Recover a Deleted Mailbox

Applies to: Office 365 for professionals and small businesses, Office 365 for enterprises, Live@edu

Topic last modified: 2012-02-22

Watch this demo to learn how to recover a deleted mailbox.

To recover a deleted mailbox, follow these easy steps:

In the Exchange Control Panel, select Manage My Organisation > Users & Groups > Mailboxes, and click Deleted Mailboxes .

1. On the Deleted Mailboxes page, select the deleted mailbox you want to recover, and click Recover .
   
2. On the Recover Mailbox Data page, enter the following information:
   

   First name, Initial, Last name

   These fields aren't required, but they're a good idea.

   * Display name

   This name appears in the address book, on the To: and From: lines in email, and in the Mailboxes list in the Exchange Control Panel.

   * Windows Live ID

   Note   This section applies to Microsoft Live@edu only.

   Enter the Windows Live ID you want to associate with the recovered mailbox. What you see here depends on what you did when you deleted the mailbox.

   • If you kept the Windows Live ID when you deleted the mailbox, the Windows Live ID is automatically populated with the original Windows Live ID of the deleted mailbox, and you can't enter a password. The original Windows Live ID is associated with the recovered mailbox. The settings of the original Windows Live ID are preserved.
     
   • If you didn't keep the Windows Live ID when you deleted the mailbox, the Windows Live ID is automatically populated with the original Windows Live ID of the deleted mailbox, but you must enter a new password. The original Windows Live ID is associated with the recovered mailbox. The settings of the original Windows Live ID are preserved.
     

   You can replace the automatically populated Windows Live ID value with a completely different value. You can specify a new Windows Live ID, or an existing Windows Live ID that isn't associated with another mailbox.

   Note   When you delete a mailbox and keep the Windows Live ID, you have a Windows Live ID that isn't associated with a mailbox.

   A different kind of Windows Live ID, called an unmanaged Windows Live ID, was created before the domain was enrolled in the cloud-based email service. An unmanaged Windows Live ID must be imported into the organisation before it can be associated with a mailbox. For more information, see Import or Evict Existing Windows Live IDs in Live@edu.

   * Microsoft Online Services ID

   Note   This section applies to Microsoft Office 365 only.

   Enter the user ID you want to associate with the recovered mailbox.

   The Microsoft Online Services ID is automatically populated with the original user ID of the deleted mailbox, and you can't enter a password. The original user ID is associated with the recovered mailbox.

   You can replace the automatically populated user ID value with a completely different value. You can specify a new user ID or an existing user ID that isn't associated with another mailbox.

   * Password, Confirm password

   What you see here depends on the selection you made in the user ID field.

   • For Live@edu
     
     • You can't enter a password if you kept the original Windows Live ID when you deleted the mailbox, and you're using that Windows Live ID for the recovered mailbox.
       
     • You must enter a password if you didn't keep the original Windows Live ID when you deleted the mailbox, and you're using that Windows Live ID for the recovered mailbox.
       
     • You must enter a password if you replace the automatically populated Windows Live ID value with a completely different value.
       
   • For Microsoft Office 365
     
     • You can't enter a password if you're using the original user ID for the recovered mailbox.
       
     • You must enter a password if you replace the automatically populated user ID value with a completely different value.
       

   It's a good idea to use strong passwords that are at least eight characters long, and combine uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers and symbols. For more information, see Password Guidelines.

   Require password change on next logon

   This option helps ensure that only the user knows the password. Be sure to encourage people to use strong passwords.

   Mailbox plan

   A mailbox plan defines settings and permissions for the user. You can choose a mailbox plan for the user here if your organisation has more than one mailbox plan. Some organisations have only one. For more information, see Mailbox Plans.

3. When you've finished, click Recover.