my outlook for mac lost the emails in the the on my computer folders.

Hello, I just experienced something similar. After the Tahoe version 26.3.1 update (auto-initiated on my Mac) I lost a TON of information on my computer, not just in Outlook. I restored much of the info/files, but Outlook created a new instance and I had to add my 3 email accounts back, which restored all my current emails. But the emails stored in the "On My Computer" files were gone.

I spent 2 hours today with Apple trying to find the correct file to get those back, with no success. Called Apple back again and was told this is not an Apple issue, that I needed to contact Microsoft. Could not get through to a person at Microsoft so am turning here for some assistance.

I use Time Machine but I am not sure where exactly JUST my "On My Computer" files are stored, and once I find the correct file on my Time Machine backup, where do I put it on my outlook files to restore JUST those files and add to my already reconstructed new Outlook view? Can you advise here? Thanks.

Hi @Fritz Hinrichs 
Thanks for reaching out to the Microsoft Q&A forum.   

To help us better understand the situation, may I ask you to check if the item is still visible in your Legacy Outlook for Mac? You can try using the search bar with the “All Mailboxes” option selected and also review the Deleted Items folder under the On My Computer section. 

If the item is not visible, may I confirm the following: 

• Have you recently exported an OLM file that would allow you to import the data back? 
• Have you enabled the Time Machine feature on your Mac device? 

If neither option applies to your situation, I am sorry to share that based on my current findings, there is unfortunately no available method to restore an email that was permanently deleted from an On My Computer folder, as these folders are stored locally and are not recoverable through server‑based restoration methods. 

I understand this may not be the answer you were hoping for, and I truly wish the outcome were different. I hope the information above still provides clarity and helps ensure all possible recovery options have been reviewed. 

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If your emails in the "On My Computer" folders in Outlook for Mac seem to be lost, it could be due to a filtering issue or they might be hidden from view. Here are some steps you can take to try and recover them:

1. Check Filters: Make sure that no filters are applied that might be hiding your emails. You can do this by going to the View tab and checking the View Settings to see if any filters are set.
2. Use Advanced Find: You can also use the Advanced Find feature to search for your emails. Here’s how:
   • Select the Inbox folder.
   • Click into the Instant Search bar to display the Search tab on the ribbon.
   • Select Search Tools, then Advanced Find.
   • In the Look for list, select "Any type of Outlook item" and browse to select your "On My Computer" folders.
   • Click Find Now to see if any emails appear in the results.
3. Check Other Folders: Sometimes emails may have been accidentally moved to other folders. Check your Deleted Items or any other folders you may have created.

If these steps do not resolve the issue, you may want to consider restoring from a backup if you have one available.

References:

• Items disappear or are not visible in an Outlook folder