How to Recover Items From Outlook Local Failures Folder After Resync

After resynchronizing your Outlook mailbox with the Exchange server or Microsoft 365, some items may end up in a hidden folder called Local Failures. This folder stores messages, calendar entries, or contacts that failed to sync during the process. The cause is typically a conflict between local cached data and server data, a corrupted item in the sync queue, or a temporary connectivity issue during resync. This article explains how to locate the Local Failures folder, recover its contents, and prevent items from being lost in future synchronizations.

Why Outlook Creates a Local Failures Folder After Resync

When Outlook performs a full or partial resynchronization with the Exchange server, it compares the local offline cache against the server data. If an item in the local cache has been modified since the last sync and the server version also changed, Outlook cannot automatically merge the two. Instead of deleting the local change, Outlook moves the conflicting item into a hidden folder named Local Failures. This folder resides under the mailbox root in the folder hierarchy but is not visible by default.

The resync can be triggered manually by the user, by a repair of the Outlook data file (OST), or automatically after a prolonged network outage or server maintenance. The Local Failures folder is a safety net that preserves data that would otherwise be lost. Items in this folder are not synced back to the server, so they remain only on the local machine until you recover them.

What Types of Items End Up in Local Failures

Any item type that supports offline caching can appear in Local Failures. The most common are email messages that were moved or deleted locally while the server still held an unmodified copy. Calendar appointments, contact records, and task entries also appear when their local version conflicts with a server update. Attachments that failed to download during sync are another frequent source.

Steps to Locate and Recover Items From the Local Failures Folder

1. Enable the Folder List view
   In Outlook, click View on the ribbon. In the Layout group, click Folder Pane and select Folder List. This changes the navigation pane to show all folders, including hidden system folders like Local Failures.
2. Find the Local Failures folder
   In the Folder List, expand your mailbox root (usually your email address or display name). Look for a folder named Local Failures. If you do not see it, scroll down below the Inbox and Sent Items folders. On some configurations, it appears under the Sync Issues folder. If Sync Issues is present, expand it and check for Local Failures inside.
3. Open the Local Failures folder
   Click the folder name to display its contents. You will see items that failed to sync. Each item shows its original subject, sender, received date, and a note about the sync failure.
4. Recover items by dragging them to the correct folder
   Select one or more items. Drag them to the Inbox, Sent Items, or the folder where they originally belonged. If you are unsure of the original location, drag them to Inbox and then move them later. Outlook copies the items from Local Failures to the destination folder and removes them from Local Failures.
5. Force a manual sync to upload recovered items
   After moving items to a standard folder, press F9 or go to Send/Receive > Send/Receive All Folders. This pushes the recovered items back to the Exchange server. Check the destination folder to confirm the items appear online.

If Drag-and-Drop Does Not Work

Sometimes items in Local Failures are corrupted or locked, preventing a simple move. Use the following alternative methods:

Method 1: Use Mailbox Cleanup. Right-click your mailbox root in Folder List, select Data File Properties, and click Mailbox Cleanup. In the Find items dialog, set the location to the Local Failures folder and search for all items. Select the results and choose to delete or move them to a PST file. Then import the PST file back into Outlook.

Method 2: Use MFCMAPI. Download MFCMAPI from GitHub. Open Outlook, then launch MFCMAPI as administrator. Select your profile and double-click the mailbox store. Expand Root Container > Finder > Local Failures. Right-click each item and choose Export Message to save it as a .msg file. Then drag the .msg file into the Inbox in Outlook.

If Outlook Still Has Issues After Recovering Items

Local Failures Folder Keeps Reappearing After Every Sync

If the folder refills with new items each time you sync, the problem is likely a corrupted item on the server or a damaged local OST file. Run the inbox repair tool ScanPST.exe on your OST file. Close Outlook, navigate to C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\root\Office16 (or your version), run SCANPST.EXE, and point it to your OST file. After repair, open Outlook and perform a full resync. If the issue persists, create a new Outlook profile via Control Panel > Mail > Show Profiles.

Recovered Items Are Missing Attachments

Attachments that failed to download during sync are stored as placeholder entries in Local Failures. After dragging the item to a regular folder, the attachment may still be missing. Right-click the recovered item, select Save Attachments, and check if any attachments appear. If not, ask the sender to resend the message with attachments, or recover the item from the Deleted Items folder on the server using the Recoverable Items feature in Outlook on the web.

You Cannot See the Local Failures Folder Even With Folder List Enabled

Some Outlook configurations hide the Local Failures folder if the mailbox is in Online mode. Switch to Cached Exchange Mode: go to File > Account Settings > Account Settings. Select your Exchange account, click Change, and enable Use Cached Exchange Mode. Restart Outlook. The folder should now appear in Folder List. If it still does not, the resync did not produce any failures, which means no items were lost.

Cached Exchange Mode vs Online Mode: Effect on Local Failures

Item	Cached Exchange Mode	Online Mode
Local Failures folder visible	Yes, in Folder List	No, folder is hidden
Items stored locally	In OST file	On server only
Resync behavior	Creates Local Failures on conflict	No local cache, no conflict folder
Recovery method	Drag items from Local Failures	Use Recoverable Items in OWA

The main distinction is that Cached Exchange Mode generates a Local Failures folder because it maintains a local copy of mailbox data. Online mode relies entirely on the server and does not create this folder. If you prefer not to deal with Local Failures in the future, switch to Online mode, but be aware that you lose offline access and faster local search.

You can now locate the Local Failures folder, recover its contents, and prevent future data loss by managing your sync settings. After recovery, consider running a manual sync with F9 to confirm all items are back on the server. For ongoing protection, set up a periodic export of your mailbox to a PST file so you always have a backup of critical items.