Email that I know was stored in folders has disappeared

Dear @Rebecca Dinwoodie,
I understand that emails you know were stored in folders and subfolders are now showing as empty. I also understand that your email drafts are not syncing consistently between your home laptop, work laptop, and phone.

To confirm your emails are still there, please open your mailbox in Outlook on the web at: https://outlook.office.com

If you can see the messages there, it confirms nothing has been lost and the issue is only with how New Outlook is syncing on your computer.

Then, please check the sync settings in New Outlook on your Windows device:

Go to Settings > General > Offline

Make sure offline email is turned on

Increase the number of days of email to sync (for example, 90 or 180 days)

Restart Outlook after saving the changes

This allows Outlook to download more of your mailbox and usually restores visibility of emails in folders and subfolders.

Note: Please understand that our initial response does not always resolve the issue immediately. However, with your help and more detailed information, we can work together to find a solution.        

Your detailed response will help us diagnose and investigate the issue more efficiently. If I misunderstood what you’re looking for, feel free to let me know or share a screenshot. I’d be happy to help further!

Thank you for your cooperation. I'm looking forward for your reply.

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Based on the described behavior, there are two likely causes covered in the context: hidden/filtered items in Outlook views, and system folders that have been hidden by Exchange Online.

1. Check whether a view filter is hiding items In Outlook for Windows, items can appear to “disappear” from a folder if a filter is applied to the folder’s view. The items are still present but not visible.

To check and remove filters (Outlook 2010 and later):

1. Open Outlook on Windows.
2. Select the folder (or subfolder) where items appear to be missing.
3. On the ribbon, select the View tab.
4. In the Current View group, select View Settings.
5. Select Filter….
6. Review each tab (Tasks, More Choices, Advanced) for any conditions that could hide messages (for example, date limits, only unread items, specific senders, or size filters).
7. Clear or adjust any filters so that all items are shown, then select OK.

Repeat this for several affected subfolders to see if the messages reappear. This addresses the “folder looks like it is thinking of loading and then shows as empty” symptom when the items are only filtered from view.

2. Consider whether the folders are hidden system folders (Files, Files1, etc.) If any of the affected folders are named Files, Files1, Files2, and so on, they may be Exchange Online system folders that were previously visible by mistake. A service-side fix now hides these folders, which can make items stored there seem to disappear from Outlook and Outlook on the web.

In that case:

• The folders and their contents are still in the mailbox, but are hidden because they are system folders.
• To move messages out of these hidden system folders into normal user folders, the documented approach is to use the MFCMAPI tool with assistance from Microsoft Support.

The guidance in the context is to contact Microsoft Support for help using MFCMAPI to move the messages into non-system, user-accessible folders so they become visible again in Outlook.

3. If items are still not visible If removing filters does not restore visibility and the folders are not named like the system Filen folders, use search to confirm whether the messages still exist:

• Use Outlook search on a unique subject line, sender, or keyword from one of the “missing” messages.
• If search finds the items but they are not visible in the folder tree, this further suggests a view/filter or hidden-folder issue.

If the items cannot be found even via search, or if the behavior persists across devices (Windows Outlook, new Outlook for Windows, and mobile), contact Outlook/Exchange support from within Outlook or via the organization’s IT support so they can check the mailbox on the server side and assist with recovery.

References:

• Items disappear or are not visible in an Outlook folder
• Exchange Online hides previously displayed Files and folders