Outlook Emails Disappeared from Inbox? Here’s How to Fix & Restore Them Fast

One of the most commonly used email clients is Microsoft Outlook for both personal and professional communication. However, many users encounter frustrating issues, such as “Outlook Emails Disappeared from Inbox”. When you open the inbox to search for that email, but it is missing, unread messages vanish, and the older conversations are no longer visible.

If you are wondering, “Why have the Outlook emails disappeared from the inbox?”, the article will help you understand the cause behind the issue and guide you with the step-by-step solutions to recover the emails.

What Causes Outlook Emails to Disappear from the Inbox

There are multiple causes to it, which could range from account settings to corrupted Outlook data. Let’s dive into the most common reasons and find out the solution to them.

• Incorrect Emails View / Filter Settings: Outlook has the features that are view settings and filters to organise the emails properly. The filter might cause an unintentional conflict with the emails in the account.
• Server Issue: In case of IMAP or Exchange account, the synchronisation could be the cause why emails are missing from the Outlook inbox.
• Outlook Rules: We can program the Outlook rules, which automate the action to manage the emails properly to work according to our requirements. If there is a wrong rule that is causing the emails to be archived after a certain period of time, it causes the issue “Outlook emails disappeared from the Inbox”.
• Corrupted Outlook Profile or PST/OST File: Outlook stores data in PST or OST files. If these files get corrupted, one of the Outlook issues is the loss of emails. These corruptions occur due to large file size, sudden application shutdown, or malware.
• Mailbox Settings: Limiting the Message Download: Outlook has features that limit how much mail to download for offline viewing. Check from File > Account Settings > Account Name and Sync Settings.
• Account​‍​‌‍​‍‌ Configuration Issue: In case of any changes to account settings made recently or if you have moved to another device, a misconfiguration can result in missing folders or partial syncing of messages.
• Deleted or are Missing Because of Human Error: In particular, it might be that we are the reason, i.e., accidentally deleting emails or moving them to the incorrect folder, especially when handling large mailboxes.

How to Fix the Issue of “Outlook Emails Disappeared from Inbox”?

From the above section, we know the reasons why the emails disappeared. Now, let’s follow some steps with respect to the cause to restore the emails in the Outlook inbox.

Check All Mail Folders

We can do for now, first, check all the folders in Outlook.

1. Go to Junk email, Deleted Items, and Archive.
2. Expand the More section, since there are times when important folders are hidden under More.
3. Use the Search bar and type the sender’s name, subject to find the missing emails.

Clear Filter and Reset the View

1. Go to the View tab on the top menu.>
2. Click View Settings > Filter > Clear all.
3. Select Reset View to restore the default layout.

Check the Account type and Sync Settings if “Outlook emails disappeared from Inbox”

If you are using an IMAP or Exchange account:

1. Go to File > Account Settings > Account Settings.
2. Double-click the email account.
3. Adjust the Mail to keep the offline slider.
4. Click Next > Finish and restart Outlook.

Disable or Review the Email Rules

Check if there is any Outlook rule set that is automatically moving the emails to fix Outlook emails disappearing from the Inbox. Follow the steps:

1. Go to File > Manage Rules & Alerts.
2. Review all the listed and disable if any are redirecting or deleting the incoming emails

Delete or modify if you find any suspicious rules.

Find out all other steps if Outlook rules are not working properly.

Repair Corrupt Outlook Data Files

If you suspect the missing emails are in the Outlook inbox, use the built-in Inbox Repair Tool.

1. Close Outlook.
2. Search for SCANPST.EXE in the location: C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\root\OfficeXX
3. Open it and select the PST/OST file to scan and repair.
4. Restart Outlook after completion

This would discover the missing emails.

Re-add or Reconfigure the Email Account

If none of the above steps work, try removing and re-adding the Outlook account.

1. Go to File > Account Settings > Account Settings.
2. Select the account and click Remove.
3. Add the account again with Add Account.

Most probably the Outlook will resolve this syncing issue.

If “Outlook Emails Disappeared from inbox” Create a New Outlook Profile to Fix

If your Outlook account is compromised, creating a new one will help.

1. Open Control Panel > Mail > Show Profiles.
2. Click Add and set up the account.

After creating the new profile, set the new profile as the default and open Outlook.

How to Prevent Issues like “Outlook emails disappeared from inbox” in the Future?

• First and foremost, we can do is, Backup regularly. Backup Outlook emails to the hard drive periodically, else just extract the important emails.
• Keep Outlook updated to prevent any bugs that could cause issues like “Outlook emails disappeared from the Inbox”.
• Keep the mailbox size small by deleting unwanted emails from Outlook and emptying the junk folder.

Bonus Tip: Use a Professional Tool 

If you are willing to open or migrate the Outlook data, then PST Converter would be the right choice for you. It offers the capability of changing the PST files into any other file format, which is quite helpful in viewing or backing up the mailbox without the need for Outlook.

Conclusion

We have discussed the most prominent issue, “Outlook emails disappeared from Inbox”. It is one of the stressful situations, especially if it contains important information. The issue can form from something simple, such as a filter, to something complex, such as a corrupt data file. After discussing the common reasons and their respective troubleshooting solutions, we’ve addressed nearly all possible causes.