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Deleted Emails: How do I get them back?

If you accidentally deleted a folder or email and it is not located in your Trash folder, your email host might have a copy of your emails. We have found this type of information can be tricky to get back, but there are ways.

Gmail

If Gmail has not deleted the messages from the server, you can recover deleted emails after deleting them from your trash folder.

Instructions from Gmail web-mail

  1. Open your Gmail via mail.google.com.
  2. Use the drop down arrow, end of your search box atop the screen.
  3. Use query fields like To: & From:, subject, key words, date range.
  4. Click on the blue search button on the bottom left of the search box and all of any available or recoverable deleted emails will be shown.

Important Notes:

  • Try leaving all search box variables blank, and just set for the farthest time-span going back possible, with Trash as the selected place to search.
  • Sort the results list backwards, for oldest 1st if needed.
  • If your emails are deleted from the Trash folder, Gmail (free version) is mostly unable to show and offer to restore them for you.
  • Official Google policy with free Gmail accounts, If you delete an email it stays in your Trash for 30 days. After 30 days, emails are permanently deleted from the Trash.
  • If you’re a Google Apps user, more extensive options are offered.
  • There’s only one copy of every Gmail email. If you deleted an email from one place, like under another Gmail label or from another device, it is deleted from Gmail entirely.
  • By default Gmail combines all replies to an original email together in a single “conversation”. When you choose to delete the entire conversation is deleted, including the original email and any replies.
  • Google does also have an Email Recovery request option to try, geared for loss from unauthorized access: Gmail Message Recovery Tool.

Yahoo! Mail
Yahoo! can restore your mailbox to a previous state from a backup copy, recovering your lost messages if you accidentally empty your Trash folder containing an important email.

If the email is still in your Trash folder:

  1. Go to the Trash folder in Yahoo! Mail.
  2. Open the desired message.
  3. Click Move in the Yahoo! Mail toolbar.
  4. Select Inbox or any other folder to recover the message.

If the email is not in your Trash folder:

  1. Fill out the Yahoo! Mail Restore Help Form
  2. Click Create Request.

Outlook (Hotmail)
When you delete an email message, a contact, a calendar item, or a task, it’s moved to the Deleted Items folder in your mailbox.

If the items is still in your Deleted Items folder:

  1. In your email folder list, select Deleted Items.
  2. Right-click the item and then select Move > Inbox.

If the item is no longer in your Deleted Items folder:

  1. In left pane of Outlook.com window, select Deleted Items folder.
  2. At top of window, select Recover deleted items.
  3. Choose the items you want to recover, and select Recover and OK.

AOL
If like most, you’re not using AOL desktop software, you will need to contact AOL tech support. Mail can only be restored within 7 days. Click here to access their contact page.

Rackspace
You can recover email messages from the Recover Deleted Email tool up to 14 days after an item is purged from the Trash. Click here for instructions.

Fastmail
Fastmail allows you to recover emails within 7 days. Click here for instructions.

GoDaddy WorkMail
Within a certain period, you can contact them via chat to help restore your emails. If it is within 7 days, they have notified us that they can help. They can be contacted via phone as well: (480) 463-8846 EXT: 59039.

SaneBox can help!
Do you find yourself spending half your life deleting unimportant email? And then the other half worrying that you deleted the wrong thing? SaneBox is a service to keep your Inbox organized and clean.
By keeping the unimportant stuff out of your way, you will do a lot less random deleting and won’t find yourself in this position as often. Want to find out more? Drop us a note at support@sanebox.com. We are always happy to help!