FIX: Outlook emails or folders are missing. (Solved)

.single .post-author, .post-date {
text-transform: none;
}

If you are using Microsoft Outlook and one or more Outlook folders or emails are missing, continue reading below to find out how you can fix the problem to restore the lost messages or folders.

There could be several reasons why an Outlook folder may be missing and some of them are listed below:

• Folder Deleted or Moved: Users sometimes accidentally delete or move folders. So, before you continue troubleshooting the problem with the following methods of this article, check the Deleted Items folder to check if the missing Outlook folder has been deleted and then check all other Outlook folders to see if the missing folder is there.
• Sync Issues: If you are using Outlook with an Exchange or IMAP account, there might be synchronization issues that cause certain Outlook folders to disappear.
• Data file corruption: Outlook stores all its data in a PST or OST file and if this file is corrupted this can cause the disappearance of folders or emails in Outlook.

How to FIX: Microsoft Outlook folders or messages have been lost (Outlook 2019, 2016, 2013, etc. )

Method 1. Subscribe the Missing IMAP Folder.*

* Note: This method applies only for IMAP Accounts.

If you using an IMAP account with Outlook, first of all ensure that you have subscribed for the missing folder. To do that:

1. Choose any other Outlook folder (e.g. the “Inbox”), then select the Folder tab in the Outlook menu and click IMAP Folders.

2. At ‘IMAP Folders’ window, click the Query button to view all the IMAP folders on the mail server.

3. Find in the list the missing folder and click Subscribe. Then click Apply > OK.

4. Now at the Folder tab click Update Folder List IMAP.

5. Now check if the missing folder is appeared in Outlook.

Method 2. FIX “Outlook Folder is Missing” by Resetting Outlook Navigation Pane.

The Outlook navigation pane displays a list of all email folders. However, in some cases the navigation pane becomes corrupted, resulting in an Outlook folder not being displayed.

To reset the navigation pane to its default settings and force Outlook to show all folders, do the following:

1. Close Outlook.
2. Press Windows + R keys to open the run command box.
3. Type the following command and press Enter (OK).

• outlook.exe /resetnavpane

4. Now see if the missing folder is appeared.

Method 3. Restore Missing Folder or emails in Outlook by Repairing Outlook Data File.

The next method to fix the “Outlook folders or emails missing” issue, is to repair the Outlook Data File. (PST or PST). To do that:

Step 1. Locate the Outlook Data File on Disk.

1. Close Outlook.
2. Navigate to Control Panel and open the Mail applet. (If you don’t see the “Mail” item, change the View By: to Small Icons)

3. At ‘Mail Setup – Outlook’ window, click the Data Files button.

4. Select your email account and then note the path where the Outlook Data File (.PST or .OST) is stored on your computer, or click Open file location to navigate to that location.

Step 2. Repair Outlook Data File.

1. Open a new Explorer window and locate the “SCANPST.EXE” application on the below mentioned location, according your Windows architecture (32-bit or 64-bit) and Outlook (Office) version.

Office 2019 & 2016 & Office 365:
Windows 32-bit > C:Program FilesMicrosoft OfficeOffice16
Windows 64-bit & Office 32-bit > C:Program Files (x86)Microsoft OfficeOffice16
Windows 64-bit & Office 64-bit > C:Program FilesMicrosoft OfficeOffice16
Click-to-Run Office 32-bit  > C:Program Files (x86)Microsoft OfficerootOffice16
Click-to-Run Office 64-bit  > C:Program FilesMicrosoft Office 16rootoffice16

Office 2013:
Windows 32-bit > C:Program FilesMicrosoft OfficeOffice15
Windows 64-bit & Office 32-bit > C:Program Files (x86)Microsoft OfficeOffice15
Windows 64-bit & Office 64-bit > C:Program FilesMicrosoft OfficeOffice15
Click-to-Run Office 32-bit  > C:Program Files (x86)Microsoft OfficerootOffice15
Click-to-Run Office 64-bit  > C:Program FilesMicrosoft Office 15rootoffice15

Office 2010:
Windows 32-bit > C:Program FilesMicrosoft OfficeOffice14
Windows 64-bit & Office 32-bit > C:Program Files (x86)Microsoft OfficeOffice14
Windows 64-bit & Office 64-bit > C:Program FilesMicrosoft OfficeOffice14

Office 2007:
Windows 32-bit > C:Program FilesMicrosoft OfficeOffice12
Windows 64-bit >  C:Program Files (x86)Microsoft OfficeOffice12

Outlook 2003
32-bit Windows > C:Program FilesCommon FilesSystemMSMAPI<locale ID>
64-bit Windows > C:Program Files (x86)Common FilesSystemMSMAPI<locale ID>

Outlook 2002/XP
C:Program FilesCommon FilesSystemMAPI<locale ID>scanpst.exe

Outlook 2000
C:Program FilesCommon FilesSystemMAPI<locale ID>NTscanpst.exe

2. Double-click to open the SCANPST.EXE

3. At Microsoft Outlook Inbox Repair tool, click Browse and select the Outlook Data File (.PST or .OST) from the location you noticed at step-1 above.

4. After selecting the Data file, press the Start to start the repair process.

5. When prompted to make a backup click Repair. *

* Note: If you don’t have enough storage space to store the backup of the data file, uncheck the option Make backup of scanned file before repairing.

6. Wait until the Outlook data archive repair is complete, and then click OK to close the Inbox Repair Tool utility.

7. Open Outlook and check if the problem is solved.

Method 4. Recreate Outlook OST file. *

* Note: This method applies only for Exchange & IMAP Accounts.

The next method to fix the “Outlook Folder Missing” issue is to force Outlook to re-download and save all your emails from Exchange/IMAP server to a new OST file. To do that:

1. Close Outlook.
2. Go to Control Panel, open the Mail applet and choose Data files -> Open file location. (see Steps 1 on Method-3 above).
3. Right-click and Rename the corrupted OST file by adding the extension “.OLD” at the end of its name.

4. When you are done, open Outlook and let it to download and synchronize all your folders and emails from the mail server.

Final Note: If after applying the above instructions, the Outlook folder is still missing, I suggest you to create a new Outlook profile and and re-add your email account in the new profile.

That’s all folks! Which solution/method worked for you?
Please leave a comment in the comment section below or even better: like and share this blog post in the social networks to help spread the word about this solution.

If this article was useful for you, please consider supporting us by making a donation. Even $1 can a make a huge difference for us.

• Author
• Recent Posts

Konstantinos Tsoukalas

Konstantinos is the founder and administrator of Repairwin.com. Since 1995 he works and provides IT support as a computer and network expert to individuals and large companies. He is specialized in solving problems related to Windows or other Microsoft products (Windows Server, Office, Microsoft 365, etc.).

Latest posts by Konstantinos Tsoukalas (see all)

• FIX: Outlook emails or folders are missing. (Solved) – February 22, 2024
• FIX: Chrome Remote Desktop unable to Connect to host. – February 20, 2024
• FIX: Running scripts is disabled on this system on Windows 10/11 – February 15, 2024