Items disappear or are not visible in an Outlook folder

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Symptoms

Some or all items disappear from a given folder in Microsoft Outlook. This occurs either immediately or after a set, consistent time period.

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Cause

This issue occurs if a filter was applied to the default view settings of the Outlook folder.

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Resolution

The items are not actually deleted but are being filtered from view in some way. Therefore, to resolve this issue, change the filtering options in some way.

Filtering options vary. However, some of the more common filtering options are as follows:

Date received
Keywords
Read/Unread status
Sender/Recipient
Importance
Size

View options will vary slightly, depending on the version of Outlook that you are using. To change the view options in Outlook, follow these steps.

For Outlook 2010 and later versions

In the ribbon, select the View tab.
In the Current View area, click View Settings.
Click Filter, and then review the following tabs tabs for any selections that could filter out specific messages:
- Tasks
- More Choices
- Advanced