Deleted an email you still need? In most cases you can get it back yourself, as long as you act fairly soon. Work through the steps below in order.
Step 1: Check Deleted Items
Deleted emails go to the Deleted Items folder first.
- Open Deleted Items in your folder list.
- Find the email. You can use the search box, but make sure the search is set to the current folder or all folders.
- Right-click the email and choose Move > Inbox (or another folder). In new Outlook and Outlook on the web you can also select Restore.
Also check Archive, in case the email was archived rather than deleted. If you use rules, check the folders they file emails into as well.
Step 2: Recover items removed from Deleted Items
If you've emptied Deleted Items, or deleted something with Shift + Delete, it moves to a hidden recoverable items area for a limited time.
Labels can differ slightly between versions.
New Outlook for Windows and Outlook on the web
- Right-click Deleted Items.
- Select Recover items deleted from this folder (you may also see this as a link at the top of the folder).
- Find the email, select it, and choose Restore.
Classic Outlook for Windows
- Select the Deleted Items folder.
- On the Folder tab, select Recover Deleted Items. You may also see a link at the top of the folder.
- Select the emails you want, choose Restore Selected Items, and select OK.
Restored emails go back to your Deleted Items folder, so move them somewhere safe afterwards.
Outlook for Mac
Outlook for Mac doesn't always offer this option. Use Outlook on the web at outlook.office.com instead, then follow the steps above.
Recoverable items are only kept for a limited time, set by your organisation (often somewhere between 14 and 30 days). After that, emails are permanently removed and you can't recover them yourself. If an email is important, try to recover it as soon as you notice it's missing.
How long are deleted emails kept?
It varies by organisation. Depending on your settings, Deleted Items may be emptied automatically after a set period, and the recoverable items window may be shorter or longer than you expect. Don't rely on Deleted Items as storage. Move anything you might need to a folder.
If you can't find it
If the email isn't in either place, or it was deleted a long time ago, the service desk may still be able to help, depending on your organisation's retention and backup settings. Contact us as soon as possible and tell us the sender, subject and roughly when it arrived.
Still stuck?
Log a ticket or call 1300 079 636 with as many details about the missing email as you can.