Accidentally purged outlook

Question

Accidentally purged outlook

Paul Kerr 0

While trying to reset my password, in Outlook, file, acc' settings, acc' settings, change- the purge box was ticked and I didnt see what I wanted on the page so I clicked next.

I lost alot of emails and a couple of folders. In multiple folders emails were removed from current date back to about 2021, the older emails remained in the folder.

Also some previously deleted folders have reemerged and I cannot delete or even move then. An admin msg appears informing me that:

'Cannot move items. You do not have permission to create entry into this folder. Click properties to find folder owner. See folder owner or administrator to change permissions'

Hornblower409 14,925 Reputation points

2026-09-15T03:32:33.7366667+00:00
@Paul Kerr said

file, acc' settings, acc' settings, change- the purge box was ticked

These are the steps you did?

File -> Account Settings -> Account Settings -> | Email | Tab. Select and account an [Change].

If so, then I don't think that is what is causing all of your problems. What it really means:

If there are Marked for delete items for an IMAP account.

And If there is only one Explorer open on that folder.

And If you close that Explorer, or switch to another folder.

Then Outlook does a Purge (remove emails Marked for delete) for that IMAP Account.

It doesn't do anything when you click [Next]. It's just a setting. Not an action.

It just tells Outlook to remove any emails that have been Marked for Delete (they show in your Message list with a strikethrough) from the IMAP server when you switch folders. And it has probably been enabled forever. It's the default setting for any IMAP account.

Do you remember making any other changes about the same time?
Paul Kerr 0 Reputation points

2026-09-15T07:40:30.5566667+00:00

Thanks Hornblower409,

no I dont remember doing anything else.

I have been into a couple of computer shops and the tech's just find it hard to believe that parts of folders have disappeared, all deleted back to about the same dates, 5 years ago. The older stuff is still there.

I changed my Telstra password on my phone because I could not remember it and needed a password to complete a transaction. It was a couple of days later that when on Outlook for the first time I could not send or receive emails, then remembered I had a new password.

I think I might just give up for now until I get a new computer and windows 11, because I cant do what others are suggesting and alot of the time dont know how
Hornblower409 14,925 Reputation points

2026-09-15T13:14:58.8333333+00:00
@Paul Kerr

Just as a test:

Create a new Classic Outlook Profile. (Do NOT remove or change any existing profiles)

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/outlook/create-an-outlook-profile

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/outlook/overview-of-outlook-email-profiles

Add your Telstra/Bigpond account.

Any error while adding the account?

When it finishes syncing your mail

Do you see any of the missing emails?

Are you still getting a permissions error?

3 answers

Your answer

Hornblower409 14,925 Reputation points

2026-09-15T03:32:33.7366667+00:00

@Paul Kerr said

file, acc' settings, acc' settings, change- the purge box was ticked

These are the steps you did?

File -> Account Settings -> Account Settings -> | Email | Tab. Select and account an [Change].

If so, then I don't think that is what is causing all of your problems. What it really means:

If there are Marked for delete items for an IMAP account.

And If there is only one Explorer open on that folder.

And If you close that Explorer, or switch to another folder.

Then Outlook does a Purge (remove emails Marked for delete) for that IMAP Account.

It doesn't do anything when you click [Next]. It's just a setting. Not an action.

It just tells Outlook to remove any emails that have been Marked for Delete (they show in your Message list with a strikethrough) from the IMAP server when you switch folders. And it has probably been enabled forever. It's the default setting for any IMAP account.

Do you remember making any other changes about the same time?
Paul Kerr 0 Reputation points

2026-09-15T07:40:30.5566667+00:00

Thanks Hornblower409,

no I dont remember doing anything else.

I have been into a couple of computer shops and the tech's just find it hard to believe that parts of folders have disappeared, all deleted back to about the same dates, 5 years ago. The older stuff is still there.

I changed my Telstra password on my phone because I could not remember it and needed a password to complete a transaction. It was a couple of days later that when on Outlook for the first time I could not send or receive emails, then remembered I had a new password.

I think I might just give up for now until I get a new computer and windows 11, because I cant do what others are suggesting and alot of the time dont know how
Hornblower409 14,925 Reputation points

2026-09-15T13:14:58.8333333+00:00

@Paul Kerr

Just as a test:

Create a new Classic Outlook Profile. (Do NOT remove or change any existing profiles)

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/outlook/create-an-outlook-profile

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/outlook/overview-of-outlook-email-profiles

Add your Telstra/Bigpond account.

Any error while adding the account?

When it finishes syncing your mail

Do you see any of the missing emails?

Are you still getting a permissions error?

Answer 1

Check Deleted Items first. In Outlook, select Deleted Items, select the missing messages or folders, then use Move or Restore to put them back in the correct folder.
If the messages are no longer in Deleted Items, check Recoverable Items:
- In new Outlook: select Deleted Items > Recover items deleted from this folder > select the items > Restore.
- In classic Outlook: go to Deleted Items > Home > Recover Deleted Items From Server > select the items > Restore Selected Items > OK.
If recovered from Recoverable Items, the items may return to Deleted Items first. Move them from Deleted Items back to the folder needed.
For folders:
- A deleted folder can be recovered only if it is still in Deleted Items. Drag it back to the correct place in the folder list.
- A folder that was permanently deleted cannot itself be recovered, but messages from that folder may still be recoverable through Recoverable Items.
The permission error on the reappeared folders indicates a folder permission/ownership issue. If the folder cannot be moved or deleted and Outlook shows “You do not have permission to create entry into this folder”, contact the mailbox administrator. The documented path is to see the folder owner or administrator to change permissions. If the missing items are not found in Recoverable Items, the administrator may still be able to recover them depending on retention policy.
Retention limits that affect recovery:
- Email in Deleted Items is automatically deleted after 30 days in Outlook.com and Outlook on the web.
- Items removed from Deleted Items are recoverable for 30 days there.
- In other Outlook environments, an administrator may set policies such as 30 days in Deleted Items and up to another 14 days in Recoverable Items.

Answer 2

Hello,

First, I would like to confirm a few details to help narrow down the issue:

Are you using Classic Outlook or New Outlook? (If possible, please share a screenshot of the Outlook window).
Can you see the missing emails and folders in Outlook on the Web (OWA)?
Did the issue start immediately after clicking "Next" in the Account Settings window, or was there a delay before the missing emails and folders were noticed?
Are the folders showing the permission error located in your primary mailbox, or do they belong to a shared mailbox or another mailbox that has been added to Outlook?

In the meantime, please go through the checks below and let me know the results for further review.

1/ Check Outlook on the Web

Sign in to Outlook on the Web: https://outlook.cloud.microsoft/
Review a few folders where emails are reported missing.
Check whether the missing emails and folders are visible.

-> If the emails are visible in Outlook on the Web, the mailbox content is still available, and the issue may be related to Outlook synchronization or local mailbox data.

2/ Check Recover Deleted Items

Open the Deleted Items folder.
Locate and open the Recover Deleted Items option.
Review the list for emails from the affected time period.

Recover and restore deleted items in Outlook | Microsoft Support

3/ Review Exchange Cache Settings (Classic Outlook)

Go to File > Account Settings > Account Settings.
Select the Exchange account and choose Change.
Confirm whether Cached Exchange Mode is enabled.
Note the Mail to keep offline setting.

Turn on Cached Exchange Mode | Microsoft Support

About the error that you have mentioned, I found an Microsoft reference here:

Outlook error "Cannot move the items" when moving items to other folders | Microsoft Support

User's image

This will help determine whether Outlook is configured to download and display the full mailbox content.

I hope the information I provided will be helpful in supporting you to move forward with the issue you have been experiencing.

Kind regards,

Paul Kerr 0 Reputation points

2026-09-15T07:44:57.52+00:00

Thanks Alina Le, but most of the stuff you refer to I cant find or it does not exist because I only have windows 10

Answer 3

Paul Kerr 0

User's image

No I cannot see the missing emails in the bin/deleted or in Web mail account.

My computer is about 8 years old and I'm still using windows 10.

Yes the emails disappeared as soon as I hit next.

The permission error is shown in the primary mailbox (and that's all we have), no other accounts and have never set-up forwarding options,

Alina Le 5,000 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-09-13T15:58:53.35+00:00

Hi,

Thank you for your update.

Please review the steps outlined in my first response and the article that matches the error you are experiencing. Then, kindly provide an update on the results and share any additional details, so I can better understand the issue and assist you further.
Alina Le 5,000 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-09-14T15:37:37.57+00:00

Good day

Have you had a chance to try the steps I suggested? If you need any further assistance or have any updates, please let me know.

Wish you all the best!