Email and Microsoft 365
Where deleted email goes, and for how long
You deleted a message, emptied the folder, and now you need it back.
1 min readExplainer
The short version
Deleted email in Microsoft 365 usually passes through two stages before it is gone. You can often get it back yourself.
Stage one: the Deleted Items folder
When you delete a message in Outlook, it moves to Deleted Items. You can drag it back from there. In Microsoft 365, Deleted Items is commonly cleaned out automatically after about 30 days, depending on your company’s settings.
Stage two: Recover Deleted Items
When a message leaves Deleted Items, it is not gone yet. It moves to a hidden area for a further period, usually 14 days by default, which your administrator can extend.
To get it back in Outlook, go to Deleted Items and look for Recover items recently removed from this folder. In Outlook on the web, right-click Deleted Items and choose Recover items.
After that
Once that period is over, the message is gone from Microsoft 365, unless your business has set up retention rules or a separate backup.
Why a separate backup helps
Microsoft’s recovery windows are short and depend on someone noticing quickly. They do not help if a departing employee deletes a year of mail, if an attacker empties a mailbox, or if you need a message from six months ago. A separate Microsoft 365 backup keeps copies for as long as your business decides, and can restore a single message or a whole mailbox.
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