Hotmail Inbox Messages Disappeared 3 Days Ago

I seem to have got them back by using recover items in the Deleted folder although the messages weren't visible in the folder.

Hi Nigel,

Thank you for reaching out to the Microsoft Community regarding your Hotmail inbox issue. I'm sorry to hear your messages have disappeared.

 Please confirm if any recent Windows updates or system changes occurred. If you have error messages, kindly share screenshots.

 Since you recovered items from the Deleted folder but cannot view them, they may still be stored on the server. Basic troubleshooting steps include restarting Outlook and your device, then checking Spam, Junk, and other folders for missing emails. Use search functions for specific senders or subjects. You may also temporarily disable your antivirus or firewall, as security software can affect synchronization. Additionally, consider clearing the Outlook cache or creating a new profile via Control Panel (Mail > Show Profiles).

 Let me know if these steps help and provide screenshots if possible.

Best regards,

Edward Schlobohm

Hi Nigel,

Thanks for your response. Just to clarify, it seems that your deleted messages weren’t visible in the Deleted Items folder on Outlook Webmail, but you were able to recover them using the “Recover items deleted from this folder” option, which uncovered nearly 2,000 messages. Is that correct?

To help prevent this issue from happening again, please avoid enabling Auto-Emptying of the Deleted Items folder on your Outlook desktop. You can do this by going to File > Options > Advanced and unchecking “Empty Deleted Items folder upon exiting Outlook.” Instead, consider using the Archive feature to move old emails to a separate folder, so they remain accessible without the risk of accidental deletion. Also, periodically review the Recover Deleted Items section, especially if you notice any missing emails.

Let me know if you need any further assistance, I’m happy to help.

Best regards,

Edward Schlobohm

Hi Nigel,

Thank you for the clarification. It's good to hear that you already save your inbox to a separate folder.

If Thunderbird continues to have issues, as an advice, performing a clean reinstall could help resolve any corrupted settings or extensions. My recommendation is to first back up your profile by going to: C:\Users<YourName>\AppData\Roaming\Thunderbird\Profiles. Copy this entire folder to a safe location. Then, uninstall Thunderbird through Control Panel or Settings, and reinstall it from the official Thunderbird website. After reinstalling, you can restore your profile if necessary.

Let me know if you need further assistance and I'm happy to help.

Warm regards,

Edward Schlobohm

Just to complete this thread, there was some corruption of Thunderbird associated with VirtualFolders which caused my Hotmail inbox to be classified as junk so that, when I emptied Junk, my inbox got emptied. I applied a fix to Thunderbird which put my Hotmail inbox back where it should have been and everything is back to normal. Phew!