Gmail, oops, I deleted my mail.

by | Oct 4, 2023 | Emails, IT

Gmail, Oops, My Client Deleted His Mail!

One morning, my phone rang, and it was my client, sounding super stressed. He’d tried to clean up his Gmail and, by mistake, wiped out loads of important emails. Even the Trash was empty. I could hear the worry in his voice. “What should I have done?” he asked. This made me see how much we all need to know about backing up our stuff and being careful. With my simple steps, mistakes like this can be avoided, and everyone can feel a bit safer about their emails.

If you accidentally deleted emails from Gmail inbox (or any other online “free” service) and they are no longer in the Trash, there are still some few potential ways to attempt a recovery:

  1. Google Workspace Admin Console (for business users): If your client is using a Google Workspace (formerly known as G Suite) account, an admin can recover deleted emails within 25 days of deletion.
    • Sign in to the Google Admin Console.
    • Click on Users.
    • Locate and click on the user in question.
    • Click on the More (three dots) icon, and then choose Restore data.
    • Select the date range for recovery and the data type (Mail) and then click on Restore.
  2. Google Support: In VERY rare cases, Gmail users can approach Google Support for assistance. It’s not a guarantee, but there have been instances where Google was able to assist in the recovery of lost emails.
  3. Check Filters and Forwarding: Ensure that the emails aren’t being moved or deleted by any set filters or forwarding rules. Visit Gmail settings (Gear Icon > See all settings) and check the Filters and Blocked Addresses tab for any filters that might be moving or deleting emails. Similarly, check the Forwarding and POP/IMAP tab to ensure emails aren’t being forwarded to another address and deleted.
  4. Check Other Folders: It’s a good practice to check other folders like “All Mail”, “Spam”, and “Trash” just in case the emails were accidentally moved or labeled.
  5. IMAP/POP3 Configuration: If you were accessing the Gmail account through a third-party email client (e.g., Microsoft Outlook) using IMAP or POP3, there’s a possibility that the client might have a local copy of the emails. If POP3 was set up with the option “keep Gmail’s copy in the inbox”, then deleting an email from the email client wouldn’t delete it from the server. However, if emails were deleted from the Gmail interface, this would not help.

    POP is preferred, as IMAP synchronizes therefore deleting your emails on the application as well.
  6. Backup Solutions: If your client was using any backup solution or third-party tools that back up Gmail data, they might be able to recover from there.
  7. Last Resort: If all the above steps fail, and the emails are critically important, you might consider seeking the assistance of a professional data recovery service. However, the success rate, especially for cloud-based services like Gmail, is quite low and it can be expensive.

For future precaution, it’s a good idea to frequently back up important emails and data. Numerous third-party tools and services can automatically back up Gmail data at regular intervals. We are here to help, 305-386-6165.