How to Recover Deleted Emails in Gmail and Outlook

Accidentally deleting important emails happens to everyone. It could be a crucial work message, a booking confirmation, or reminder, but the panic that sets in after accidental deletion can be overwhelming. 

Most deleted emails are recoverable, and knowing how to recover them can save you a lot of stress. Understanding the recovery process saves you time and helps you stay organized. 

In this guide, we’ll walk you through the step-by-step methods for recovering deleted emails in both Gmail and Outlook. Plus, we’ll share tips to help you prevent these accidental deletions from happening again. Let’s get started. 

In A Nutshell:

• Deleted emails are often recoverable: Both Gmail and Outlook move deleted emails to temporary folders (Trash or Deleted Items), where they can be restored within 30 days.

• In Gmail: Use the Trash or Spam folders, search with specific details, or check filters to recover deleted emails. If it's within the past 30 days, you can contact support or use Google Vault (for organizations).

• In Outlook: Check the Deleted Items folder for up to 30 days, or use the "Recover Deleted Items from Server" option for permanently deleted emails. Microsoft 365/Exchange users can rely on the Recoverable Items folder with IT admin support.

• Prevent future email loss: Archiving, using filters, and regularly backing up important emails can help prevent accidental deletion.

What is a Deleted Email?

When you delete an email in Gmail or Outlook, it often doesn’t disappear completely right away. In most cases, “deleted” emails are simply moved to a temporary folder, where they can easily be recovered. Here’s how it works:

• In Gmail: When you delete an email, it’s moved to a folder called "Trash." From there, you have up to 30 days to recover it before Gmail permanently removes it from your account.

• In Outlook: Similarly, when you delete an email, it’s sent to the "Deleted Items" or "Trash" folder. Just like Gmail, Outlook gives you a grace period to recover the email before it’s permanently erased.

• How Permanent Deletion Works: Once you manually delete the email from these temporary folders or after 30 days, the email is permanently gone. Before that point, it’s easy to recover a deleted message from these folders.

So, while it might seem like a deleted email is gone for good, there’s often still a window of time to retrieve it. 

Also Read: Outlook vs. Gmail: Which One Is Right for Your Workflow?

With Gmail, recovering deleted emails is straightforward. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to do it.

How to Recover Deleted Emails in Gmail

If you've deleted an important email in Gmail, there’s no need to panic. Gmail gives you a 30-day window to recover emails from the Trash or Spam folders. Here’s how you can do that:

How to Restore Deleted Emails in Gmail Within 30 Days

Below, we'll walk through several methods you can use to restore deleted emails within this period.

Method 1: Recover Deleted Gmail Emails from Mail, Spam, and Trash

You can search for your deleted emails in the Mail, Spam, and Trash sections using Gmail’s search tools. It's better to do this on a computer rather than the mobile app, as some features are limited on mobile devices.

• Step 1: Open Gmail on your computer and click the down arrow in the search box.

• Step 2: Select Mail & Spam & Trash from the dropdown.

• Step 3: Enter any known information from the missing email (e.g., the sender's name, recipient, or subject) to help narrow the search. If you’re unsure of the details, leave the fields blank.

• Step 4: Click Search. This will display all emails, including those that have been deleted. You can easily recover them from here.

Pro Tip: With NewMail AI, you can easily categorize and prioritize your emails, preventing accidental deletion in the first place. The smart filtering feature helps ensure important emails aren’t lost, even when your inbox gets cluttered. 

Method 2: Retrieve Deleted Gmail Emails by Checking Filters

Sometimes, Gmail users set filters that automatically archive or delete certain emails. If you suspect this is the case, here’s how you can check and modify any filters that might be affecting your emails:

• Step 1: Open Gmail in your browser, then click the Settings icon in the top-right corner and choose Settings.

• Step 2: Go to the Filters and Blocked Addresses tab. Look for any filters that include the words “Delete it” or “Skip Inbox.”

• Step 3: Next to the filter, click Edit or Delete. If you select "Edit," uncheck the Skip Inbox and Delete it options, and then click Update Filter. If you choose "Delete," click OK to confirm and remove the filter entirely.

Method 3: Restore Deleted Emails by Unhiding Trash

In some cases, your Trash folder might be hidden, making it difficult to find deleted emails. Here’s how to unhide it and restore emails from Trash:

• Step 1: Open Gmail and sign in. Click on the Settings icon > Labels > Show to reveal your Trash folder in the left pane.

• Step 2: Once your Trash folder is visible, you can browse through the deleted emails. Select the email(s) you want to restore, then click the Move To icon at the top of the window and select Inbox or another folder of your choice.

These methods should help you recover most emails deleted within the past 30 days. 

How to Recover Permanently Deleted Emails in Gmail (After 30 Days)

After 30 days, Gmail permanently deletes emails from the Trash, and they’re no longer available through regular recovery methods. However, there are still a few options for attempting to retrieve these permanently deleted emails.

Method 1: Recover Permanently Deleted Emails from Gmail Server

Gmail does not store multiple copies of emails, so once an email is deleted from the server, it can’t be recovered unless it’s within the Trash recovery period. 

However, if you're using a Google Workspace account (formerly G Suite), your admin might be able to help recover deleted emails beyond the 30-day window.

Method 2: Contact Gmail Support for Help

If your emails were permanently deleted or lost due to a hacking incident, you can reach out to Gmail support for assistance. This method is not always successful, but it’s worth trying, especially if you believe your account was compromised.

• Step 1: Sign in to your Gmail account and open the Gmail Help Center.

• Step 2: Fill out the form with your account details and describe your issue thoroughly.

• Step 3: Submit the form and wait for Gmail’s support team to get back to you.

While there’s no guarantee this will work, it may help recover emails in some cases, especially after a security breach.

Method 3: Google Vault (For Organizations)

If your organization uses Google Vault for data retention, there's a chance you may be able to recover deleted emails even beyond the standard 30-day Trash retention period. Vault is primarily used for legal compliance, ensuring important emails are preserved even if deleted by users.

• What You Need: You’ll need the assistance of your organization’s IT team or Google Workspace admin, as Vault is only available for businesses and organizations.

• How It Works: Vault retains data subject to retention rules or holds, which means emails could still be recoverable even after they’ve been deleted from your account. However, it’s important to note that you can’t restore the data directly back into the user’s Gmail inbox.

Steps for Recovery Using Google Vault:

1. Contact your IT team: Let them know you need assistance in recovering permanently deleted emails from Vault. Provide details such as the date range and any other relevant information.

2. Vault Search and Export: Your admin will search Vault for the deleted data and, if found, export it. This can help retrieve the emails you need.

For more detailed steps, refer to Google's official documentation on Vault Search and Export.

Method 4: Restoring Gmail Data from the Admin Console

If your organization uses Google Vault, ensure that a Vault user places their mail data on hold to prevent it from being deleted or purged before it can be restored.

Steps to Restore Gmail Data:

1. Sign In: Use an administrator account to access the Google Admin Console. Regular users cannot access this section.

2. Go to Users: From the Admin Console, go to Menu > Directory > Users. If you need help finding the specific user, use the "Find a user account" option.

3. Select User and Restore: Locate the user, click on More Options, and then select Restore Data. Alternatively, you can find this option on the user’s account page under "More".

4. Choose the Date Range: Select a date range for the data you want to restore, up to 25 days prior.

5. Select Data Type: Choose Gmail as the data type to restore.

6. Confirm and Restore: Click Restore to begin the process. Afterward, confirm the data has been restored by checking the user’s Gmail inbox.

Data You Can Restore:

• Permanently deleted data within the past 25 days.

• Data deleted within a specific date range: You can select the exact period for restoring emails.

• Emails will be restored to the Gmail inbox once the process is completed.

Data You Can’t Restore:

• Emails deleted more than 25 days ago: Once the 30-day retention period expires, data cannot be recovered.

• Messages from the Spam folder: Deleted spam messages cannot be restored.

• Email drafts: Any drafts that were deleted cannot be recovered.

• Deleted labels or nested labels: Once labels are deleted, they cannot be restored.

• Emails removed from Trash: If the email was deleted from the Trash folder, it cannot be recovered.

Recovering Gmail Emails on Mobile Devices

If you’re using a mobile device, you can still recover deleted emails within 30 days from the Trash. Here’s how to do it on iPhone and Android:

On iPhone/iPad:

• Step 1: Open the Gmail app and tap the Menu icon (three horizontal lines).

• Step 2: Tap Trash to see your deleted emails.

• Step 3: Select the emails you want to restore, then tap More (three dots) and choose Move to > Inbox.

On Android:

• Step 1: Open the Gmail app and tap the Menu icon.

• Step 2: Tap Trash and select the emails you want to recover.

• Step 3: Tap the three dots at the top right, select Move to, and choose Inbox.

These simple steps will ensure that your deleted emails are recovered and moved back to your inbox.

Also Read: How to Auto Delete Old Emails in Gmail

By following these methods, you’ll be able to recover deleted emails in Gmail within 30 days and even attempt to retrieve permanently deleted messages. 

Tip: For long-term safety, consider enabling Gmail’s archiving features and backing up important emails regularly.

While recovering deleted emails in Gmail can be challenging after 30 days, utilizing Google Vault or contacting Gmail support might help you retrieve lost data.

Next, let’s look at how to recover emails in Outlook.

How to Recover Deleted Emails from Outlook

While Outlook follows similar recovery principles as Gmail, the recovery process differs slightly. Let’s go over the different methods you can use to recover deleted emails in Outlook.

Method 1: Check the Deleted Items Folder

In Outlook, when you delete an email, it typically ends up in the Deleted Items folder. You can easily recover emails from here within 30 days.

Here’s how:

1. Log in to your Outlook account.

2. In the left pane, select the Deleted Items folder.

3. Browse through the folder and select the email you want to recover.

4. Click Restore to return the email to your inbox.

5. Go back to your Inbox to see the recovered email.

Tip: If you can’t find the email in the Deleted Items folder, look for the "Recover items deleted from this folder" link at the top of the list to try another recovery method.

Method 2: Recover Through Admin Features (For Microsoft 365/Exchange Online Users)

For users within organizations using Microsoft 365/Exchange Online, there’s an additional recovery option called the Recoverable Items folder. This folder holds deleted items that have exceeded the regular recovery window or those deleted using Shift+Delete (which skips the Deleted Items folder).

To recover deleted emails through this folder:

1. Contact your IT administrator and provide them with details like the approximate deletion date, subject line, or sender’s name.

2. The administrator will search for your emails using tools like In-Place eDiscovery or Content Search in the Microsoft Purview compliance portal.

3. Once the emails are found, they will either be restored directly to your account or exported to a PST file for download.

4. Your IT team will let you know when the emails will be available again in your inbox.

Reaching out to IT might feel like a hassle, but administrators are familiar with these requests and can often help recover seemingly lost emails.

Method 3: Recover Using the "Recover Deleted Items from Server" Option

If the email has been permanently deleted from the Deleted Items folder, there’s one final option: the Recoverable Items folder.

Here’s how to use it:

1. Go to the Deleted Items folder.

2. Look for the option that says "Recover Deleted Items From Server." (Note: This option may not be available for all accounts).

3. Select the emails you want to recover and click Restore Selected Items.

4. After confirmation, the emails will be restored to your Deleted Items folder.

5. From there, you can move them to your Inbox or any other folder.

Tips: Using Shift+Delete bypasses the Deleted Items folder, but those emails can often be recovered from the Recoverable Items folder if your account supports it.

Take control of your email organization with NewMail AI. NewMail automatically sorts and prioritizes your inbox, ensuring important emails like recovery alerts never get lost again. With features like smart tagging and actionable insights, you can prevent future email mishaps. Try NewMail AI today!

Also Read: How to Delete Multiple Emails on Outlook (Desktop, Web, Mobile Guide)

By following these methods, you can recover deleted emails from Outlook and regain access to important messages that seemed lost.

Conclusion

Accidentally deleting emails is a common issue, but, as we've discussed, it’s possible to recover them in both Gmail and Outlook with a few simple steps. And if you're beyond the 30-day recovery period, reaching out to customer support might still provide a solution. 

NewMail AI can help you streamline your inbox management and prevent those email losses altogether. With its advanced features designed for efficiency and productivity, you can focus on what matters most.

• Smart Drafts: Quickly generate personalized email responses without having to type each reply manually.

• Prioritized Inbox: Automatically sort and prioritize emails based on importance, ensuring nothing gets lost.

• Actionable Insights: Convert emails into to-do items and tasks, making follow-ups and next steps clear.

• Intelligent Tagging and Archiving: Organize your inbox with smart categorization, reducing clutter and making emails easier to find.

With NewMail AI, you’ll never lose track of important emails again. Try Newail AI today to take control of your inbox and boost your productivity.