outlook folders changed to a foreign language

Question

outlook folders changed to a foreign language

Janice Robertson 0

my outlook email folders have changed to a foreign language due to a hack. How do I change them back?

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2 answers

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Answer 1

Hi, Janice Robertson

Since this happens in Outlook on the web, desktop repair commands and Outlook profiles do not apply. If only some folder names changed, they may be custom folders renamed by the attacker rather than Outlook’s protected default folders.

Here are some suggestions you can try:

Right-click each affected custom folder and select Rename, then enter the correct English name. Outlook on the web allows custom folders to be renamed, but protected folders such as Inbox, Drafts, and Deleted Items cannot be renamed manually.

Open Outlook in an InPrivate or Incognito window. If the names appear correctly there, it is recommended that you clear the browser’s cookies and cached files for Outlook, then reload the page.

Remove any unfamiliar browser extensions, especially translation extensions, and turn off automatic webpage translation for Outlook. A browser translation feature can change what is displayed without changing the mailbox itself.

Because the account was compromised, scan the device for malware first, then change the password and verify that the recovery email address and phone number still belong to the user. Also review recent sign-in activity and sign out any unfamiliar sessions.

For a work or school mailbox, if protected default folders remain incorrect, you should contact Microsoft 365 administrator to check the mailbox configuration or open a support request.

Thank you for your patience in reading, I hope this information has been helpful to you.

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Answer 2

If the folder names changed after the account was compromised, do these steps in order:

In Outlook on the web, open Settings > General > Language and time.
In Language, select the preferred language.
Select Rename default folders so their names match the specified language.
Select the preferred date and time format, then select Save.
Sign out of Outlook on the web, then sign back in.

If the preferred language is already selected, switch to a different language, save, then switch back to the preferred language and save again.

If the folder names still do not change, an administrator can run:

Set-MailboxRegionalConfiguration -id <alias> -LocalizeDefaultFolderName:$true -Language <Language_code_to_switch_to> -DateFormat <your_preferred_DateFormat>

If Outlook on the web shows an error such as Cannot localize the default folders, the mailbox likely already contains a folder with the same name as a default folder in that language. Rename the existing conflicting folder to a unique name, then repeat the language change.

Because the change happened after a hack, also review Outlook settings for unwanted changes such as suspicious rules or forwarding.