Missing Emails in Shared Mailboxes: Recovery Help Needed

Outlook
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I encountered a frightening issue today while using the new Outlook version in Windows 11. I dragged and dropped some messages from my personal inbox to a Shared Mailbox inbox, but they vanished from both places.

After searching everywhere, I realized the messages were inaccessible from both the Outlook client and Outlook on the web. To recover them, I had to run a Content Search in the eDiscovery portal. However, as a Global Administrator, I needed to add specific roles to access the results.

I added the necessary roles, including “Compliance Administrator”, “Security Administrator”, and “Compliance Data Administrator” in the Entra ID portal. Then, within the eDiscovery portal, I added myself as an eDiscovery Manager and eDiscovery Administrator.

Next, I followed the steps from a Microsoft forum post: https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/msoffice/forum/all/search-only-the-recoverable-items-folder-of-a-user/c56ec6a1-d3ca-4a7c-bed3-c7f9e03e224a. Note that the provided code has minor bugs and requires review, adding semi-colons to the end of lines, especially in the foreach loop of the Powershell script.

The script looks up folder IDs for deletions, purges, holds, etc. for a specific mailbox, generating a CSV output. The “purges” ID is used to initiate a content search in the eDiscovery portal. The search results can be exported as a PST file, which can be accessed using the old Outlook version.

I successfully recovered the items by moving them into the Shared Mailbox from the old Outlook version. Be warned: do not use the new Outlook version for moves into Shared Mailboxes until this bug is fixed

This is a high-priority bug that needs to be addressed by Microsoft developers. Millions of users will benefit from its resolution.

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Category: Outlook
Topic: Missing Emails in Shared Mailboxes: Recovery Help Needed

Hey there, if you have messages missing from a Shared Mailbox in Outlook, I can guide you through the recovery process with some detailed steps.

Basic Context

  • You accidentally deleted or moved emails from your personal inbox to a Shared Mailbox in Outlook for Windows, but now they are missing from both.
  • You lost access to these emails in both the Outlook client and Outlook on the Web.

Here is what you need to do to recover those missing emails:

Steps for Recovery

  1. Content Search

    • As a Global Administrator, you will need to add specific roles to access the content search results:
      • Compliance Administrator
      • Security Administrator
      • Compliance Data Administrator
    • These can be added in the Entra ID portal.

  2. eDiscovery Permissions

    • In the eDiscovery portal, add yourself as an eDiscovery Manager and an eDiscovery Administrator.

  3. Run Content Search

    • Follow the steps from a Microsoft forum post on how to search only the recoverable items folder of a user. You can find it at:
    • Be aware of minor bugs in the script provided; fix them by adding semi-colons at the end of lines and review the foreach loop.

  4. Generate CSV and Export Results

    • Run the Powershell script to search folder IDs for deletions, purges, holds, etc., and generate a CSV output.
    • Use the ‘purges’ ID to initiate a content search in the eDiscovery portal.
    • Export the search results as a PST file.

  5. Access via Old Outlook

    • Use the PST file to open the recovered items in the old Outlook version.
    • Warning: Do not move emails to Shared Mailboxes using the new Outlook version until this bug is fixed.

Helpful Resource

This process might seem lengthy, but it should help you recover those lost emails as a Global Administrator with the necessary roles.