Pressing the delete button when you clean up your inbox can feel so satisfying that it's easy to go overboard.
And then a week later, you realize you needed some of those messages. The last thing you want to do is ask your co-worker, boss, or sales prospect to resend something.
But keep calm, and keep reading — we'll cover how to retrieve deleted emails.
How to start retrieving deleted emails
Start by using your email's built-in search tool from every angle. Try the recipient's name and email address. Search keywords you remember from the subject line. If the person you were talking to used a distinct greeting or sign-off, search for that.
If your search function comes up blank, it's time to upgrade. If you’re looking for a revolutionary way to search your emails, check out Superhuman’s Ask AI. Get rapid answers without having to remember senders, guess keywords, or comb through messages.
If your email is nowhere to be found, it may simply be in your trash folder. Most email providers keep deleted messages in the trash for a set period. This grace period can vary, but generally, it's about 30 days. After that, they'll become permanently deleted emails.
Here's how to recover deleted messages with some common email providers:
Apple Mail
To recover a deleted email on your iPhone or Mac mail app, follow these simple steps:
- Go to the Apple Mail app.
- Click the drop-down menu in the upper left corner until you see the "Mailboxes" option.
- Select the trash can icon.
- Click "Move message" and move the missing email into your inbox.
Gmail
To recover messages from a Gmail account, you will follow a similar process:
- Go to your Gmail inbox.
- Click the "More" option on the left, then click "Bin."
- When you find the old email, move it to a different location.
Outlook
If you need to recover deleted items from an Outlook email, you have one additional option. If your message can't be found in the deleted folder, you can check the recoverable items folder instead. Here's how it works:
- Select the deleted items folder, then select "Recover items deleted from this folder."
- Check the box next to the email message you want to retrieve.
- Select "Restore" from the Home ribbon.
What to do when email data recovery doesn't work
If you still can't find what you're looking for, the next step is to try less obvious storage areas. If you back your email up to an archive like iCloud, look for the file from an earlier date to see if it was caught before it was deleted.
How to avoid this mistake in the future
Small adjustments can help you avoid this mistake going forward. For example, clearing out emails from six months ago is worthwhile, but there's no need to delete emails from, say, last week if you have enough storage — try archiving them instead.
When you archive an email, it’s still searchable. That means it’s there when you need it and out of the way when you don’t. Additionally, consider the Inbox Zero method — an email management strategy that aims to keep your inbox as empty as possible. Archiving as part of Inbox Zero can help you clear your inbox and make sure nothing slips through the cracks.
The bottom line
If you've deleted an email you didn't intend to delete, you can often retrieve it. But it's worth considering other ways to keep your inbox clear and focused, like Inbox Zero.
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