Outlook( macOS) contents lost data for other mail account

Junko Braun 20 Reputation points
2026-11-06T15:15:00.4566667+00:00

Need to recover my old file folders to the Outlook (macOS) to pmcglobal.com account.

Outlook | MacOS | Legacy Outlook for Mac | For home
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Vikki-T 13,480 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
2026-11-07T07:59:00.0866667+00:00

Hi Junko Braun,

To determine whether the old folders can be recovered, could you clarify where they were previously stored?

  • Were they listed under On My Computer, or under the pmcglobal.com mailbox?
  • Can you still see them when you sign in to the account through webmail?
  • Do you have an Outlook archive or backup file, such as an .olm or .pst file?
  • Did the folders disappear after changing Macs, removing the account, updating Outlook, or switching Outlook versions?

If the folders are still visible in webmail, the data is likely still on the mail server and the issue may be limited to Outlook synchronization. If they were stored only under On My Computer, recovery will generally require an existing .olm archive, Time Machine backup, or other Mac backup.

Please avoid deleting the Outlook profile or clearing local data until the storage location and available backups have been confirmed. Thank you so much for your understanding.     

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  1. AI answer

    2026-11-06T15:15:16.4+00:00

    For Outlook on Mac, recovery depends on where those old folders were stored.

    • If the missing folders were under On My Computer, those items were stored only on that Mac and were not synchronized to the mail server.
    • If the account was Exchange, mailbox items are stored on the Exchange server and synchronized, so server copies may still be available.
    • For IMAP and POP accounts in Outlook for Mac, items other than email messages are stored on the computer, not on the mail server.

    To recover old folders into the pmcglobal.com account, use this path:

    1. Check whether the missing folders were in On My Computer.
      • In Legacy Outlook for Mac, those folders are local-only.
      • If they were local-only, they will not reappear from server sync.
    2. Check whether the missing mail still exists on the server.
      • If the pmcglobal.com account is IMAP or Exchange, sign in through that account’s webmail and verify whether the folders or messages are still there.
      • If they exist in webmail but not in Outlook for Mac, the issue is likely local sync/display rather than deletion.
    3. If the folders exist on the server but not in Outlook for Mac, refresh the affected folder cache.
      • In Outlook for Mac, right-click the affected folder.
      • Select Properties.
      • On the General tab, select Empty Cache.
      • This forces Outlook to re-sync from the server.
      • Important: only do this after confirming the items exist in webmail or after making a backup, because unsynchronized local information can be deleted.
    4. If the old data was exported to an Outlook for Mac archive file, import it.
      • In Outlook, select File > Import.
      • Select Outlook for Mac archive file (.olm).
      • Select the archive file, then Import.
    5. If the missing folders were from a Windows Outlook .pst repair or backup workflow, that guidance applies to Outlook for Windows, not Outlook for Mac.

    If the old folders were only in On My Computer and there is no .olm archive or other Mac backup, the context does not provide a supported recovery method to restore them into the pmcglobal.com account.

    References:

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

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  2. Junko Braun 20 Reputation points
    2026-11-07T21:43:42.4933333+00:00

    the problem still not solved

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