Outlook - lost folders after update

Hello, Jessica Collings

Welcome to the Microsoft community.

Thank you for your feedback. The issue of losing Outlook folders after an update can be caused by a number of factors, such as data not being synchronized correctly during the update process, or the folder's view or settings changing. Below are some troubleshooting options:

1. Check the Deleted Messages folder

Sometimes a folder may have been accidentally deleted or moved to the Deleted Messages folder. You can check this:

Open Outlook.

In the left navigation pane, check the Deleted Messages folder.

If you find the missing folder, you can right-click on it and select “Move Back to Inbox” or “Recover”. 2.

2. Use Search Function

Sometimes folders may be hidden or moved. You can use Outlook's search function to find the lost emails or folders.

In the search box at the top of Outlook, enter the keywords you want to find.

See if you can find the missing email or folder.

3. Check if it is synchronized on other devices

If you are using Outlook on more than one device, there may be something wrong with some settings or synchronization process. Check to see if you can find the folders or emails on other devices such as cell phones or other computers.

4. Restore an older version (if using local storage)

If you are using local data storage (PST files), Windows 11 allows you to restore older versions of files:

Right-click on the folder containing Outlook files (.pst files).

Select Properties.

Under the Previous Versions tab, see if there is a recent backup version.

If so, try restoring to the version before the update.

5. Try to repair Outlook data files

Outlook provides a built-in tool to repair corrupted PST/OST files:

Close Outlook.

Open File Explorer and navigate to the following path:

C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\root\OfficeXX (where “XX” is the version number of the Office you have installed, e.g. Office 365 is Office16)

Locate and run the SCANPST.EXE file.

Follow the on-screen instructions to scan and repair the Outlook files.

6. Check if archiving is enabled

If you have archiving enabled for your folders, emails may have been automatically moved to the archive folder. You can view archived messages in Outlook to see if you have found the missing content.

7. Using Outlook Web Edition

If your emails are synchronized through Exchange or Office 365, you can try to log into the web version of Outlook (https://outlook.office.com) to see if you can recover the lost emails.

8. Recover server-side data of mailboxes

If you are using Outlook through an Exchange account or Outlook.com account and the emails still exist on the server side, you can try to contact your email service provider to recover the emails on the server.

9. Check Outlook Folder View Settings

Sometimes, the folder view settings are changed, resulting in certain folders being temporarily unseen. You can restore the default view by following the steps below:

Open Outlook.

Click on the View tab.

Select “Reset View” to see if you can recover the missing folders.

I look forward to your feedback.

Best Regards,

Aaron| Microsoft Community Support Specialist