Outlook guide
By
Elias Brandt
Elias Brandt writes about marketing, email and analytics tools for Appcyclopedia, working on a ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 10 and a Galaxy S25.
- Web
- Windows
Short answer
Open Deleted Items and, at the top of the message list next to Recover items deleted from this folder, select Recover. Pick the messages and select Restore. In classic Outlook for Windows, the command is Recover Deleted Items From Server on the Home tab.
The catch: this second chance has a clock. Outlook.com keeps removed items recoverable for 30 days, and Exchange Online work mailboxes default to 14 days unless an administrator changed it.
Below: the steps for each version of Outlook, where restored mail lands, what to do after the window closes, and the places mail hides without being deleted.
How to recover deleted emails in Outlook, step by step
To recover deleted emails in Outlook, look in the folders you can see before the one you cannot. The first group covers Deleted Items and Junk Email, the second the hidden Recoverable Items folder in each version, and the third what to do when both come up empty.
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Look in the folders you can see
Search Deleted Items and Junk Email first
Select Deleted Items, then Junk Email, and search within each for the sender or a word from the subject. Deleted Items is the first place a deleted message goes. On Outlook.com and Outlook on the web, mail is deleted from Deleted Items after 30 days and junk is kept for 30 days, so older mail will not be in either.
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Move it back from Deleted Items
In new Outlook or on the web, hover over the message, tick its box, then select Move on the Home tab and pick a folder. In new Outlook you can also right-click and choose Restore. In classic Outlook, right-click, select Move and choose the folder, or drag it there. For junk, select Report, then Not junk.
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Recover it from the hidden folder
Recover it in new Outlook for Windows
Select Deleted Items. At the top of the message list, next to Recover items deleted from this folder, select Recover. Hover over each message you want and tick its box, or tick Recoverable Items to select all, then select Restore on the Home ribbon. Select Go back to deleted items when you are done.
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Recover it in Outlook on the web or Outlook.com
Select Deleted Items in the left pane, then Recover next to Recover items deleted from this folder. Select the messages and then Restore; Ctrl+click picks single messages and Shift+click a range. The hidden folder cannot be opened from a mobile browser, so use a PC or Mac.
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Recover it in classic Outlook for Windows
Make sure you are online, select Deleted Items, then on the Home tab select Recover Deleted Items From Server. Select the messages, then Restore Selected Items and OK. Sorting by Deleted On or From helps in a long list. If you see a Trash folder instead of Deleted Items, or there is no recover command, your account does not support this.
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Find the message where it was restored
In classic Outlook, recovered items go to Deleted Items, and you move them on from there. On the web and Outlook.com, items return to their original folder when it still exists; a message whose folder was deleted goes to the Inbox. Search by sender if you cannot see it.
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When neither place has it
Ask your administrator on a work or school account
Exchange Online keeps soft-deleted items for 14 days by default, and administrators can raise that to 30. An administrator may still be able to recover an item after that period. Ask quickly and give the sender, subject and rough date.
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Stop Outlook on the web emptying Deleted Items when you sign out
In Outlook on the web, select Settings, then Message handling. Under When signing out, clear Empty my deleted items folder. Otherwise Outlook can empty the folder each time you sign out, which starts the recovery clock early.
A common case: you cleared out Deleted Items on Friday and on Tuesday need an attachment from a message in it. Step 1 finds nothing, step 3, 4 or 5 lists it in the hidden folder, and step 6 tells you it is now back in Deleted Items (classic) or its old folder (web). Move it somewhere safe.
The hidden folder is the one with a deadline, which is why the steps get you there as soon as the visible folders come up empty.
More about Outlook
Microsoft’s email and calendar app, for personal and work accounts.
Deleted Outlook email not in either folder?
- There is no Recover button or Recover Deleted Items command
It means your account does not support recovering items removed from Deleted Items. A Trash folder in place of Deleted Items is the same sign.
- The recovered message is not in the inbox
In classic Outlook it went to Deleted Items. On the web it went back to the folder it came from. Search by sender across all folders.
- A deleted folder cannot be recovered
You can recover a folder only while it is still in Deleted Items: expand Deleted Items and drag it back. Once permanently deleted, the folder cannot be recovered, but its messages can be, using the steps above.
- The message is not in the recovery list at all
The retention period has passed, or it was never deleted. Check rules, Archive and the Other tab (see below), then ask an administrator if it is a work account.
Why Outlook keeps deleted mail in a second, hidden folder
Deleting a message in Outlook happens in stages. First the message moves to Deleted Items. When you delete it from there, empty the folder, or press Shift+Delete anywhere, it is soft deleted and moves to the hidden Recoverable Items folder.
That folder is invisible in your folder list. The Recover button and Recover Deleted Items From Server are the only views into it you have. Items stay there until the retention period ends, then Exchange removes them.
Emptying Deleted Items starts a countdown rather than ending one, and the length of that countdown depends on the account.
Match your case to where the message is
| Situation | Where to look first |
|---|---|
| Deleted recently, Deleted Items not yet emptied | Deleted Items |
| Deleted Items emptied, or Shift+Delete used | Recover items deleted from this folder |
| Marked as junk by mistake | Junk Email, kept for 30 days on Outlook.com and the web |
| A whole folder deleted and still in Deleted Items | Expand Deleted Items and drag it back |
| Work account, past the retention period | Your administrator |
| Never deleted, just gone from the inbox | Archive, the Other tab, rules and filters |
A folder behaves differently from a message. When you delete a folder that is already inside Deleted Items, the folder itself is hard deleted, while its messages go to Recoverable Items for 14 days by default.
When the message was never deleted
On Outlook.com, a message can leave the inbox without being deleted:
- Archive, if you archived it rather than deleting it.
- The Other tab, if Focused Inbox is on.
- Another folder, if an inbox rule or a Sweep rule moved it.
- A hidden view, if a Filter is set above the message list. Select Filter, then All.
None of these show up in the recovery list, because nothing was deleted. If the account is Gmail rather than Outlook, the guide to recovering deleted emails in Gmail covers its rules.
How to avoid needing recovery again
- Move mail you want to keep into a named folder rather than leaving it in Deleted Items or Junk Email. Neither is meant for storage.
- On the web, clear Empty my deleted items folder under Message handling so signing out does not start the clock.
- Keep an export of the mailboxes you rely on, so an old copy exists when the recovery window has closed.
Check the hidden folder before you give up
Most deleted Outlook mail is still recoverable for a while after it disappears from Deleted Items. The Recover button is the step people miss.
Open Deleted Items, select Recover, and do it before the 14 or 30 days run out.
Recovering Outlook email: more questions
- How long can I recover deleted Outlook email?
- On Outlook.com, items removed from Deleted Items are recoverable for 30 days. On a work account in Exchange Online, the default is 14 days and an administrator can raise it to 30.
- Does emptying Deleted Items destroy mail immediately?
- No. Emptying the folder moves its contents to the hidden Recoverable Items folder, where you can restore them until the retention period ends. The same happens when you press Shift+Delete.
- Can I recover deleted Outlook email on my phone?
- Not from a mobile browser, which cannot open the hidden Recoverable Items folder. Use a PC or Mac with Outlook on the web or the Outlook app for Windows.
- Can Microsoft support recover a message after 30 days on Outlook.com?
- There is no documented route beyond the 30-day recovery window on Outlook.com. After that, the message has most likely been permanently deleted.
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Test log
Followed the steps? Tell us how it went on your device. Entries appear here after we check them.
- Worked Every step, start to finish · Elias Brandt Team
I tested this
Steps performed and confirmed 16 days ago
Changed since publishing
Correction: Corrected the test record to name who performed the steps, with each tester’s platform and device.
Before: Steps performed by Daniel Okonkwo and Elias Brandt: Daniel in Outlook on the web, Elias in Outlook for Windows.
Now: Steps performed by Elias Brandt. The earlier record did not match who ran which steps: Elias ran both the web and the Windows steps, on a ThinkPad X1 Carbon. Daniel Okonkwo is no longer listed.
When you need this
When a message is gone from Outlook and is not in Deleted Items either, it can often still be recovered. Outlook moves mail through a second, hidden stage before removing it for good, and whether you can get it back depends on how long ago that happened.
- Describes
- New Outlook for Windows and classic Outlook for Windows · Outlook on the web and Outlook.com
- Takes
- Five minutes if it is still recoverable
- Platforms
- Web · Windows
- Published
- 6 October 2026
- Facts checked
- 6 October 2026
Steps repeated and verified by 
Elias Brandt
on
- Elias Brandt: the Windows and web steps on a ThinkPad X1 Carbon (Windows 11 Pro).
Part of How to recover something you deleted .
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