Public folder item recovery has different procedure in Exchange 2013. This is due to the structural changes in the architecture of Exchange.

How public folders have changed in Exchange 2013?

Exchange 2013 stopped having a public folder database that used to host Exchange Public folders. Now public folders exist in the mailbox database. This change in architecture has brought many desirable results. Now public folders:

  • can benefit from the storage technologies and the high availability of mailbox database.
  • are ready to be used in Office 365 cloud.
  • can be managed in a simplified way, using the same mechanism for managing mailboxes
  • can be easily backed up and restored.
  • can be saved in reduced storage cost.
  • are highly available.

Another important thing you see in Exchange 2013 is Recoverable Items folder. It replaces Dumpster of the earlier versions of Exchange.

Recoverable Items Folder – a new Exchange 2013 feature

Recoverable Items folder, located at the non-IPM subtree of a mailbox, is a new addition in Exchange 2013. The non-IPM subtree stores the operational information about the mailbox. Though the subtree is within the mailbox, it is not visible to the email client users including Outlook and MS Office Outlook Web App. The Recoverable Items folder is highly beneficial as it:

  • moves when a mailbox is moved to another mailbox database.
  • has subfolders—Deletions, Versions, Purges, Audits, DiscoveryHolds, Calendar Logging.
  • owns its own storage quota.
  • can be searched using In-Place eDiscovery as it is indexed by Exchange Search.
  • can be blocked for data purging.

How deleted items are handled in Exchange 2013?

When an Outlook or Outlook Web Access user soft deletes an item, it goes to the Deletions subfolder of the Recoverable Items Folder. In order to recover a soft-deleted item, users do not require Exchange admin’s help. They can do it themselves. These are the two situations in which items go to the Deletions subfolder:

  • when uses Shift + Delete to delete a mailbox folder item.
  • when deletes the item/s from Deleted Items folder.

As public folders are now a part of the mailbox database, the items deleted from public folders also go to the Deletions sub folder.

Deleted item retention period

Deleted item retention period is the time for which the deleted items will be retained in the Deletions subfolder. By default its value for mailbox database is set as 14 days. Exchange Administrators can change it if required.

Once the deleted item period elapses, the items are moved to Purges subfolder of the Recoverable Items Folder. End users cannot recover items from this folder.

Subfolders of Recoverable Items Folder

The subfolders of Recoverable Items folder and their functions are given in the table:

 

Recoverable Items Folder – Sub Folders
Subfolder Function Works when: End user visibility
Deletions

contains shift-deleted items

always

indirect access given while using ‘Recover Deleted Items’ feature of Outlook or Outlook Web App
Versions

contains the original/ modified copies of the deleted items

In-Place Hold, Litigation Hold, or single item recovery is enabled

no
Purges contains all items that are permanently deleted

Litigation Hold / single item recovery is enabled

no
Audits

contains audit log entries

mailbox audit logging is enabled for the mailbox

for some actions
Discovery Holds

all permanently deleted items that meet the hold query parameters

In-Place Hold is enabled

no
Calendar Logging

contains calendar changes within the mailbox

always

no

How to recover a soft-deleted public folder item in MS Outlook?

Toc recover public folder items:

  1. Click Recover Deleted Items.
  2. Select the items to be recovered when the popup window appears.
  3. Click Recover Selected Items.
  4. The items gets restored to the working folder.

Note: This procedure works only for those items that have not passed the retention period for deleted items.

How to recover a soft-deleted public folder item in Outlook Web Access?

  1. Right-click Deleted Items; click recover deleted items.
  2. Select the public folder items and select Recover.
  3. The recovered items gets restored in the respective folders.

Can professional tools help in Exchange 2013 public folder recovery?

Professional Exchange recovery tools like Exchange Server Recovery helps you recover public folders even from Exchange 2013. You can try the free version of this tool for additional information.

Summary:

Public folders, a widely used features of Exchange, has undergone some structural changes in Exchange 2013. The changes make public folders more available, manageable, and cloud-friendly. Recoverable Items Folder of Exchange 2013 handles the deleted items and items that are retained for various other purposes. Before elapsing the deleted item retention period, it is possible for email client users to recover the deleted items without contacting Exchange administrators.