Message trace on a email and on an e-mail address

To perform a message trace for the email address you mentioned for the month of August 2025, you can use the message trace feature in Exchange Online. Here are the steps you should follow:

1. Access the Exchange Admin Center (EAC): Log in to your Microsoft 365 admin account and navigate to the Exchange Admin Center.
2. Navigate to Mail Flow: In the EAC, go to the Mail Flow section.
3. Select Message Trace: Click on Message Trace to start a new trace.
4. Set the Date Range: Since you are looking for traces in August 2025, select a custom date range that covers the entire month.
5. Add Sender or Recipient: You can specify the email address (e.g., Piers Chadwick's email) in the sender or recipient field to narrow down the search results.
6. Run the Trace: Click on Search to run the message trace. The results will show all messages that match your criteria.
7. View Details: You can click on individual messages to see detailed information about their status (e.g., delivered, failed, etc.).

Keep in mind that message traces can only be performed on messages that are less than 90 days old. Since August 2025 is in the future, you will need to wait until that time to run the trace.

References:

• Trace an email message in Exchange Online
• Message trace in the new Exchange admin center in Exchange Online
• Find and fix email delivery issues as a Microsoft 365 for business admin
• Message Trace FAQ in Exchange Online

Dear Sam Brooks,

Thanks for reaching out here in Microsoft Q&A forum. 

I understand you need to investigate the delivery of a specific email to your Hotmail account for an important dispute, and I appreciate you providing the details. I've reviewed the thread and the AI-generated response. 

First, I need to clarify that the steps provided in the AI answer regarding the Exchange Admin Center (EAC) are intended for administrators of Microsoft 365 business or organizational accounts. As a user of Outlook.com (Hotmail), which is a personal/home service, you do not have access to this admin center. 

For Outlook.com accounts, the ability to run a detailed server-side message trace is an internal tool available to Microsoft support. However, there are important steps you can take on your side to investigate: 

1. Double-Check Folders: Please thoroughly check your Junk Email and Deleted Items folders in Outlook.com for the message in question. Sometimes emails can be filtered there. 
2. Filters and Rules: Review any inbox rules or filters you might have set up that could automatically move or delete messages. 
3. Sender's Action: If possible, you can ask the sender to check their Sent Items folder to confirm the email was sent and if any non-delivery report (NDR) was received on their end. 

If the above steps do not resolve your inquiry and you require official confirmation from Microsoft for your dispute, the recommended path is to contact our Microsoft Support for Consumer Services directly via live chat. 

1. Visit the Microsoft Support contact page: Contact - Microsoft Support 
2. In the search bar provided on the page, type "Contact" and press Enter. 
3. Click on the "Get Help" button that appears. 
4. Scroll down the page until you see and click on the "Contact Support" option. 
5. When prompted to select your product or service, choose "Other Products". 
6. For the category, choose "Microsoft 365 and Office". 
7. Look for and click on "Chat with a support agent in your web browser". 
8. Confirm your personal email when prompted—this is the email Microsoft will use to communicate with you during and after the support session. 
9. Explain your situation clearly: Be concise but provide all the relevant details.   

Thank you for your patience and understanding on this matter. 

If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment".   

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