Why Do My Favorites Keep Disappearing in Outlook 365[Cause & Solution]

The constant disappearance of Outlook Favorites will bring great inconvenience to our work and even lead to the loss of some important information. Do you know why Outlook Favorites keep disappearing and how to stop this problem? Don't worry; this article will give you specific reasons and solutions.

An Overview of Outlook Favorites

As a popular email service, Outlook provides a convenient personal information manager to centrally manage emails, calendars, contacts, tasks, notes, etc., for users. In addition, Outlook also has some other unique features, such as the Favorites folder, which can help users quickly access their frequently used emails, folders, contacts, etc.

The Favorites folder is similar to the bookmark function in a browser. It allows users to "bookmark" their frequently used items in Outlook so that they can quickly access them without having to search for them every time. The items that can be bookmarked in the Favorites folder include Inbox, Sent Items, etc.

Favorites can be turned on and off based on your needs. If you would like to use it, you can turn it on with the path: Outlook - Mail - View - Folder Pan - Favorites. And you can also turn it off with the same instruction.

However, while using the Favorites function, people may encounter some problems which will have a destructive impact on the experience of this feature. Favorites keep disappearing in Outlook 365 is one of them. 

According to users' feedback:

This is indeed an annoying issue. Do you know why this error appears and how to solve it? Don't worry; the following content will give you some specific reasons and solutions. You can try them one by one. 

Causes & Solutions to Favorites Keep Disappearing in Outlook 365

1. Outlook 365 Hasn't Been Upgraded or Updated

If you have not upgraded or updated Outlook for a long time, the old version may cause problems, such as Outlook Favorites missing. In this case, you can try to update your Outlook to the latest version and check if it solves the problem.

To upgrade Outlook, open it and go to File > Account Settings. In the next pop-up window, select the Update Options button and then select Update Now.

2. The Influence of Add-ins and Antivirus Programs

Some add-ins or antivirus software may cause Outlook interface issues, leading to the disappearance of Favorites. To solve this problem, you must disable incompatible add-ins and programs.

To turn off and-ins:

Open Outlook, and go to File > Options. In the next pop-up window, select Add-ins from the left menu and then uncheck the incompatible add-ins in the right pane. After that, restart Outlook to check if it fixes the problem.

To turn off antivirus programs:

First, you need to exit Outlook and then go to the Taskbar to find your antivirus program. Right-click it and select Disable or Exit. If you can't find it, go to Control Panel > Programs and Features, find your antivirus program, and then uninstall it.

3. The Outlook Client Is Corrupted

If the Outlook client is corrupted, it will lead to all kinds of problems, such as Favorites keep disappearing in Outlook 365. In this case, you can try to repair your Outlook with a professional tool.

4. The Network Connection Is Unstable

An unstable network connection may also lead to the disappearance of Outlook Favorites. To solve this problem, you can try to reconnect to the network or restart your router.

5. The Outlook Profile Is Corrupted

If your Outlook profile is corrupted, it will also cause this problem. To fix it, you need to create a new Outlook profile.

To do that, first, go to Control Panel > Mail. In the next pop-up window, select Show Profiles from the General tab. Then, select the profile you want to delete in the Mail dialog box and click Remove. After that, restart Outlook and check if it solves the problem.

6. Outlook Reset 

If all the above solutions can't fix the problem, you can try to perform outlook.exe /resetnavpane.

• First, close your Outlook.
• Click the Start menu and enter "outlook.exe /resetnavpane".
• Click the option that appears, and Outlook will start with an empty Favorites folder. 
• Now, you can add new items to the Favorites. 
• Then, close and restart Outlook, and go check if the file you just added is still in your Favorites.

Back Up Favorites to Avoid Losing Important Emails

The items you put in your Favorites folder must be essential. And Favorites keep disappearing may cause losing important emails. So we recommend you back up Outlook Favorites folder regularly to avoid any potential data loss.

Here we will show you how to do that with two methods.

Method 1: Export Favorites as a PST File

• Open Outlook, and go to File > Import and Export. In the next pop-up window, select Export to a file and click Next.
• Select Outlook Data File (.pst) in the next pop-up window and click Next.
• Select the items you want to export in the next pop-up window and click Next.
• In the next pop-up window, choose a location to save the exported file and enter a name for it. Then, click Finish to start the export process.

Method 2: Use Outlook Backup Software to Back Up Automatically

EaseUS Todo Backup Home is one of the most recommended Outlook backup software, allowing you to back up your emails and other data easily. Moreover, it supports schedule backup so that you can set up a backup plan and let the software back up your data automatically. PST files are only available on an internal and external hard drive. In comparison, EaseUS Todo Backup Home supports backing Outlook data to hard drives, Cloud service, network locations(NAS), or security zone. 

EaseUS Todo Backup Home offers various types of backup, like full backup, incremental backup, differential backup, and compress backup, which fully conserve and utilize storage space.

Now, follow the steps below to back up your Outlook data:

Step 1. Launch EaseUS Todo Backup on your computer, and click Create Backup on the home screen and then hit the big question mark to select backup contents.

Step 2. Among the four backup options, click "Apps data".

Step 3. Then you can see all the apps that can be backed up. Find and chekc the "Microsoft Outlook" option. Select the mailbox addresses you want to make a backup of the mails, contacts or calendars and click "OK".

Step 4. Next, you'll need to choose a location to save the Outlook backup by clicking the illustrated area.

Step 5. The backup location can be another local drive on your computer, an external hard drive, network, cloud or NAS. Generally, we recommend you use an external physical drive or cloud to preserve the backup files. 

Step 6. Cusomiztion settings like setting an automatic backup schedule in daily, weekly, monthly, or upon an event, and making a differential and incremental backup are available in the Options button if you're interested. Click "Backup Now", and the Outlook backup process will begin. The completed backup task will display on the left side in a card style.

The Bottom Line

That's all about why do my Favorites keep disappearing in outlook 365 and some solutions to this problem. Hope the post can be helpful in solving your problem. Also, don't forget to back up your data regularly to avoid losing important emails. EaseUS Todo Backup Home is an excellent tool to protect your important emails. You shouldn't miss it.

FAQ on Favorites Keep Disappearing in Outlook 365

1. How do I get my Favorites back in Outlook 365?

If your Favorites keep disappearing in Outlook 365, you can try to upgrade Outlook,  reconnect to the network, or restart your router. You can also try to create a new Outlook profile or perform outlook.exe /resetnavpane. Try these fixes with the specific steps in the post.

2. Why does my Favorites folder in Outlook keep changing?

There are several reasons why your Favorites folder in Outlook might keep changing. For example, if your account is set to synchronize with an Exchange server, changes made on the server will be reflected in your Favorites folder. Another possible reason is that you have multiple profiles set up in Outlook, and you're not using the correct profile. 

3. Why did my Outlook shortcuts disappear?

If your Outlook shortcuts disappeared, it might be because you accidentally deleted them or a software glitch. You can try to create new shortcuts or use outlook.exe /resetnavpane to reset the Outlook navigation pane.