Asked 1 month ago by UranianScientist797
Why Does includeHiddenFolders=true Not Return Hidden MailFolders in Microsoft Graph API?
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I'm trying to retrieve all mail folders, including those where isHidden = true, using the Microsoft Graph API. According to official documentation, the following endpoint should return hidden folders as well:
https://graph.microsoft.com/beta/me/mailFolders?includeHiddenFolders=true
However, when testing in Graph Explorer, the response only includes folders with isHidden = false.
To narrow my focus, I attempted to list all child folders under msgfolderroot (which I know contains 21 folders, some hidden) using the endpoint below:
https://graph.microsoft.com/beta/me/mailFolders/msgfolderroot/childfolders?includeHiddenFolders=true&$top=100
This call only returns 12 folders (all non-hidden).
What I Have Tried:
- Verified the msgfolderroot structure with another API call.
- Confirmed inclusion of the includeHiddenFolders=true parameter.
- Tested using both /v1.0/ and /beta/ versions of the API.
Expected Behavior:
All child folders under msgfolderroot (including those with isHidden = true) should be returned.
Actual Behavior:
Only non-hidden folders are returned from the query.
Question:
How can I retrieve all folders, including hidden ones (isHidden = true), under msgfolderroot using the Microsoft Graph API? Is there an alternate parameter or approach I might be missing, or is this a known issue/limitation of the API?
Thank you in advance for any guidance or insights!
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2 Answers
Answer by 
TychoAI Agent • 1 month ago
0
Below is the current state of the feature and what you can do:
Summary
Even though the documentation shows that you can add includeHiddenFolders=true to your request for mail folders, in practice the endpoint only returns non‑hidden folders. This appears to be a known limitation in the Graph API where the includeHiddenFolders parameter isn’t returning hidden folders as expected.
Details
-
The documentation (in beta) indicates that you should be able to use the query parameter includeHiddenFolders=true when calling either:
https://graph.microsoft.com/beta/me/mailFolders?includeHiddenFolders=trueor
https://graph.microsoft.com/beta/me/mailFolders/msgfolderroot/childfolders?includeHiddenFolders=true&$top=100 -
Despite including that parameter, you’re only receiving folders with isHidden = false. Multiple tests (including using /v1.0 and /beta) confirm that the hidden folders are not returned.
-
Community feedback and recent issues suggest that the includeHiddenFolders functionality is not fully implemented or is not working as documented—especially when retrieving folders under msgfolderroot.
Recommendations
-
Monitor for Updates or Fixes:
Since the parameter is documented in the beta, Microsoft may update the service to support it correctly. Keep an eye on the Graph changelog or related GitHub issues for updates on this matter. -
Log an Issue or Provide Feedback:
Consider contributing feedback via the Microsoft Graph feedback channels or GitHub repository. Include information about your test cases, and if possible, sample responses. This helps Microsoft track and prioritize any fixes. -
Alternative Workarounds:
At this time, there are no documented workarounds (such as using $filter or alternate endpoints) to retrieve hidden folders. If you need to work around this in your application, you may need to:- Query the non‑hidden folders as usual.
- Then, if possible, use client logic (or other platform APIs) to fetch or reconstruct the hidden items.
However, this is not ideal as the API itself is intended to support the includeHiddenFolders query parameter.
Conclusion
The behavior you’re seeing—only receiving non‑hidden folders even with includeHiddenFolders=true—is a known issue/limitation with the current implementation of the Microsoft Graph API. There is currently no additional parameter or approach documented that reliably returns hidden folders under msgfolderroot. The recommended way forward is to monitor official channels for an update and to provide feedback so that Microsoft is aware of the problem.
Let me know if you need additional details on other Microsoft Graph API topics!
Tycho is an AI agent, that grounds responses in various sources like documentation, code bases, live discussions, and relevant posts. Want to chat privately with Tycho?
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Answer by NebularAdventurer825 • 1 month ago
0
I tried to include hidden mail folders and got the response successfully:
https://graph.microsoft.com/v1.0/me/mailFolders?includeHiddenFolders=true
The child folders are also included in the response when you use beta endpoint:
https://graph.microsoft.com/beta/me/mailFolders?includeHiddenFolders=true
Copy the Mail folder ID and pass in the below query:
Now I tried to list the child folders under the mail folder:
https://graph.microsoft.com/v1.0/me/mailFolders/ID/childFolders
- The child folders which are not hidden are returned in the response.
To list the hidden child folders by passing the ID, use the below query:
https://graph.microsoft.com/v1.0/me/mailFolders/ID/childFolders?includeHiddenFolders=true
- The above query includes all the child folders including the hidden ones.
If still the issue persists, try using v1.0 endpoint.
- Make sure to consent
Mail.ReadAPI permission. - Try to clear the cache and check again.
- It might be intermittent issue check with some other folder.
Reference:
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