How can I find "Ignored" messages in MS Outlook?

Question

I've recently started using the "Ignore" feature of MS Outlook. However, I now want to stop ignoring a specific conversation.

At the moment, the only way I know I can find that conversation is by searching for from/ subject/ etc in my Deleted Items folder.

I was wondering if anyone is aware of a search criteria that can be used to find all messages/ conversations that have been marked to be ignored? In my mind, that would be very useful to be able to periodically review.

Thanks in advance.

Answer 1

It is not possible for a end user (i.e. me and you) to be able to obtain a list of ignored messages/ conversations. In case you are really desperate, it is possible for an exchange admin to get you such a list. That's not really practical on a day-on-day basis.

Hopefully, this is an area that Microsoft will bless us with better abilities in the future.

Answer 2

This might be of interest. I copy/pasted this from a Stack Overflow answer by Dmitry Streblechenko (untested):

The items are stored in the associated contents table. You can see the data in OutlookSpy - click IMsgStore button, Open Root Container, go to the GetHierarchyTable tab, double-click on the IPM_SUBTREE folder, go to the GetHierarchyTable tab again, double-click on the "Conversation Action Settings" folder, go to the "Associated Contents" tab.

The only way to access associated messages in the Outlook Object Model is through MAPIFolder.GetStorage. It will not let you access all hidden items or search for a particular item - you can only go by the message class (which will be "IPM.ConversationAction" for all conversation items), subject, or the entry id. You can of course go by the subject, but it is not unique - you can have multiple conversations with the same subject, but one of them ignored, and another one is not.

Answer 3

Stop ignoring or moving any conversation

If you want to stop all the moving and ignoring actions for any conversation that still have active “mute” actions applied, start Outlook with the /cleanconvongoingactions switch.

Windows XP
Start-> Run; outlook.exe /cleanconvongoingactions
Windows Vista, Windows 7 and Windows 8
Start-> type; outlook.exe /cleanconvongoingactions

Note: Unlike disabling the “Ignore” button manually, this command line will not move any messages from the previously ignored conversation from the Deleted Items folder back into the Inbox folder.

from: https://www.msoutlook.info/question/524

Answer 4

There are two different goals, between the question (How can I find “Ignored” messages in MS Outlook?) and the description (search criteria that can be used to find all messages/ conversations that have been marked to be ignored) of the question.

The Op answered and accepted their own answer for the search criteria, but also mentioned it would be useful to be able to periodically review something. This brings it back to the question.

After clicking "ignore" by accident, I had the same question. I found my answer here: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/2697913/messages-in-an-e-mail-thread-are-automatically-moved-to-the-deleted-it

This answers the question "How can I find “Ignored” messages in MS Outlook?", with something that one could "periodically review".

From the page (which has screenshots if needed):

To resolve this problem, remove the "ignore" status of the e-mail thread using the following steps:

1. Select your Deleted Items folder.
2. Select the message that is currently set to be ignored by Outlook.
3. Click Ignore on the Delete section of the Home tab on the ribbon.
4. If prompted, click Stop Ignoring Conversation.

Note You can determine if a message is being ignored by the status of the Ignore control on the ribbon. If the Ignore control is highlighted, as shown in the following figures, the conversation thread on that message is currently being ignored by Outlook.

I tested these steps myself, and found them to do exactly as claimed, which helped me solve my problem. I am writing this answer here, to answer the primary question asked.