Outlook Not Displaying Emails Older Than 12 Months? Fix It Now

Many Outlook users notice that their Outlook Not Displaying emails are older than 12 months. If you are searching for past messages from more than 12 months ago and they’re missing, don’t panic, they usually aren’t deleted. This issue is often caused by Cached Exchange Mode and sync settings that limit how much mail is stored locally on your computer. In this complete guide, we’ll explain why Outlook Not Displaying Emails older than 12 months and how you can fix it so that all your emails no matter how old, appear in your folders.

If Outlook is not displaying emails older than 12 months, it doesn’t mean your emails are lost. Instead, Outlook is likely only showing a portion of your mailbox to improve performance. By default, Outlook is set to download just the most recent 12 months of messages when using Cached Exchange Mode. Anything older stays on the mail server (Exchange, Microsoft 365, or Outlook.com) but doesn’t appear in your Outlook desktop app until you change your sync or archive settings.

How to Fix Outlook Not Displaying Emails Older Than 12 Months?

Method 1. Check Outlook on the Web when Outlook Not Showing Previous Emails

1. Open “Outlook” in your browser and press Sign in.
2. If old emails are there, they’re safe- the problem is your “desktop Outlook Settings”.

Method 2. Adjust the “Mail to Keep Offline” Slider to All Email

1. Open Outlook and navigate to the “file”.
   
2. Click on “Account Settings” and press on Account Settings in the drop down menu.
   
3. Select your “Account” and change Move Mail to Keep Offline to All.
   
4. Expect Outlook to “download older emails”(this can take a while).

Method 3. Enable or Re-enable Cached Exchange Mode Correctly

1. In the same Account Settings, toggle “Cached Exchange Mode off”.
2. Relaunch “Outlook”, then turn it on and restart again.
   
3. This forces Outlook to “resync Outlook mailbox”.

Method 4. Reset Outlook View Settings & Remove Date Filters

1. Go to the folder that looks empty, then “Current View” and press on “View Settings”.
2. Click on “Reset Current View” and it removes hidden date filters that might be hiding old mail.

Method 5. Check the Archive Folder when Outlook only showing 12 months of emails

1. Look in the “Archive(or any PST archive) older messages” are often auto-archived there.
2. If you find them, note the “Archive location” so you keep it handy.
   

Method 6. Check and Modify Retention Policies in Microsoft / Exchange Admin

1. Look in the “Archive older messages” or ask the IT Admin to change Retention policies.

Method 7. Repair or Compact PST/OST Files When Outlook Not Showing Old Emails in Inbox

1. Close Outlook and open path: C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\root\Office16\ScanPST.exe.
2. Open it and browse “Outlook files”.
   
3. Now, click on “Start” to get repair Outlook files.
   
4. Open “Outlook” and navigate to the file.
   
5. Click on “Account Settings” and select Account Settings in the dropdown list.
   
6. Tap on “Repair”.
   
7. Fixing “Corrupted Data Files” can restore missing older items.

Method 8. Use Search Folders to Find Older Emails

1. Click on the “Search box” and set the scope to All Mailboxes(or All Outlook items).
2. Then sort the results by date to find “older messages” quickly.

Method 9. Check Shared Mailbox and Public Folder Cache Settings Outlook Only Showing 12 Months of Emails

1. For shared mailboxes, open them in “Outlook web app”(the web version often shows everything).
2. “Change folder sync settings” in Account Settings.

Method 10. Update Outlook to Latest Version / Ensure Server Connectivity

1. Launch Outlook and click on the “file”.
   
2. Click on “Office Account” and hit on Update Options.
   
3. Now Press on “Update Now” to get a newer version of Outlook.
   

1. Download and install the “Recommended Tool by Experts” on your pc then launch it.
   
2. Click on file or folder to “browse Outlook files” as you wish to restore.
   
3. Select “Outlook mailbox folder” then tap on Next button.
   
4. Browse the “PST file” in the list of Saving options.
   
5. Choose the destination path and press “Repair to get healthy Outlook files”.
   

Reasons behind the New Outlook Not Showing Old Emails

The key reasons behind the struggle of users with Outlook not showing old emails in inbox and requiring them to discover how to view emails older than 12 months in Outlook are the following:

• Outlook only downloads the last 12 months of emails by default, which results Outlook not showing previous emails.
• The slider setting controls how much mail is saved locally, as usually, the limit is set to 12 months.
• Filters or rules may be hiding or moving your older emails.
• After a certain age, numerous users and businesses tend to shift those files to an archival folder according to the retention policies followed by them.
• Large or damaged Outlook data files can stop older emails from showing up.
• Activating filters can often retain the proper display of such data files, resulting in the new Outlook not showing old emails.
• Shared mailboxes often don’t download older messages unless you change the settings.
• Outdated Outlook or poor connectivity can also be the reason for Outlook Not Displaying Emails older than 12 months.

Conclusion

The scenarios where Outlook only showing 12 months of emails can be a tire-some issue. However, such problems can be fixed it is not really a complication of data loss but a setting problem. All any user needs to do it switch the setting from “Mail to Keep Offline” to “All” to make sure a proper synchronization.

Although, switching settings can only assist users at an extent, since manual settings include tons of technical steps which a non-technical or normal users cannot easily comprehend, such as verifying filters, archival location, operating the built-in settings, etc. proving to be a unvaried task. For such cases it is recommended to use the alternative automated tool to make certain to instantly repair Outlook data information with 100% safety and complete information, enabling users with a brief display of their files.