Hope Of Deleted Data Recovery In Outlook

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Written By Nimisha Ramesh  
Anuraag Singh
Approved By Anuraag Singh 
Published On October 17th, 2022
Reading Time 3 Minutes Reading

There are two ways of deleting data from Outlook data file, i.e. PST:

  • Soft Deletion: Removing an item after which it resides in ‘Deleted Items Folder’. This is also known as temporary deletion of data.
  • Hard Deletion: Removing an item using using ‘Shift+Del’ key or removed from Deleted Items Folder. This is known as permanent data deletion.

So, in case of soft deletion, is it simple to restore lost data but what if the items are hard deleted. Is it possible to get them back? The answer to this question is YES!

Scope of Hard Deleted Item Recovery !

When items are permanently deleted from Outlook and the application has not restarted, there are positive chances of retrieving data. Nevertheless, if you continue using Outlook for a long time after deletion, the chances of recovery reduce.

However, if usage of Outlook is continued, still data recovery scope exists if the PST file is not auto-compacted by Outlook or manually compacted by user.  When the application or the user himself compacts PST file, the space where deleted items were stored (white-space) gets overwritten after which if brute force is applied, data cannot be recovered.

Let Me Explain…

If Outlook usage is your routine, then you might have noticed that after you delete a number of unwanted emails, contacts, calendars or any other item, it does not affect size of Outlook. Actually, what happens is when you delete some item from Outlook, it does not shrink PST file. This is an in-built functioning of Outlook that is meant for optimizing its performance as the process of expanding or shrinking a file is relatively slow. Therefore, the application does not shrink its data file then and now when an item is deleted.

When an item is deleted from PST file, white space for respective item gets created in the file. When the PST file has certain amount of this white-space, Outlook automatically compacts the PST file (Condition is Outlook is running and the computer system is kept idle). When the Outlook data file is compacted, the free space is returned to the disk which reduces size of PST file.

However, a user has the choice of manually compacting PST file using the option ‘Compact Now’ that allows overwriting the free space to manage file size and welcome new data.

Conclusion: Any items that have been deleted from PST file remains intact until the file is compacted. If the PST file compacted by user or Outlook, the white space gets overwritten and there is no scope of deleted data recovery in Outlook.

 

 

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By Nimisha Ramesh

Nimisha Ramesh is a dynamic professional known for her expertise in content and brand strategy. With a passion for crafting compelling narratives, Nimisha excels at creating content that not only engages but also aligns with brand objectives. Her strategic approach to content development and brand management has made her a valuable asset in reaching broader audiences and driving business success.