outlook mail

Losing access to old mail after a license lapse is usually not caused by the password change itself, but by how Outlook is set up after signing in again. Use these checks and recovery options:

1. Confirm the correct account is signed in

• In Outlook, go to File → Account Settings → Account Settings….
• Verify that the email address shown is the same one used before the license expired.
• If a different or new account is listed, add the original email account back and let Outlook fully sync.

2. Check for profile or connection issues If the account is correct but mail is missing or not syncing:

• Use the Outlook troubleshooters described in Issues sending and receiving email. Go to the Classic Outlook troubleshooters page and run the relevant troubleshooter for profile or connection problems.
• If problems persist, follow the guidance in Fix Outlook account problems in Office 365 for business by signing in with the Microsoft 365 account and letting the automated tool repair profile and connection issues.

3. Repair the Outlook profile If the mailbox connects but still does not show old items, repair or recreate the Outlook profile:

• Follow Fix your Outlook email connection by repairing your profile (linked from the “I can't send or receive messages in Outlook” article) to repair the existing profile.
• If needed, create a new profile and reconnect the same account, then allow time for all mail to resync from the server.

4. If mail was stored locally (.pst) If the account was previously configured to deliver mail to a local data file (PST), the old messages may be in that file:

• In File Explorer, look under:
  • C:\Users\<YourUsername>\Documents\Outlook Files\
  • or C:\Users\<YourUsername>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Outlook\
• Look for .pst files.
• In Outlook, use File → Open & Export → Open Outlook Data File and open the PST to see if the old mail, contacts, and folders appear.
• Optionally import from that PST into the current mailbox using File → Open & Export → Import/Export → Import from another program or file → Outlook Data File (.pst).

5. If nothing appears after these steps If the mailbox is cloud-hosted (Microsoft 365) and:

• The correct account is signed in,
• The profile is healthy,
• No PST with old data exists, then the missing mail may have been deleted or is otherwise not present on the server. In that case, contact Microsoft support from the account’s support options and provide the account details and approximate dates of the missing mail so they can investigate.

References:

• Issues sending and receiving email
• Fix Outlook account problems in Office 365 for business
• I can't send or receive messages in Outlook
• Troubleshoot Outlook email setup
• How do I recover my old email messages, my contacts and everything else I had in Outlook? - Microsoft Q&A