I can't help, and I hate it when people reply like this, but I have to. I'm an IT guy and I have people storing important documents in the Trash all the time, and then complaining about it when they get deleted. THIS IS AN ABSURD THING TO BE DOING. I just don't get on what level people think it is acceptable to use Trash for storage. (Maybe it's because there's a key/swipe that puts it there, instead of having to click and drag?) The main "lesson" you need to learn is not to store messages in Trash. Yes, you should backup too, but that's secondary to your current problem.
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iPhone X Deleted 100s of Thousands of Emails without Permission (No Recovery Available)
- Thread starter NickMcCandless
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I can't help, and I hate it when people reply like this, but I have to. I'm an IT guy and I have people storing important documents in the Trash all the time, and then complaining about it when they get deleted. THIS IS AN ABSURD THING TO BE DOING. I just don't get on what level people think it is acceptable to use Trash for storage. (Maybe it's because there's a key/swipe that puts it there, instead of having to click and drag?) The main "lesson" you need to learn is not to store messages in Trash. Yes, you should backup too, but that's secondary to your current problem.
Sorry this doesn't help you but I work in IT and have never understood why people use the Deleted Items/Trash folder as an archive... That seems like the worst possible place for one but it's very common.
Same here. It boggles my mind when people store their emails in trash. Just make a new folder and save it in there instead..lol
It seems to click with them once i make the comparison of "You wouldn't store your important stuff in your trash bin at home would you?"
Guys I get I messed up, but is there really nothing else I can do? I only use Apple Mail on my iPhone, iPad, and MacBook Pro and they all shows the deleted trash messages are gone. Nothing else I can do?
For starters you can change the subject of this thread to “I put 100s of thousands of emails in the trash and now they’re gone”
Other than that, no, there isn’t anything you can do
Fun fact. When doing a full time machine backup, everything, is included, as well as locally Downloaded email. They are stored in the system as a special format file that spotlight search has indexed its contents so you can search mail texts. Surely, you cannot do much to those files directly but they are there. (Correct me if I am wrong. I know this when using grandperspective )
You seem to be fishing for a "yes there's something you can do" among a sea of "no you're screwed" replies.
Short of contacting your email provider and seeing if they keep backups, no - there is nothing else you can do. Honestly, why do you think that folder is labeled "Trash"???
A couple possibilities:
- Assuming you don't clean out your sent emails, you should still have a copy of all emails that you replied or sent.
- Assuming you use Apple mail, you may still have attachment files that you opened in the temp directly. You can google "Apple mail temp directory" for more info. Outlook does something similar too.
- Get in touch with some Russian hackers. I'm told they can find anyones' "deleted" emails.
One thing I do with important emails that I need/want to save is to stash them in a new folder set up within mail ("On My Mac") and also in iCloud ("archived emails") so that I won't lose anything which is something I will need or want to refer again to later or just want to save for posterity. Why anyone would stick items they actually want to keep into the "Trash" category in Mail is unfathomable to me. Good grief! Just set up a new folder, for pete's sake.
I also have my machines set up to keep emails on the server, too, so that in case I do accidentally delete an email from one of my computers (which then removes it from the others and from my iPad/iPhone as well) I do still have the opportunity to go to the webmail of my ISP and rescue the item there. Even at that, there have been a couple of times when I've gotten too enthusiastic and vigorous with housecleaning my email and only later realized that, oops, I probably deleted something which wasn't meant to be discarded. That's one reason I'm a bit wary of IMAP, although for the most part it is much more convenient than POP in several ways.
I also have my machines set up to keep emails on the server, too, so that in case I do accidentally delete an email from one of my computers (which then removes it from the others and from my iPad/iPhone as well) I do still have the opportunity to go to the webmail of my ISP and rescue the item there. Even at that, there have been a couple of times when I've gotten too enthusiastic and vigorous with housecleaning my email and only later realized that, oops, I probably deleted something which wasn't meant to be discarded. That's one reason I'm a bit wary of IMAP, although for the most part it is much more convenient than POP in several ways.
I never understand why people keep things they need in a trash folder - it is a trash folder which means you don't need anymore. You can create any number of other folders to keep mail in when you don't want in inbox. When I ran an IT organization I remember way back having this discussion - if you throw things in the trash can at home or at work do you expect stuff to still be there weeks later?
Do you also keep years of mail in the spam folder?
I also do a check of stetting after getting a new phone or doing restores.
Do you also keep years of mail in the spam folder?
I also do a check of stetting after getting a new phone or doing restores.
I need to call my lawyer and make sure my stuff isn't keep in his trash
It depends on what side of the case you are on. You might want the documents to disappear at no fault to you
Sorry to hear that OP. I really hope you manage to get them back. Contact your email provider any way you can, I suppose.
I’ve never had something quite so bad but lost about 8 months of everything when ios6 bricked my 4s. I had been ignoring the “This iPhone has not been backed up for __ weeks” messages, thinking ‘I’ll do it later’. A lesson you only need to learn once.
Condolences, heartfelt, and ignore some of the teenagers/idiots in this thread.
I’ve never had something quite so bad but lost about 8 months of everything when ios6 bricked my 4s. I had been ignoring the “This iPhone has not been backed up for __ weeks” messages, thinking ‘I’ll do it later’. A lesson you only need to learn once.
Condolences, heartfelt, and ignore some of the teenagers/idiots in this thread.
You can actually do some work with these TimeMachine backups. You can restore them to the system as a copy (ie. not overwrite existing) and then import them into Mac's Mail.app. I have recovered lost attachments for family like this in the past.
That said, as mentioned, if the e-mail was not downloaded locally, not much there to work with, even when imported.
I hope these emails were personal and not for work. You could be in some deep trouble if you were storing important work emails in your trash bin.
Do you complain when you put important documents in your office's trash can and they're gone?
This, if true, is really funny and you should bear the consequences.
This, if true, is really funny and you should bear the consequences.
This. Enter Time Machine and navigate to ~/Library/Mail and start poking around. If you find a large MBOX file with the name of your email account (e.g. Gmail,mbox) that could be your pre-deleted mail.
Wait.
You kept '100s of thousands of emails' you 'desperately need for reference and legal matters' ... in the trash?
I don't even know where to begin.
There are two trash bins in most email.
There's the Trash/Delete Items folder, but there's also the Recover Deleted Items folder, you don't have simple access to.
You have to log onto the webmail servers for each account, and go to the trash folders there, and find/select recover deleted items. Typically the Recover Deleted items folder keeps objects for 30 days.
I am an email admin for Exchange/Office 365.
For legal purposes I get requests for HR/Legal holds and this secondary box is a good resource to reach back 30 days for any deleted emails or users trying to cover their tracks.
Do not waste any time, check these folders.
There's the Trash/Delete Items folder, but there's also the Recover Deleted Items folder, you don't have simple access to.
You have to log onto the webmail servers for each account, and go to the trash folders there, and find/select recover deleted items. Typically the Recover Deleted items folder keeps objects for 30 days.
I am an email admin for Exchange/Office 365.
For legal purposes I get requests for HR/Legal holds and this secondary box is a good resource to reach back 30 days for any deleted emails or users trying to cover their tracks.
Do not waste any time, check these folders.