How to Find Archived Emails in Outlook (and Unarchive Them)

Archiving is the best way to keep an inbox clear without losing anything, but it does leave people wondering where their emails went. One accidental press of the Backspace key in classic Outlook and a message vanishes from view. It's not gone. It's sitting in your Archive folder. Here's how to find archived emails in every version of Outlook, and how to put them back.

Where the Archive folder lives

Microsoft says all accounts have access to an Archive folder. For Microsoft 365, Outlook.com and Exchange accounts, Archive is one of Outlook's default folders, just like Inbox, Sent Items and Deleted Items, and it can't be deleted. Look in the folder list on the left: it's usually a little way below Inbox.

Find archived emails in new Outlook

1. Open the folder pane. If it's hidden, select the icon to show the navigation pane.
2. Select Archive.
3. Browse or search inside it for the email you want.

Find archived emails in classic Outlook

1. Look at your folder list on the left.
2. Select the Archive folder.
3. If the folder pane is hidden, turn it on from the View tab.

For Microsoft 365, Exchange and Outlook.com accounts, the Archive folder already exists even if you've never archived anything.

The quickest way: just search

Here's the tip that saves the most time. Microsoft says that by default, when you type a term in the search box, Outlook searches all folders in your mailbox, archive included. So search for the sender's name or a word from the subject and the archived email appears in the results. To search only the archive, select the Archive folder first and then search.

Move an archived email back to your inbox

Open the Archive folder, find the email and drag it back to your Inbox. Or right-click it, choose Move and pick Inbox. Microsoft's own advice if you archive something by mistake is simply to go to the Archive folder and move the message back.

Why emails end up archived without you meaning to

Cause	What happened
Pressing Backspace in classic Outlook	Backspace archives the selected email when you're in the reading pane
Clicking Archive instead of Delete	The buttons sit close together on the ribbon
Swiping on your phone	A swipe action may be set to archive
Sweep or rules	An automatic rule can move emails to Archive

That first row is the most common culprit. Microsoft confirms that in classic Outlook, pressing Backspace archives one or more selected messages, while Delete sends them to Deleted Items. It's easy to hit Backspace by habit. In new Outlook, a pop-up appears after you archive with an Undo option, so watch for it.

Archive is not Online Archive

This confuses lots of people. The Archive button just moves email into the Archive folder in your normal mailbox, and Microsoft says it doesn't reduce your mailbox size. Online Archive is a separate business feature for storing older email elsewhere to free up space. If your organisation has turned it on, it appears as a separate archive in your folder list, sometimes called In-Place Archive in new Outlook.

Archived emails on your phone

Archived emails stay available on your other devices. Microsoft notes that items are still available on your phone through the Archive folder. In the Outlook app, open the folder list from the menu and tap Archive. Check your swipe settings too, because a swipe set to archive is an easy way to tuck emails away without realising.

POP and IMAP accounts

If your email comes from another provider through POP or IMAP, Microsoft says you can create an Archive folder or choose an existing folder to use as one. So the folder might have a different name or live somewhere else. If you can't find it, check which folder your account uses for archiving in the account settings.

Archived emails in Outlook on the web

In Outlook.com and Outlook on the web, Archive appears in the folder list on the left, in the same way. Select it to browse, or use the search box at the top, which looks across your folders. If you use Outlook on more than one device, you'll find the same archived emails everywhere, because the Archive folder lives in your mailbox rather than on one computer.

Can't see the Archive folder at all?

• Expand your account in the folder pane; Archive may be tucked under the account name.
• Check you're looking at the right account if you have several.
• In classic Outlook, make sure the folder pane is switched on from the View tab.
• On an older version of Outlook, the Archive button and folder may not exist; Microsoft says the Archive button appears only in Outlook 2016, Outlook 2019 and Outlook for Microsoft 365.

Should you archive or delete?

I archive anything to do with clients, suppliers or contracts and delete newsletters and notifications. Archived emails don't clutter your inbox, and because search covers them, you can always find a conversation when someone asks what was agreed. If you send regular updates to clients, my email sequence prompt pack helps you write them, and this swipe file for keeping customers has wording for the emails you'll definitely want to archive.

My verdict

Open the Archive folder in your folder list, or skip straight to search, which covers every folder by default. Drag an email back to Inbox to un-archive it. Watch out for the Backspace key in classic Outlook, and remember the Archive button tidies your inbox but doesn't free up mailbox space.

Frequently asked questions

Where do archived emails go in Outlook?

They go to the Archive folder, a default folder for Microsoft 365, Outlook.com and Exchange accounts.

How do I search archived emails in Outlook?

Use the search box. By default it searches all folders, including Archive.

How do I unarchive an email in Outlook?

Open the Archive folder and drag the email back to your Inbox, or use Move.

Why did my email disappear in Outlook?

In classic Outlook, pressing Backspace archives the selected email. Check your Archive folder.

Does archiving free up space in Outlook?

No. Microsoft says the Archive button doesn't reduce your mailbox size.