Restore Open E-Mails

William M. Blume 0 Reputation points
2026-11-09T14:37:06.1+00:00

My outlook closed while I had open e-mails and did not restore them when I reopened. Is there any way to restore those open e-mails?

Outlook | Windows | New Outlook for Windows | For business
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  1. AI answer

    2026-11-09T14:38:08.8666667+00:00

    New Outlook does not have a documented command to restore all message windows from its previous session, so reopen received messages from their mailbox folders and check Drafts for any unfinished replies or new messages.

    Recover the messages

    1. For emails you were reading
      • Open Inbox, Archive, or the folder where each message is stored.
      • Use the Search box with the sender, subject, or a phrase from the message.
      • Double-click each result to open it in a separate window. New Outlook supports multiple message windows, but Microsoft does not document session-window restoration for it.^1^
    2. For messages you were composing
      • Select Drafts in the folder list.
      • Look for the new message or unfinished reply and open it to continue.
      • New Outlook supports creating and saving drafts, including with offline access enabled.^2^
      • If no draft exists, the available Microsoft guidance does not provide another New Outlook recovery location for that unfinished text.

    If you are actually using classic Outlook

    Classic Outlook has a startup option for future sessions:

    1. Select File > Options > General.
    2. Under Start up options, choose Ask me if I want to restore previous items.
    3. Close and reopen Outlook normally.

    Microsoft documents this setting for Outlook Desktop/classic Outlook.^3^ It affects later startups; it cannot reconstruct windows already lost from a New Outlook session.

    References

    1. Feature comparison between new Outlook and classic Outlook | Microsoft Support
    2. [New Outlook](https://support.microsoft.com/outlook/getstarted/how-to-work-offline-in-outlook-for-windows#what-can-i-do-when-i'm-offline-in-new-outlook)
    3. Outlook unexpectedly prompts to reopen items from your last session | Microsoft Support
    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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  2. Fahim-Nz 180 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-11-09T15:08:34.8933333+00:00

    Hello William,

    Thank you for contacting the Microsoft Community.

    I understand that Outlook closed while you had several emails open, but those emails did not reopen when you launched Outlook again.

    New Outlook for Windows includes an option to reopen items from your previous session. Let's check whether this feature is enabled.

    1/ Enable the Reopen items option

    1. Open New Outlook.
    2. Select the Settings icon in the upper-right corner.
    3. Go to General > Start up.
    4. Look for the Reopen items setting.
    5. Select Ask me if I want to reopen previous items or the equivalent available option.
      User's image

    If prompted when Outlook starts again, choose to reopen the previous items.

    2/ Check your Drafts folder

    If you were composing or replying to emails when Outlook closed:

    1. Open your Drafts folder.
    2. Check whether the unfinished messages were saved automatically.
    3. Open any recovered drafts to continue working.

    (Important: If Outlook has already restarted without restoring the previous session, there may be no supported way to automatically recover the exact set of previously open email windows. You may need to locate and reopen those messages manually)

    To help us investigate this issue further, please confirm the following:

    1. Did New Outlook close unexpectedly, or did you close it manually?
    2. Were you simply reading the emails when Outlook closed, or were you writing new emails or replying to existing ones?

    This information will help determine the available recovery options.

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