Emails end up in deleted folder when I try to move to my archive .pst folder

Question

Emails end up in deleted folder when I try to move to my archive .pst folder

John 0

I use Outlook 365 Home. I primarily use a Live.com email address, but organize those emails into a separate .pst file with a complex folder structure. That .pst file is now just over 30GB in size. In that .pst file I create individual folders for separate work projects so there are subfolders and sub-subfolders. Recently, when I move either an incoming email or a sent email to an individual folder in the .pst file, I cannot find it in the file where I tried to move it, rather it ends up in the deleted folder of my Live.com account. I looked at the rules and it does not appear that there is a problem there.

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Answer 1

Create a new PST and move a small test batch into it; if that succeeds, split the 30-GB archive into smaller PST files, then repair the original PST before moving anything else into it.

A 30-GB PST is below Outlook’s default 50-GB maximum, so size alone does not establish that the file has reached its limit. However, Microsoft documents increasing pauses and unreliable performance during move/delete operations with large Outlook data files. Raising the registry limit is therefore not the appropriate first fix.^1^

1. Protect and recover the affected messages

Do not empty the Live.com Deleted Items folder.
Move the affected messages back to a normal Live.com folder such as Inbox, or copy them there temporarily.
If any are no longer visible:
- Open Deleted Items.
- Select Recover items recently removed from this folder.
- Select the messages, then choose Restore Selected Items.^2^

2. Create and test a new archive PST

In classic Outlook:

Select New Items > More Items > Outlook Data File.
Give it a descriptive name, such as Archive-2026.pst, and select OK.^3^
Create one test folder in the new PST.
Copy, rather than move, two or three noncritical messages into it.
Open those copied messages from the new folder, close and restart Outlook, and confirm they remain there.
If the test succeeds, create several PSTs—for example, one per year or major project—and copy folders from the original archive in manageable batches.
Verify each batch before deleting its original copy.

This avoids placing more data into the existing large file and preserves a source copy during migration.

3. Repair the original 30-GB PST

Corruption has not been established, but the unexpected move result is sufficient reason to scan the archive after securing the messages.

In Outlook, select File > Account Settings > Account Settings > Data Files.
Note the path of the 30-GB PST.
Exit Outlook completely.
Make a separate backup copy of the PST. Microsoft recommends backing it up before repair.^4^
Locate and run SCANPST.EXE. A common Microsoft 365/Office 16 installation location is: C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\root\Office16
Select Browse, choose the affected PST, and select Start.
If errors are found, select Repair. Keep the option to create a backup enabled.
Run the scan again if necessary, until it reports no further errors.
Reopen Outlook and inspect Recovered Personal Folders or Lost and Found if either appears; recovered items that could not be returned to their original folders may be placed there.^4^

4. Reduce the old PST after migration

After confirming that copied folders are complete:

Remove the migrated copies from the old PST and empty that PST’s own Deleted Items folder.
Select File > Account Settings > Account Settings > Data Files.
Select the old PST, then Settings > Compact Now.

Outlook can compact automatically when sufficient unused space exists, but Compact Now starts it immediately.^5^

Do not raise MaxLargeFileSize or WarnLargeFileSize to work around this behavior. Microsoft documents a 50-GB default maximum and a 47.5-GB warning threshold for Unicode PST files, and notes that increasing the limits can reduce performance.^6^

If the same behavior occurs with the new PST

That points away from the old archive itself. Start Outlook in Safe Mode by pressing Windows+R, entering outlook.exe /safe, and testing another copy into the new PST. Safe Mode disables Outlook add-ins; if the issue disappears, disable nonessential COM add-ins under File > Options > Add-ins > Manage: COM Add-ins > Go.^7^

If it also fails in Safe Mode, create a fresh Outlook profile through Control Panel > User Accounts > Mail > Show Profiles > Add, add the Live.com account, attach only the new test PST, and retest.^8^

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