Deleted emails in Outlook for Microsoft 365 can usually be recovered, even after being removed from the Deleted Items folder. Microsoft retains purged items for 14 days by default (up to 30 days if your admin has configured it), giving you a recovery window. This guide covers every recovery method available, from the simplest self-service options to admin-level tools for situations where the standard methods do not work.
Understanding Where Deleted Emails Go
Emails in Microsoft 365 do not disappear the moment you delete them. They pass through a series of stages, and each stage gives you a chance to recover them.
Stage 1: Deleted Items folder. When you delete an email (pressing Delete or dragging it to Deleted Items), it moves to the Deleted Items folder. It stays there until you empty the folder or until your organization's retention policy clears it automatically. Recovering from here is as simple as dragging the email back to your Inbox.
Stage 2: Recoverable Items folder. When you empty your Deleted Items folder, or delete an email from within Deleted Items, the email moves to a hidden folder called Recoverable Items. You will not see this folder in your normal folder list, but it is accessible through a special recovery option in Outlook. Items stay in Recoverable Items for 14 days by default. Your admin can extend this to up to 30 days.
Stage 3: Permanently deleted. After the retention period in Recoverable Items expires, the email is permanently gone from the mailbox. At this point, only a third-party backup solution or a compliance search (if one was configured before deletion) can recover it.
Understanding these stages helps you pick the right recovery method below.
Option 1: Recover from the Deleted Items Folder
This is the simplest recovery. If the email is still in your Deleted Items folder, you can restore it in seconds.
In Outlook on the Web
- Go to outlook.office.com and sign in
- Click the Deleted Items folder in the left sidebar
- Find the email you need. If you have a lot of deleted items, use the Search bar at the top of the folder and enter the sender's name, subject line, or a keyword from the email.
- Right-click the email and select Move > Inbox (or choose another folder)
- The email is restored to the folder you selected
In Outlook Desktop
- Click the Deleted Items folder in the left sidebar
- Find the email you need
- Right-click the email and select Move > Other Folder
- Choose Inbox or the original folder and click OK
To recover multiple items at once, hold Ctrl (Windows) or Cmd (Mac) while clicking each email to select them, then right-click and move them all at the same time.
Option 2: Recover Purged Items in Outlook on the Web
If you have already emptied your Deleted Items folder, the email may still be in the Recoverable Items folder. You can access this directly from Outlook on the web.
- Go to outlook.office.com and sign in
- Click the Deleted Items folder in the left sidebar
- At the top of the message list, click Recover items deleted from this folder
- A new window opens showing all recoverable items. Use the search bar to find specific emails by sender, subject, or date.
- Select the emails you need by checking the box next to each one
- Click Restore at the top of the list
Restored items go back to the Deleted Items folder, not directly to your Inbox. After restoring, go to Deleted Items and move the emails to your Inbox or the folder where they belong.
The items in this recovery window are only available for 14 days (or up to 30 days if your admin has extended the retention period). After that, they are permanently removed and cannot be recovered through this method.
Option 3: Recover Purged Items in Outlook Desktop
The desktop version of Outlook also has access to the Recoverable Items folder, but the menu location varies depending on whether you are using classic Outlook or the new Outlook.
Classic Outlook (Windows)
- Click the Deleted Items folder in the left sidebar
- Go to the Folder tab in the ribbon
- Click Recover Deleted Items
- A dialog box opens showing all recoverable items with their subject, sender, and deletion date
- Select the items you need (hold Ctrl to select multiple)
- Click Restore Selected Items (the envelope icon with the arrow)
- Items are restored to the Deleted Items folder. Move them to your Inbox afterward.
New Outlook (Windows and Mac)
- Click the Deleted Items folder
- At the top of the message list, click Recover items deleted from this folder (same as the web version)
- Select items and click Restore
If you do not see the Recover Deleted Items option in classic Outlook, make sure you have the Deleted Items folder selected. The option only appears when that specific folder is active. If it still does not show, your admin may not have enabled recoverable items for your mailbox.
Option 4: Admin Recovery
If the user cannot find the email through any of the self-service options above, an admin can attempt recovery through the Exchange admin center or PowerShell.
Exchange Admin Center
- Sign in to the Exchange admin center
- Go to Recipients > Mailboxes
- Click on the user's mailbox
- Under Others, click Recover deleted items
- Search for the items by date range, subject, or sender
- Select the items and click Recover
PowerShell (for bulk recovery or advanced scenarios)
Admins can use the Exchange Online PowerShell module to recover items that do not appear in the admin center interface. This is useful for bulk recovery or for items that are close to the end of their retention window.
The command Get-RecoverableItems and Restore-RecoverableItems allow filtering by subject, sender, date range, and item type. This requires the Exchange Online PowerShell module and the appropriate admin role.
Compliance Search (last resort)
If the email has passed the recoverable items retention window, and your organization has a retention policy or litigation hold in place, the email may still exist in the compliance store.
- Go to compliance.microsoft.com > Content search
- Create a new search and specify the mailbox, date range, and keywords
- Run the search and review the results
- Export the results to recover the email
Compliance Search only works if a retention policy, litigation hold, or in-place hold was active at the time the email was deleted. If none of these were configured, the email is gone once it passes the recoverable items window.
How to Prevent This in the Future
Extend the Recoverable Items Retention Period
By default, Microsoft 365 keeps purged items for 14 days. Your admin can extend this to 30 days, which is the maximum for Exchange Online.
To change this, an admin can run the following PowerShell command:
Set-Mailbox -Identity user@yourcompany.com -RetainDeletedItemsFor 30
To apply this to all mailboxes at once, your admin can set it as a tenant-wide default.
Train Employees to Archive Instead of Delete
Most accidental deletions happen because employees use the Delete key as an organization tool. Encourage your team to use the Archive button instead. Archived emails move to the Archive folder, where they remain searchable and accessible without cluttering the Inbox.
Set Up Retention Policies
Retention policies keep email for a defined period regardless of whether the user deletes it. Go to compliance.microsoft.com > Data lifecycle management > Retention policies to create policies that retain email for one year, three years, or whatever your business or compliance requirements dictate.
Use a Third-Party Backup Solution
Microsoft's built-in retention has limits. The recoverable items window maxes out at 30 days, and compliance features require specific licensing. Dropsuite provides independent backup of Microsoft 365 mailboxes, backing up every email daily to a separate location. Athencia includes Dropsuite in its managed stack, which means any deleted email can be restored from backup at any point, regardless of Microsoft's retention windows. This is the most reliable safety net for accidental deletions, ransomware, and compliance requirements.
Need Help?
If you have tried the steps above and still cannot find the email you need, or if you want to set up retention policies and backup to prevent this from happening again, contact Athencia. We can help recover lost data and put safeguards in place for the future.
