• In classic Outlook Desktop, verify you are using the Home tab and not a contextual tab that does not display the recovery option.
• For shared mailboxes, confirm you have been granted Full Access permissions by your administrator.
• Restart Outlook and check again. If the option remains missing, contact your administrator or open a support ticket.

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.

Last audited: 24 May 2024

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