Outlook issues

For classic Outlook for Windows, these symptoms map to a few known causes and checks:

1. Messages going to Junk or not appearing

• Check whether Outlook is permanently deleting suspected junk instead of moving it to the Junk E-mail folder:
  • Home > Junk > Junk E-mail Options
  • On the Options tab, clear Permanently delete suspected junk e-mail instead of moving it to the Junk E-mail folder.
• If messages seem to be missing from a folder, they may be hidden by a view filter rather than deleted:
  • View tab > View Settings > Filter
  • Review filters on Tasks, More Choices, and Advanced.
• If using a Samsung device with the default mail app, its Spam addresses list can cause new messages to move to Junk or Unwanted. On the device, open the mail app, go to Settings > General Settings > Spam addresses, and remove any incorrect entries.
• If mail was deleted, first check Deleted Items and Junk Email. Deleted Outlook items can often be recovered from those folders, and in some cases even after Deleted Items is emptied.

2. Contacts disappearing

• If contacts or other items seem to disappear from a folder, first check for a filtered view:
  • View tab > View Settings > Filter
  • Remove any filtering that could be hiding items.
• If contacts were actually deleted, recovery may be possible from Outlook’s deleted items recovery options, depending on the Outlook version.

3. Calendar reverted to 2023

• If calendar items are not visible, a folder view filter is a supported cause for items disappearing from an Outlook folder.
  • In the Calendar folder, go to View > View Settings > Filter and review any active filters.
• If calendar items were deleted, check whether they can be recovered through Outlook deleted item recovery.

4. Deleted items or changes coming back

• There is a documented Outlook.com issue where deleted emails can revert back to the Inbox and the issue is under investigation.
• For Outlook.com connected accounts, a workaround is to delete the message from the originating account’s Inbox. Example: if the connected account is Gmail, delete it from Gmail directly.

If the main issue is in classic Outlook on Windows, start with the Outlook view filter and Junk E-mail settings, because both can make items appear missing without actually being lost.

• Items disappear or are not visible in an Outlook folder
• Junk e-mail messages are permanently deleted
• Recover and restore deleted items in Outlook | Microsoft Support
• New email messages automatically move to the Junk folder in Microsoft Outlook
• Fixes or workarounds for recent issues on Outlook.com | Microsoft Support