The email programs keep their mail files open, preventing the backup programs from actually backing them up. I have experienced cases where poorly designed backup utilities can get confused if Outlook or Outlook Express are running at the time the backup is performed.
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Be sure to check with your mail administrator. Much like Exchange Server, server-side policies could affect the contents of your mail folders.
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If your email accounts are IMAP accounts rather than the currently more common POP3, then your email is by default stored on the mail server and not your local machine. If they’re restrictive it’s possible your mail is still there, just not in view. Check the View menu in either application (and the Arrange By sub menu if present) to see what your current settings are. Applying a different view that doesn’t restrict which messages are shown causes the message to reappear. For example “show only unread messages” is a common setting once you read the message it “disappears”. Both Outlook and Outlook Express have the ability to show only messages matching certain criteria. Check with your Exchange administrator to see if that might be the case.Īnother very easy trap to fall into that might cause messages “disappear” is to simply have an improper view applied. Be aware that rules and policies on the server could cause email to be archived or removed without notification. If you are using Exchange Server based email then your email is typically stored on the server and not on your local machine. Outlook includes support for Exchange Server. You can simply use Outlook’s File menu, Open, Outlook Data File… to see what they contain. These files (not directories) contain the email folders managed by outlook.
#Microsoft outlook mac email lost archive
If it’s moving items to an archive folder this dialog will also show you where that folder is located.Īs with Outlook Express, it’s a good idea to scan your hard disk for additional message stores. It is possible to configure auto-archive to move or delete items without prompting you, so double check the settings. Select the Tools menu, Options, Other, AutoArchive and check the settings displayed. Outlook includes a feature called “auto archive” which will automatically move mail items older than a certain amount to an archive folder. Make sure you’re using the profile you expect. Typically there’s a single default profile but you can also configure Outlook to ask which profile it should use each time it starts up.
#Microsoft outlook mac email lost windows
In Outlook’s case they can be managed through the Windows Control Panel’s “Mail” options. Outlook supports what are called “Profiles” which are roughly equivalent to Outlook Express’s “Identities”. If you’re running an anti- virus product Microsoft Support has a Knowledgebase article Outlook Express E-Mail Messages Are Missing from the Inbox Folder which discusses an interaction with McAfee VirusScan that can cause the problem.ĭepending on your symptoms the KB article Folders Do Not Appear in the Local Folders List may also be helpful.Īlso, see below for some more things to look at that apply to both Outlook and Outlook Express. Knowing where they are you can now import their contents into your current mailbox if you wish. The directories in which you find those files are other message stores that Outlook Express has used. Make sure you’re using the identity you think you are.Įven if you’re not using multiple accounts or identities it’s a good idea to search your hard disk for additional “message stores”, the place where Outlook Express keeps your folders. Use Window’s “Search for Files or Folders…” feature to look for “*.dbx” files. Outlook Express also has the concept of “Identities” which is another way to manage multiple users with separate email accounts without requiring different Windows accounts. So if you use multiple accounts in Windows, it’s possible that you’re simply logged into a different account, and looking at a different set of folders.īecause Outlook and Outlook Express are completely different programs, and each has some unique set of issues to look at.
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One common confusion for both Outlooks under Windows 2000 and Windows XP is that each Windows user account gets their own set of Outlook Express mail folders by default. Depending on what happened your mail, like the truth, may still be out there. There isn’t enough information in the questions to pull together “The Answer”, but there are definitely a number of things to look at when your email or the folders containing it disappear without warning. I’ve received this question more than once about both Outlook and Outlook Express.