How do you recover deleted folders in outlook​?

Microsoft Outlook is one of the most widely used email clients for personal and business communication. Given its extensive features, users often create folders to organize their emails efficiently. However, accidental deletion of these folders can lead to panic and data loss concerns. Fortunately, Outlook provides multiple methods to recover deleted folders, ensuring that important emails and data can be restored effectively.

Deleted Items Folder – When a folder is deleted, it is initially moved to the “Deleted Items” folder and remains there until permanently removed.

Recoverable Items Folder – If the Deleted Items folder is emptied, Outlook stores the removed content in the Recoverable Items folder.

Permanently Deleted Folders – If the folder is not found in either location, it may still be recoverable through backups or server settings.

Method 1: Recover Deleted Folder from Deleted Items

The simplest way to restore a deleted folder in Outlook is by retrieving it from the Deleted Items folder.

Steps:

Open Microsoft Outlook.

Navigate to the Deleted Items folder in the left-hand panel.

Locate the deleted folder.

Right-click on the folder and select Move > Other Folder.

Choose the original location or another preferred folder and click OK.

If the folder is not present in the Deleted Items, proceed to the next method.

Method 2: Restore from the Recoverable Items Folder

If the Deleted Items folder has been emptied, the folder might be in the Recoverable Items folder.

Steps:

Open Outlook and go to the Deleted Items folder.

Click on Recover Deleted Items from Server (this option is usually available for Microsoft 365. Exchange, or Outlook.com accounts).

Locate the folder you want to restore.

Select it and click Restore Selected Items.

Click OK to move the folder back to its original location.

Method 3: Use the “Undo” Feature

If the folder was recently deleted, the Undo function might help recover it instantly.

Steps:

Press Ctrl + Z immediately after deleting the folder.

Check if the folder reappears in its original location.

This method is useful only if the action is undone immediately after deletion.

Method 4: Restore from Outlook Backup

If the folder is permanently deleted, restoring from a backup might be the best option.

Steps:

Open Outlook and go to File > Open & Export > Import/Export.

Choose Import from another program or file and click Next.

Select Outlook Data File (.pst) and click Next.

Browse to the backup file and select it.

Choose the deleted folder from the list and click Finish.

Method 5: Restore from a Previous Version

If you are using Windows and have File History or System Restore enabled, you might be able to restore an earlier version of the Outlook data file.

Steps:

Navigate to the Outlook data folder location: C:\Users\YourUsername\Documents\Outlook Files.

Right-click on the .pst file and select Restore previous versions.

Choose a version before the folder was deleted and click Restore.

Open Outlook and check if the deleted folder has been restored.

Method 6: Contact IT or Microsoft Support

For business or enterprise users using Outlook with Exchange or Microsoft 365. IT administrators may be able to recover the deleted folder using server backups.

Steps:

Contact your IT administrator and request a restoration from the Exchange server.

If you are using Outlook.com or Office 365. visit Microsoft Support and check for server-side recovery options.

Provide details such as the time of deletion and folder name to assist in recovery.