Can’t find messages you sent or forwarded? Outlook may be saving regular sent emails and replies but not forwards. Fortunately, you can fix this. Find out here what to do about Outlook not saving sent messages.
First, a Video You Haven’t Seen Yet (I Guess)
Watch Anthony Lauder entertain you with and teach you about his adventures in language acquisition.
Now that we’ve guessed a word or two on the way to polyglottery, let’s turn to something else I guess you haven’t seen: emails you have forwarded in Outlook, for there is a way to teach Outlook to remember and save all of them:
How to Fix Outlook Not Saving Sent Emails
Time needed: 3 minutes
To make sure Outlook for Windows saves messages you send and forward using Options:
- Click File in Outlook.
- Now select Options on the menu sheet that appears.
- Go to the Mail category in the Outlook Options dialog.
- Check Save copies of messages in the Sent Items folder in the Save messages section
Saving forwards: Without this setting, Save forwarded messages has no effect.
- Check Save forwarded messages as well to not only save new sent messages and replies but also forwards.
Not saving certain messages: You can override this setting for individual forwards you send; see below.
- Click OK.
For IMAP accounts, do turn on saving sent emails in the IMAP settings as well.
How to Make Outlook Save Sent Emails in IMAP Accounts
To configure an IMAP email account in Outlook to save sent emails (saving is the default):
- Click File in Outlook for Windows.
- Go to the Info sheet.
- Choose the desired IMAP account under Account Information.
- Click Account Settings.
- Select Account Name and Sync Settings from the menu that has appeared.
- Check the root folder for your account appears under Root folder path.
Empty: Do try an empty root folder first.
Typical: Other values commonly used are/for the top folder andINBOX, where the IMAP server keeps folders as subfolders to the inbox. - Uncheck Don’t save copies of sent items.
- Click Next.
- Now click Done.
How to Fix Outlook Not Saving Sent Emails: FAQ
Can I recover emails from the past that were not saved automatically?
Alas, no.
If you have added comments you want to keep, you can ask the recipients to mail (or, of course, forward…) you a copy.
Can I select to save (or not save) a particular email in Outlook?
Yes.
To pick whether to save a message you are composing in Outlook for Windows:
- Go to the Options tab on the ribbon while writing the forward.
No ribbon: If you do not see the message composition ribbons, click Popout to open the new message in its own window. - Click Save Sent Item To in the More Options section on the ribbon.
Simple ribbon: Click the More commands three dots menu to reveal Save Sent Item To if you use the simplified ribbon interface. - Now choose
– Do Not Save for not saving the forward at all,
– Use Default Folder to use the folder set to keep sent emails (usually Sent Items)
or, of course,
– Other Folder… and pick a folder to keep the sent message.
(How to fix Outlook not saving sent emails tested with Outlook for Microsoft 365 Version 2307–2402; updated March 2024)