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How to find and restore some missing filefolders from Outlook

Ed Walker 0 Reputation points
2025-12-16T20:25:05.5266667+00:00

I am using a Yahoo email account on Outlook on Microsoft 365 on Windows 11 I recently renamed some of the subfiles which contained more subfiles. Now some of the second level subfiles are missing along with their content.

My window foldr pane looks like this

Folder 1

Folder 1a

Folder 1b

Folder 1c

Folder 2

 Folder 2a

 Folder 2b

 Folder 2c

Folder 3

 Folder 3a

 Folder 3b

 Folder 3c

After renaming Folders 1 and 2 and 3, the subfolders 2a, 2b, and 2c and their contents are missing from the folder pane. The other subfolders are fine. How do I get them back?

Outlook | Windows | New Outlook for Windows | For home
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  1. Q&A Assist
    2025-12-16T20:25:18.95+00:00
    AI generated content. This question contains an answer created with AI from Q&A Assist. Learn more

    To find and restore missing subfolders in Outlook, you can follow these steps:

    1. Check for Filters: Sometimes, items may not be visible due to filters applied to the folder view. To check this:
      • In Outlook, go to the View tab.
      • Click on View Settings in the Current View area.
      • Select Filter and review the settings to ensure no filters are hiding your subfolders.
    2. Use Advanced Find: If the folders are still not visible, you can use the Advanced Find feature to locate items:
      • Select the Inbox folder or the parent folder where the missing subfolders should be.
      • Click on the Instant Search bar to display the Search tab.
      • Select Search Tools and then Advanced Find.
      • In the Look for list, select Any type of Outlook item.
      • Browse to select the root folder, disable Search subfolders, and click OK.
      • Click Find Now to see if any items from the missing subfolders appear in the results.
    3. Check for Deleted Items: If the folders were accidentally deleted, check the Deleted Items folder. You can recover items from there if they are still available.
    4. Restart Outlook: Sometimes, simply restarting Outlook can refresh the view and restore visibility to missing folders.
    5. Rebuild Outlook Profile: If the issue persists, consider creating a new Outlook profile. This can resolve issues related to corrupted profiles that may affect folder visibility.

    If these steps do not resolve the issue, you may want to consult Microsoft support for further assistance.

    References:

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  2. Kimberly Olaño 20,620 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2025-12-16T21:40:10.34+00:00

    Thanks for sharing this, Ed! Try to force a full mailbox resync

    New Outlook caches folder structure aggressively and does not refresh hierarchy properly after renames.

    Steps

    • Close New Outlook completely
    • Press Win + R
    • Paste this and press Enter:
      ms-settings:appsfeatures
    • Find Outlook (new)
    • Click Advanced options
    • Select Reset (not Repair)

    This clears the local cache and forces a full IMAP folder re-sync.

    First launch may take several minutes.

    See if this helps. If you need further assistance just let me know.

    Best regards,

    Kimberly

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