This post was most recently updated on December 11th, 2018
In Microsoft Outlook, there are two types of delete actions: hard deletes and soft deletes. A soft delete is when an item is moved to the Deleted Items folder in the Microsoft Outlook mailbox; the deleted item can be recovered any time before the Deleted Items folder is emptied. A hard delete is when an item is deleted without first putting it in the Deleted Items folder. (Pressing Shift + Delete in Microsoft Outlook executes a hard delete.) Hard deletes also take place if the remote server uses IMAP and doesn’t have a Deleted Items folder.
After a hard delete, you may still be able to recover mail items from an Exchange mailbox — it depends on what the Exchange server’s delete retention time is set for.
This functionality is typically only enabled for the Deleted Items folder. Items hard-deleted from Sent Items, Drafts, Outbox or Inbox are usually gone for keeps.
If you want to set delete-recovery for those folders, you need to edit the client registry accessing the Exchange server through Outlook:
- Configure Exchange Server to retain deleted items. For additional information about how to configure Exchange Server to retain deleted items, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: 246283 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/246283/ ) Set deleted mail message retention time in Exchange Server 5.5
- Click Start, click Run, type regedit, and then click OK.
- Locate and then click the following registry subkey:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Exchange\Client\Options
- Right-click the Options subkey, point to New, and then click DWORD Value.
- Type DumpsterAlwaysOn for the DWORD name, and then press ENTER.
- Double-click DumpsterAlwaysOn.
- In the Value data box, type 1, and then click OK.
- Quit Registry Editor.
Note that even with this option activated, Microsoft Outlook 98 will not support deletions from non-mail folders, such as Contacts and Notes. Microsoft Outlook 2000 and 2003, however, will allow non-mail deleted items to be recovered with this option enabled.