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Before you start
- Access to the email account that received the message
- The sender, subject or approximate date
A clear way through this guide.
We’ll show you one step at a time. When you’re ready, press Done — next step. You can go back or take a break whenever you like.
5 steps · Your own pace
Try to restore a deleted email
Step 1 of 5: Check the correct account
Open your provider’s official website and confirm the account address. If you have several mailboxes, the missing message may belong to another one. Search by sender or subject before assuming it was deleted.
✓ Step complete. You can practise it again.
Step 2 of 5: Look in Trash or Bin
Open the account’s folder list. In Gmail, expand More if needed, then choose Trash or Bin. Check Spam and Archive or All Mail as well; a message may have been moved rather than deleted.
✓ Step complete. You can practise it again.
Step 3 of 5: Inspect the result
Select the message you need. A conversation can contain several replies, so check its contents and date. Avoid restoring unrelated suspicious messages simply because they share a familiar sender name.
✓ Step complete. You can practise it again.
Step 4 of 5: Move it back
Use Move to and choose Inbox or another appropriate folder. In other apps, look for Restore or Recover. Return to that folder and confirm the message and required attachment are accessible.
✓ Step complete. You can practise it again.
Step 5 of 5: Get help if it is absent
Check the provider’s official recovery guidance. Work or school users should contact their administrator promptly. Permanently deleted personal messages may be unrecoverable; do not pay an unsolicited recovery service or share your password.
✓ Step complete. You can practise it again.
Take your time. Next marks this step done.
You’ve finished this guide.
Every step is complete. You can come back and practise again whenever you like.
Your small practice task.
Find Trash and identify its retention policy without deleting anything.
Completing the guide records your progress here; it does not check your device settings.
A common question.
Can I recover a deleted draft in Gmail?
Gmail does not recover deleted drafts from Trash. Before deleting a draft, copy any writing you need to keep.
Official help, if you need it.
These links provide the product’s own instructions or relevant public guidance. Settings can differ by model and software version.