[2024] How to Recover Deleted Contacts in Outlook?

James Crawford

2023-03-14 17:12:52

0 views, 5 min read

Outlook makes it extremely easy for you to store and organize your contacts. The tool, however, is not immune to data loss - contacts can get deleted accidentally. It is possible to get back Outlook contacts lost via deletion. In this article, you will learn the 3 top methods you can use to recover deleted contacts in Outlook.

Method 1: Recover Deleted Contacts from the Deleted Items or Trash Folder

In most instances, deleted Outlook contacts end up in the Deleted Items folder. If you have never recovered contacts from the Deleted Items folder, the steps we have outlined below should come in handy:

Step 1. Launch Outlook and then access the email folders. Locate the Deleted Items folder.

Note:
For some email accounts, the Deleted Items folder may be named Trash. If you cannot see the Deleted Items folder on the list of folders, be sure open the Trash folder.

Step 2. After opening the Deleted Items folder, you can go ahead and search the contact you would like to get back. For this, you can either press CTRL + E or simply start typing in the search bar named “Search Deleted Items”.

Step 3. Once you find the contact you would like to recover, right-click it and then select Move > Other Folder.

Step 4. From the list that appears, select Contacts and then hit the OK button.

Method 2: Recover Deleted Contacts Outlook from Recoverable Items Folder

If you check the Deleted Items/Trash folder and determine that the deleted contact is not available, the next place you will need to check is the Recoverable Items folder. To see if you can recover your deleted contact from the Recoverable Items folder, follow the steps we have outlined below:

Step 1. Access the folder named Deleted Items and ensure that the Home tab option is select at the top. From this, be sure to select the “Recover Deleted Items from Server” option.

Step 2. Next, you can go ahead and search the contact you would like to get back.

Step 3. After locating the contacts you would like to get back, select them and then select “Restore Selected Items” at the bottom. Next, hit the OK button.

Note:

The items you recover from the Recoverable Items Folder will be moved to the Deleted Items/Trash folder. Therefore, after you complete the steps above, you will need to follow the steps in Method 1 to put the recovered contacts in the Contacts folder.

It is worth noting that the contacts often stay in the Recoverable Items Folder for approximately 28 days before they get removed from the computer permanently.

Method 3: Recover Permanently Deleted Contacts from PST/OST Files

The methods introduced above are only ideal if the contacts have not been deleted permanently. If your contacts have been deleted permanently, you will have to use a third-party tool known as ScanOutlook.

ScanOutlook locates the PST (Personal Storage Table) and OST (Offline Storage Table) files automatically, scans them, and then helps you recover all your permanently deleted contacts. The whole process is extremely simple – all you will need to do is follow some simple onscreen instructions. In addition to helping you with contact recovery, the tool helps you recover deleted emails, calendar, notes, journals, tasks, and even attachments.

How to Repair OST/PST File and Recover Deleted Contacts in Outlook

Step 1. After launching ScanOutlook on your computer, select the OST/PST file you would like to repair. If you cannot find the file in the default-loaded file screen, you can search for the file or load it manually. To load the file manually, hit Browse. To search for the file, hit Search.

Step 2. After selecting the PST/OST file, tap the Repair button and wait.

Note: You can choose between 2 repair options – Quick Repair and Deep Repair.

Step 3. After the repair, you can preview the repaired files. You can also view and download attachments.

Step 4. Select the files and folders you would like to export, preview them for free and then click the Export Selected button. If your goal is to recover the Contacts only, simply select the contacts before hitting the Export Selected button.

Conclusion

If you have recently deleted an Outlook contact, the easiest way to get it back is to check the Deleted Items and Recoverable Items folders. If you cannot find the contact in the 2 folders, there is a chance that the contacts have already been deleted permanently. To recover permanently deleted contacts, you will need to use ScanOutlook. Before paying for ScanOutlook, you can use its free trial version to determine if it can work for you.

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