# Undeleting mail folders in Outlook Express **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 10, 2005, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undeleting-mail-folders-in-outlook-express/311861 "2005-07-10T18:17:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2005, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undeleting-mail-folders-in-outlook-express/311861/1 "2005-07-10T18:17:20Z")
I accidently deleted a mail folder in Outlook Express. As best I can tell, I had inadvertantly gotten into the change name function and hit escape to get out of it. After that, the folder didn’t seem to exist. I’d like to get the folder back with all its contents. Is this possible? If not, where are the files kept? I’d like to recover the info in them. ---
**Author:** ![Daizy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/46a35a/32.png) [@Daizy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daizy)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2005, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undeleting-mail-folders-in-outlook-express/311861/2 "2005-07-10T19:06:58Z")
Wouldn’t it still be under deleted items? ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2005, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undeleting-mail-folders-in-outlook-express/311861/3 "2005-07-10T19:36:00Z")
No, they don’t seem to be in the Deleted Items folder. If it helps, I’m running Win98 and OE version 5.50. ---
**Author:** ![Daizy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/46a35a/32.png) [@Daizy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daizy)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2005, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undeleting-mail-folders-in-outlook-express/311861/4 "2005-07-10T20:29:51Z")
What folder is missing? Is it one you created yourself? ---
**Author:** ![Daizy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/46a35a/32.png) [@Daizy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daizy)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2005, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undeleting-mail-folders-in-outlook-express/311861/5 "2005-07-10T20:37:26Z")
The reason I ask… Could it be that you just accidently unchecked one of the boxes? Open outlook Express, go up to view…then layout… See if one of the boxes there have become unchecked. If so, re-check. Click apply, then ok. ---
**Author:** ![Number](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/number/32/242_2.png) [@Number](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Number)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2005, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undeleting-mail-folders-in-outlook-express/311861/6 "2005-07-10T22:11:45Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > No, they don’t seem to be in the Deleted Items folder. If you deleted or moved an entire folder then it will only appear in the folder list tree, not in the right pane where messages are. Make sure you click the plus to the left of every single folder in the left pane, including Deleted Items. If you don’t see a left pane then go to **View|Layout** as **Daizy** suggested and check the **Folder List** box. If it really is deleted then there’s no way to restore it using built-in tools. There are some commercial OE recovery utilities but I don’t know of any good free ones. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2005, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undeleting-mail-folders-in-outlook-express/311861/7 "2005-07-10T22:19:59Z")
It is a folder I created. But my version of OE doesn’t list individual folders in the layout menu, so that’s not the problem, or at least not the solution. There are no plus signs to the left of the folders in the folder list tree. I would have tried them before posting. Thanks for the suggestions. ---
**Author:** ![Daizy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/46a35a/32.png) [@Daizy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daizy)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2005, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undeleting-mail-folders-in-outlook-express/311861/8 "2005-07-11T03:24:12Z")
It’s most likely time to try scouting out some recovery programs, such as [this.](http://www.itlocation.com/en/software/prd50666,,.htm) (I’ve not tried this one.) Some will come with trials. Worth a try. ---
**Author:** ![racer72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/racer72/32/3075_2.png) [@racer72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racer72)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2005, 11:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/undeleting-mail-folders-in-outlook-express/311861/9 "2005-07-11T11:12:39Z")
I did the same thing many moons ago. I did a system restore to a point before I deleted the folder and all was fine.