How to Undelete a Message Quickly in Outlook

Regret deleting that email? Get it back quickly

by
Heinz Tschabitscher
Heinz Tschabitscher
Writer
A former freelance contributor who has reviewed hundreds of email programs and services since 1997.
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Heinz Tschabitscher
Updated on May 03, 2020
Close up of a delete button on a keyboard
Filograph / Getty Images

If you accidentally delete a message in Outlook Email then later decide you need that email, it might not be too late. It's easy to recover an Outlook message you deleted. It works the same as undoing an action in Word and other programs.

Instructions in this article apply to Outlook for Microsoft 365, Outlook 2019, Outlook 2016, Outlook 2013, Outlook 2010, and Outlook Online.

Undelete a Message Quickly in Outlook

You can undelete a message fast from the keyboard in Outlook.

  1. If you didn't take any other action after deleting an email, press the Ctrl+Z keyboard combination to return the deleted email to the Inbox.

    Screenshot of Undo Delete button

    Here's another quick way to undo an action. Go to the Outlook Quick Access Toolbar and select Undo.

  2. If you took other steps in Outlook after deleting the email, press Ctrl+Z multiple times to undo a series of actions in reverse of the order that you performed them.

Undelete Deleted Messages in Outlook 

You can find deleted Outlook emails in the Deleted Items folder in Outlook and Outlook Online. If you mistakenly trash a message and don't recover it right away, you can move it from the Deleted Items folder to any other folder to restore it.

Exchange and Microsoft 365 Outlook accounts move deleted email to Recoverable Items.

  1. Open the Deleted Items folder.

  2. Right-click the message you want to restore.

    Screenshot of Move > Inbox

  3. Select Move > Inbox. The message is restored to the Inbox.

If some time has passed, you might still be able to recover a deleted Outlook email, but the process is more involved. Emails deleted from the Deleted Items folder or Recoverable Items and IMAP emails marked for deletion are more challenging to recover. If you make regular backups on your computer, a backup may be the quickest path to recovery.

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