Recover emails folder gone

T Kamensack 10 Reputation points
2026-07-21T16:11:37.0933333+00:00

My Recover emails folder has disappeared. It's been gone for a week. Under the Deleted folder, it says Recover items deleted from this folder as usual but now there is a black circle with an i in the center before the wording. No option to press on this to open the folder, as there was previously. I took a screenshot of this and use Google lens to see if anyone else has encountered this but no results. Phone details: I use outlook.com on the web. Chrome [PII: Removed]

Outlook | Web | Outlook.com | Email
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T Kamensack 10 Reputation points
2026-07-23T01:31:22.0333333+00:00

SOLVED! I only have a smartphone for internet, so not able to test by PC. This is my personal Outlook.com/Hotmail account that I access on the web. I had previously performed all the other steps you listed unsuccessfully. I discovered the solution! I unintentionally swiped right to left while in the Deleted folder and glad I did! I saw a small RECOVER button just below the SORT BY/SORT ORDER section. I took a screenshot of it but can't attach here. Obviously Outlook made this change. I pressed it, all my deleted emails were there and I was able to retrieve them. You can't see the entire view of the mailbox on a smartphone and I didn't consider to look on the right side of the screen/mailbox.

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  1. Alice-N 13,375 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-07-22T00:18:43.45+00:00

    Please note that our forum is a public platform, and we will modify your question to hide your personal information in the description. Kindly ensure that you hide any personal or organizational information the next time you post an error or other details to protect personal data.    

    Please note that this is a user-to-user community. As moderators, I have limited access to internal development details. My role is to direct users to the appropriate support channels and resources. While I cannot provide backend analysis, I will do my best to assist you within my responsibilities.   

    Hi T Kamensack

    Please reply with only these details:

    • Whether you tested from a PC or Mac
    • Whether Recover items deleted from this folder opens there
    • Whether the missing emails appear in the recovery list
    • Whether this is a personal Outlook.com/Hotmail account or a work/school mailbox

    Also try the steps below:

    1) Use Outlook.com from a PC or Mac

    Sign in to Outlook.com from a computer browser, not from Chrome on Android.

    Then open Deleted Items and select Recover items deleted from this folder at the top of the message list. See: Recover and restore deleted items in Outlook | Microsoft Support

    2) Restore the messages from Recoverable Items

    After opening Recover items deleted from this folder:

    • Select the messages you want to recover.
    • Select Restore.
    • Check the original folder or Inbox after restoring.

    Restored messages usually return to their original folders when possible. If the original folder no longer exists, check the Inbox.

    3) If a computer is not available

    You can try using Outlook.com in the Android browser with desktop mode:

    • Open Outlook.com in Chrome on Android.
    • Open Chrome settings.
    • Turn on Desktop site.
    • Go back to Deleted Items and check whether Recover items deleted from this folder can be selected.

    4) Check the normal Deleted Items folder first

    If the messages are still visible in Deleted Items, select them and move them back to Inbox or another folder. Note that messages removed from Deleted Items are recoverable for a limited time.

    5) If the messages do not appear on a PC or Mac

    If Recover items deleted from this folder opens on a computer but the missing messages are not listed, they may no longer be recoverable. Thank you for your understanding !

    Please tell me how it goes. If the problem persists, please don’t hesitate to reply to this thread and I will be happy to help. Have a lovely day!  

    If the answer is helpful, please click "Yes" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment".   

    Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.

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