For mail you own or are authorised to manage
The mailbox provider, app version and account type determine the available options. Outlook is an app as well as part of Microsoft services; it may be displaying a different provider’s account. Work/shared mailboxes need the responsible administrator’s approved backup and retention process.
Step 1 of 9
In this guide
Identify the account, originals and any incident
Identify the account, originals and any incident
Record the mailbox provider, address privately, app/version and account type if known. Separate personal mail from work/shared accounts and identify who can authorise access. An account visible in Outlook may be Microsoft 365, Outlook.com, Gmail, BigPond or another service; the app name alone does not identify its retention or recovery rules.
Check where the important mail exists without deleting anything: the provider’s genuine webmail, local-only folders, existing PST or other archives and old devices. POP/local mail can include the only available copy of some messages. A synchronised phone, an Archive folder or an old cache file is not automatically an independent, usable backup. Preserve the old profile, device and archives until a recovery plan has been verified.
If mail disappeared unexpectedly with unfamiliar forwarding/rules, access changes or a security alert, treat possible account compromise separately. Use the hacked-email response guide and responsible provider; do not keep syncing or restoring blindly into a suspect account. A failing or damaged drive also needs preservation before repeated reading/export attempts.
Identify the real source and preserve existing copies. Stop routine export/restore for a suspect account or failing source until the responsible recovery plan is clear.
Check provider recovery for missing messages
Check provider recovery for missing messages
Use the genuine account on an appropriate trusted system. Check search scope, date filters, other folders/labels, Archive/All Mail and Deleted Items or Trash before assuming permanent loss. Do not open suspicious attachments while searching. If a message is in the deleted folder, select the required item and use the supported Move/Restore option to an appropriate folder; avoid Delete forever or Empty Trash.
In Gmail on a computer, use More, Trash, select the required messages and choose Move to. Google documents a Trash period of 30 days for ordinary deleted messages; permanent deletion or a deleted draft has different limits. Check Google’s current deletion/recovery instructions. Do not assume another provider or an administrator has the same window.
In supported Outlook/Microsoft accounts, Deleted Items may offer recovery of items removed from that folder. The control and destination differ by version/account; follow Microsoft’s recovery instructions and check where the restored item appears. If the option or message is unavailable, contact the responsible provider/admin promptly with the approximate deletion time and mailbox. Existing retention or a separate backup may help, but recovery is not guaranteed.
Confirm the actual restored message in its destination. Do not replace an urgent recovery enquiry with a new export: an export only contains data available to that export, not every previously deleted item.
Choose the mailbox data and recovery scope
Choose the mailbox data and recovery scope
List the required accounts, mail folders/date range, attachments and any separate contacts, calendars or tasks. Include local archives and authorised shared mailboxes if relevant; an Inbox-only export may omit what you need. Decide how much recent mail you could afford to lose and whether recovery means reading an archive, restoring selected messages or rebuilding a mailbox.
Check the destination has sufficient space and appropriate private access. Retain older usable recovery versions rather than overwrite the only copy. A downloaded archive on the same computer can be a useful intermediate file but does not protect against that computer failing. Sync, provider retention and a scheduled independent backup solve different problems; document what each actually covers.
Choose the supported export route for the actual app/provider or agree an automated service with the responsible owner. Exporting mail does not automatically preserve every contact, calendar, account rule or setting, and being able to open a file is not the same as importing it into the intended mailbox. If no supported restoration route is understood, resolve that before deleting originals or paying for migration.
Record the data scope and intended restore destination. Do not count every folder or data type protected until it is included and a suitable recovery method has been checked.
More checks6 detailed checks
Make an Outlook export with the correct version and scope
Make an Outlook export with the correct version and scope
Use Microsoft’s current export instructions for the installed Outlook version. In classic Outlook for Windows, the route is File, Open & Export, Import/Export, Export to a file, Outlook Data File PST. Choose the intended account/folder and include subfolders where required. Confirm required older messages have actually downloaded before exporting; a recent cached view may not contain all server mail.
Where available in new Outlook for Windows, the export starts at Settings, Files, Export. Export, opening a PST and bulk importing it are separate capabilities, with version/subscription/platform requirements. Confirm the current instructions and test the needed item types; do not assume new Outlook has the same restore behaviour as classic Outlook or that Windows PST instructions apply to every Mac app. Contacts/calendars need their own verified recovery coverage.
Choose a new descriptive file name and a suitable local destination outside a OneDrive-synchronised location, as Microsoft advises for PST export. Do not overwrite an existing archive or move/delete source mail to make the export smaller. After completion, preserve the file, then arrange a separate protected copy and test with compatible supported software. An optional PST password is not a substitute for appropriate storage security and recovery access.
Check the actual export scope and completion, then test recovery. Do not delete the profile, server mail or local archive because a PST file name now exists.
Make a Google mail export without deleting the source
Make a Google mail export without deleting the source
Use the genuine Google Takeout route in Google’s data download instructions. Select Mail and the required scope, delivery method, export type and archive size. Include only the needed data; another storage-account connection is optional, not a requirement.
Wait for completion and download all required archive parts through the genuine account. Later changes or deleted data may be absent. Downloading does not delete the source mailbox. Keep the export private and separately accessible; a copy only within the same account does not protect against losing that account.
Confirm a supported reader/import route for the returned mail format. Opening a ZIP is not restoring messages to Gmail. Test a separate copy before deleting originals. Work/education exports may be restricted: ask the responsible administrator rather than bypass controls. Stop for help if required mail or a usable restore route is unavailable.
Retain all required parts and verify actual message access with appropriate software. A requested, downloaded or zipped archive is not by itself a proven mailbox restore.
Check automatic backup coverage and recovery access
Check automatic backup coverage and recovery access
Ask the responsible provider or administrator which mailboxes/data types are included, when backup runs, how failures are monitored and who responds. Check retention/recovery versions, permissions, costs and what happens if a mailbox, employee account or subscription is removed. Do not infer an independent backup from a Microsoft 365 licence, mail sync, retention label or Archive folder alone.
Check where recovery copies are held and how authorised recovery works if the original account is unavailable. Preserve legitimate recovery credentials/keys securely, without using a single compromised account as the only route to both originals and backups. A status saying successful does not establish every required folder, shared mailbox or old date range was protected. Agree a sample restore and identify any exclusions.
Google Takeout documents a periodic export option with a limited schedule; it is not continuous mailbox backup or an indefinite service. Other tools and managed services have their own supported frequency and scope. Choose a recovery interval appropriate to the mail you could lose, monitor actual results and test the intended restore path. Do not silently enrol another account, increase access or promise recovery from every deletion or incident.
Confirm actual coverage, successful jobs and tested recovery, with someone responsible for failures. Automation does not remove exclusions, retention limits or the need to verify restoration.
Test a small restore without overwriting the mailbox
Test a small restore without overwriting the mailbox
Keep the original export/backup intact. Work with a separate copy using supported software and a private test location or provider-approved recovery area. For PST files, opening a copy through a compatible Outlook version can allow inspection without bulk importing it into the live mailbox; Microsoft explains version requirements and opening a PST. Stop if the only available action would replace or merge your sole source unexpectedly.
Check older and recent representative messages, relevant folders, sender/date and the body. Use a known harmless attachment where needed, without enabling macros or opening suspicious content. Check contacts/calendar separately if required. If the task is to restore into a mailbox, test that exact supported destination with the responsible owner, considering duplicates, folder mapping, permissions and storage limits. A file you can browse is not proof of a completed mailbox restore.
Record which account/version/date range and items were actually tested. Missing folders, unreadable content or an unsupported import route mean that part is unverified; keep originals and seek help. Restoring some selected mail does not establish that every item, rule, permission or full account can be rebuilt. Do not bulk-import repeatedly to fix an unclear result.
Accept only the recovery outcome actually checked. Keep the original and test copy distinct, and resolve missing data or unsupported restoration before deleting or migrating mail.
Protect the copy and maintain the recovery plan
Protect the copy and maintain the recovery plan
Keep a protected recovery copy separate from the only original and preserve appropriate older versions. Close archive files correctly before any supported copy/backup process; do not treat an actively synchronised live PST or a file on the same failing disk as independent protection. Use storage access/encryption appropriate to the sensitivity and retain legitimate recovery access separately.
Record scope, date, destination, compatible restore software and who maintains it. Check that expected scheduled jobs continue, investigate failures and repeat a harmless restore test after important changes. The general backup checks explain how to distinguish a job status from usable recovery. Retention and cloud sync are useful controls but not automatically a separate backup.
When required messages and the agreed recovery method have been verified, stop unnecessary mailbox changes. Keep routine protection and provider/admin responsibilities clear. If data is still missing or an account incident remains open, continue that recovery/incident process. Do not empty the only archive, cancel the old account or wipe the old device solely because one sample opened.
Finish the agreed backup/recovery task after real verification, while maintaining separate copies and monitoring. Unresolved missing data, migration or account incidents remain separate work.
Back to the symptom checkerWhen should you get email backup or recovery help?
When should you get email backup or recovery help?
Get help promptly when a provider recovery window may be closing, mail exists only on an old device/archive, a drive is failing, the account may be compromised or the supported export/restore route is unclear. Managed mailboxes, retention and shared data need the responsible administrator; do not bypass their access or deletion policy.
Our email support service can discuss the account/app and suitable next steps. Provide the provider/app version, approximate missing date range, existing copies and any error privately. Ask what mail and related data are in scope, what access is needed, costs, preservation and how the recovery result will be checked.
Agree changes before reset, profile removal, bulk import or migration. Do not give passwords/codes to unsolicited contacts or upload a complete mailbox to an unknown converter. The provider/administrator controls its retention and account recovery; IT assistance cannot promise every deleted message retrieved or an unsupported archive restored.
Preserve existing copies while the precise recovery gap is assessed. A new account, exported file or paid backup plan is not itself proof the required old messages are recoverable.
