Email Recovery

How to Recover Deleted Text from an Outlook Email Draft

Rana Garcia Sep 29, 2026 869 views

Question details

The user needs to retrieve text that was accidentally deleted from an active or recently saved Outlook email draft.

How to Recover Deleted Text from an Outlook Email Draft

Product: Microsoft Outlook
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Accidental deletion of text content while composing or editing an email draft in Outlook.
Observed behavior: The text is missing from the draft, and the user wants to restore the previous state or undo the recent deletion.

Before you start

Do not close the email compose window if it is currently open, as keeping the window active is required to preserve your immediate undo history.

Solution 1Recommended

Use the Undo Shortcut (Active Window)

The quickest and most reliable way to recover deleted text is to use the Undo command while the compose window is still active.

As long as you have not closed the draft window, Outlook retains a short-term memory of your recent edits. You can reverse accidental deletions step-by-step.

Press the Undo keyboard shortcut

Click anywhere inside the message body of the open draft, then press Ctrl+Z on Windows or Command+Z on Mac.

Repeat if necessary

If you deleted multiple blocks of text sequentially, press the Undo shortcut multiple times to step backward through your recent edits until the missing text reappears.

Quick Action Required: This method only works if the draft window has remained open continuously since the text was deleted.

Solution 2

Check the Saved Version in the Drafts Folder

If you closed the window or the application crashed, Outlook may have auto-saved an earlier version of your draft that still contains the text.

Free Microsoft Office alternative

Boost Your Productivity with WPS Office

While WPS Office cannot retrieve deleted Outlook email drafts, it serves as a powerful, free, and lightweight alternative to Microsoft Office. If you want to draft long emails safely, consider writing them in WPS Writer first, which features robust auto-backup and version history to prevent accidental data loss.

1. Download the installer: Visit the official WPS Office website and download the free installer for your operating system.
2. Install WPS Office: Run the downloaded file and follow the simple on-screen prompts to complete the installation.
3. Start drafting safely: Open WPS Writer to compose long, important texts with peace of mind, utilizing its auto-save and backup features before pasting into your email client.

Free, lightweight, and fast Office suite alternativeFully compatible with Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint formatsBuilt-in local auto-backup and document recovery to protect long draftsClean, tabbed interface for seamless multitasking

microsoft office alternative - wps office

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Outlook keep a version history for email drafts?

No, Outlook generally does not maintain a version history for email drafts. Once a draft is saved and closed, any deleted text is permanently overwritten by the new version unless it was backed up by an organizational server.

Can I recover an Outlook draft if I accidentally deleted the entire email?

Yes, if you accidentally deleted the entire draft rather than just the text inside it, the draft is usually moved to the 'Deleted Items' or 'Trash' folder. You can navigate to that folder, locate the draft, and drag it back to your Drafts folder.

How can I prevent losing text in long Outlook emails in the future?

For highly important or lengthy emails, consider drafting the text in a dedicated word processor like WPS Writer or Microsoft Word first. Word processors have robust auto-save, version history, and document recovery features that email clients typically lack.

Migration & Recovery