Author:
Randy Alexander
Date Of Creation:
26 April 2021
Update Date:
1 July 2024
Content
Nothing is more stressful than discovering that you accidentally deleted an important email. While you believe the email has been "gone again," there are still a few ways you can try to find it again. There are more solutions than you might think: from checking the Trash (Trash) and other folders to using file recovery software. Whether you are using a web app or a mail browser, see step 1 below to learn how to retrieve this important email.
Steps
Method 1 of 2: Use a web app
Check the Trash or Trash section. When you delete, emails are usually sent to the Trash folder a few days before being completely deleted. Different email services usually put email in Trash for a different period of time, sometimes up to 30 days.
- If you are using Outlook.com, click the Deleted option in the left menu, then click the "recover deleted messages" link at the bottom of the page. Outlook will try to recover up to the amount of deleted emails.
Look in the inbox (inbox). If your inbox is full, chances are the message you're looking for is just mixed up somewhere. You can use the service's Search feature to find the messages you need, or sort your inbox by date of receipt, and browse for the date it was sent.- You can also search by message subject, sender address or keywords in the email body.
Check any folders or labels you've created. Many services allow you to organize your messages by including folders or with custom labels. It is not uncommon for us to forget certain messages have been sorted, so check the folders to make sure you don't accidentally put the email in the wrong place.
Check archived messages on Gmail. Gmail archives messages instead of deleting them (unless you specifically choose "Delete"). This means that the message will be deleted from the inbox but still kept in your account so that it can be recovered later. You can access archived emails by searching for them, or clicking the "All Mail" option in the left menu.
Contact your email service provider. If you deleted an email from your web application account and can't find it in the Trash, you usually can't recover the message anymore. You could try contacting your email service provider, but it actually doesn't work very well. advertisement
Method 2 of 2: Use a mail browser
Check Trash and other places. After being deleted, the email may remain in Trash or Deleted for a while before disappearing. Check these locations to see if the email is found.
- Many people often organize messages into custom folders. If you accidentally put messages into a certain folder, it can be a little difficult to find. Use your mail browser's search feature to find messages.
Test the web service that connects to the mail browser. If you are using your mail browser to access web email services such as Gmail or Yahoo, your mail may still be on the online page. Log in to your account and check your Inbox, Trash and other locations for missing email.
Recover deleted messages on Outlook. This is only possible if you are using a Microsoft Exchange server for email (usually in an enterprise system). Click the Folder tab, then click the "Recover Deleted Items" button. Outlook will try to recover deleted messages from the Exchange server.
- Exchange administrators have the power to decide how long messages are kept before they are permanently deleted.
Ask the server administrator. The server administrator may have made a backup copy of all email that goes through the server. Contact to see if they can access the backups to retrieve your email. The success rate depends on how long your company keeps email on the server.
Use a recovery program. If the email has been completely deleted from your mail browser, your last resort is to use a data recovery program. When files are deleted from your computer, they will wait for the new data to overwrite them. If you haven't accessed your hard drive or saved anything since the email was deleted, there's still a chance of recovery.
- Avoid using your hard drive as soon as you realize you deleted emails by mistake.
- Use another computer to install a portable file recovery program on your USB. This will save you from having to install a program and impact your hard drive.
- Some popular options include PhotoRec, Recuva, Glary Undelete, and Puran File Recovery.
- These programs can recover any type of file, including email.
- However, there is no guarantee that your deleted email will be recovered. Chances are, the file has been overwritten even if you took action immediately.
