lost Outlook emails and calendar data after update

What can be recovered depends on where the data was stored and what changed during the update:

• If the missing items are only not appearing in search, this can happen after some Windows updates or after upgrading to Windows 11 because the Outlook search index is rebuilt. In that case, the data may still be present.
• If the account was POP or data was stored locally in a .pst file, the missing data is typically local-only. Microsoft does not provide a way to re-download a local POP .pst from its servers.

Try these checks first:

1. Confirm whether the data is missing or just not searchable
   • In Outlook, select the Search box.
   • On the ribbon, select Search Tools > Indexing Status.
   • If indexing is still rebuilding, wait for it to complete.
2. Rebuild the Outlook search index
   • In Outlook, go to File > Options > Search.
   • Select Indexing Options > Advanced.
   • Under Troubleshooting, select Rebuild.
   • Rebuilding can take a couple of days.
3. Check whether imported IMAP mail is hidden by view settings
   • If the missing mail was imported from a .pst, go to View > Change View.
   • Select IMAP Messages.
4. Check for recoverable deleted items
   • Look in Deleted Items and Junk Email.
   • If items are there, use Move or Restore to return them to the correct folder.
5. If the data was stored locally in a .pst, check for backups or previous versions
   • Check whether Windows has a previous version or backup of the folder that stored the .pst.
   • If no backup exists, local POP .pst data is not recoverable from Microsoft servers.
6. If folders disappeared after the update, check for another Outlook data file
   • In Outlook, go to File > Open & Export > Open Outlook Data File.
   • Check common locations such as Documents > Outlook Files for another .pst or backup copy.
   • Some cases also have a .bak backup copy that can be renamed to .pst and opened in Outlook. This should be done carefully to avoid overwriting the current file.

If this started immediately after a Windows update and search is the only symptom, install the Windows fixes referenced for the known Outlook search issue, then rebuild the index if needed.

• Outlook Search not showing recent emails after Windows update KB5008212
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• Recover and restore deleted items in Outlook
• Outlook 2021 .pst file missing emails after Windows 11 update - Microsoft Q&A
• All of my folders in Outlook since 2022 have disappeared whilst all the other folders are ok - Microsoft Q&A