Whether by accident or change of heart, you might find yourself needing to restore deleted emails in Outlook. This article serves as a comprehensive guide, not only showing you how to move deleted items back to the inbox but also sharing valuable tips on efficient email management. So, let’s dive in, shall we?
Understanding the Basics of Outlook
Outlook is a personal information manager from Microsoft, predominantly used as an email application. It includes other features such as calendaring, task managing, contact managing, note-taking, journal logging, and web browsing.
The Inbox is the heart of Outlook, where all your incoming emails reside. On the other hand, the Deleted Items folder is like a recycling bin for your emails – it’s where emails go when you delete them from the Inbox.
Importance of Proper Email Management
Managing your emails properly not only ensures a clean and organized inbox but also helps in effectively retrieving important emails. Who knew moving an email from the deleted folder back to the inbox could be a life-saving skill one day?
Step-by-Step Guide: Restoring Deleted Emails
So, how to move deleted items to inbox in Outlook? Here’s a simple guide for you. We cover the below points for the latest Office 365 version of Outlook. But you may find similar settings and options for most Outlook versions.
1. Accessing the Deleted Items Folder
Open your Outlook and find the Deleted Items folder on the left pane. Click on it to view the deleted emails.
2. Selecting the Emails to be Restored
You can select the ones you wish to restore from the list of deleted emails. You can select multiple emails by holding down the Ctrl key while clicking on the emails.
3. Moving the Emails to the Inbox
Right-click on the selected emails, then choose “Move” from the drop-down menu, and select “Inbox”. Voila! Your deleted emails are now back in the Inbox.
Additional Methods for Recovering Deleted Emails
Sometimes, emails might be outside the Deleted Items folder, especially if you’ve emptied it. Don’t panic; there are other methods to recover your deleted emails.
Recovering Deleted Items from the Recoverable Items Folder
Outlook has a hidden Recoverable Items folder for such dire situations.
To access it, go to the Home tab and select “Recover Deleted Items From Server”. This opens a window with a list of recoverable items.
Select the emails you want to restore, and click “OK”.
NOTE: These settings mostly depend on the settings and policies applied by your Exchange server or Office 365 administrator.
Using the Recover Deleted Items Tool
Another option is using the Recover Deleted Items tool available in the Microsoft Exchange Server. Just so you know, this tool should only be used when the emails are not in the Deleted Items or Recoverable Items folders and require administrator rights.
Outlook Email Management Tips
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Here are some tips to manage your emails effectively and avoid mishaps.
- Maintain a habit of cleaning up your inbox regularly. An organized inbox leads to improved productivity and less chance of mistakenly deleting important emails.
- Instead of deleting, consider archiving emails. This way, they are moved out of your inbox but remain searchable for future reference.
- Outlook’s email rules can be used to automatically sort incoming emails, ensuring less clutter and an organized inbox.
Troubleshooting Common Outlook Issues
What if your Outlook is unresponsive, or you need to retrieve permanently deleted emails? Let’s discuss solutions.
Dealing with Unresponsive Outlook
If Outlook is not responding, consider restarting the program or your device. If the issue persists, you may need to repair or reinstall Outlook.
Retrieving Permanently Deleted Emails
Retrieving permanently deleted emails is challenging and might require professional help. Contacting Microsoft Support or a tech expert should be your go-to option in this scenario.
Recovering deleted items in Outlook and moving them back to the inbox isn’t as daunting as it might seem. With these step-by-step instructions and additional tips, you can manage your emails like a pro and avoid future email disasters.
FAQs
What happens to the emails in the Deleted Items folder?
Emails in the Deleted Items folder stay there until you decide to permanently delete them or move them to another folder.
Can I recover emails that are permanently deleted?
Yes, but it’s a complex process and might require administrator rights or professional help.
How long are deleted emails recoverable in Outlook?
Typically, for 14 days. Administrators can extend this period to a maximum of 30 days for some organizations.
Does archiving emails free up space?
Archiving moves emails out of your inbox, thus freeing up space. However, these emails are still stored within your overall mailbox storage quota.
How can I stop important emails from going into the Deleted Items folder?
Create email rules to move important emails to a specific folder or use the flag option to highlight them.
