Recovering deleted e-mails that are not in deleted folder anymore

David Van der Walt 0 Reputation points
2026-10-15T02:10:14.92+00:00

Have accidentally moved e mails from Inbox to Deleted folder, then emptied the Deleted folder. Am hoping to retrieve those e-mails off the webserver if possible

Outlook | Windows | Classic Outlook for Windows | For home
0 comments

2 answers

Sort by: Most helpful
Most helpful Newest Oldest
  1. EmilyS726 273.6K Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-10-15T02:45:15.0533333+00:00

    Is this for your outlook or hotmail.com email address?

    If so, go to www.outlook.com, sign in.

    Then go to the Deleted item folder.

    Do you see this option? If so, you may or may not be able to recover it, depending on how long ago this was emptied.

    User's image

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments

  2. AI answer

    2026-10-15T02:10:27.1966667+00:00

    Yes—if the messages are no longer in Deleted Items, they may still be recoverable from the server in classic Outlook, depending on the account type.

    Try this in Classic Outlook for Windows:

    1. Make sure Outlook is online and connected to the mail server.
    2. In the folder list, select Deleted Items.
    3. On the Home tab, select Recover Deleted Items From Server.
    4. If the missing emails appear, select them and restore them.

    Important limits:

    • If the account shows Trash instead of Deleted Items, that account does not support recovering items that are no longer in Deleted Items.
    • If there is no Recover Deleted Items command, that account does not support this recovery method.
    • For Outlook on the web / Outlook.com, items removed from Deleted Items are recoverable for 30 days. In Deleted Items, use Recover items deleted from this folder, then select the messages and choose Restore.
    • Recovered items are restored to their original folder when possible.

    If the messages were in an IMAP account, recovery depends on how deletion was configured:

    • If messages were only marked for deletion, they can be restored by selecting the message and using Home > Undelete.
    • If the messages were purged, they are deleted from the IMAP mail server and cannot be restored.

    References:

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

    Was this answer helpful?

Your answer

Answers can be marked as 'Accepted' by the question author and 'Recommended' by moderators, which helps users know the answer solved the author's problem.