Deleted files from One Drive - Recovery

Damian Z 0 Reputation points
2026-10-12T12:59:18.3666667+00:00

Hello,

My files have been deleted from my One Drive. Unfortunately they are no longer in the recycle bin. There are also no more temps files. I just need to recover one excel file. Can somebody helps with that? Any MS assistant is able to make a roller back of this deletion?

Thanks.

Microsoft 365 and Office | OneDrive | Other | Windows
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  1. DaveM121 938.6K Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-10-12T13:35:20.4866667+00:00

    If the files have been deleted and are not available in the online OneDrive Recycle Bin (https://onedrive.live.com/), if you have a Microsoft 365 subscription, at the top right of OneDrive in a web browser, click the gear icon and select Settings.

    On the left click 'Restore My OneDrive', and check if that function can restore your OneDrive files.

    If that process is not successful, the only hope you may have is to use some 3rd party recovery utility to try to undelete and recover the file on your PC.

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  2. AI answer

    2026-10-12T12:59:34.2833333+00:00

    If the file is no longer in the OneDrive Recycle Bin, recovery depends on the account type and whether Restore your OneDrive is available.

    1. Check that the file is not just missing:
      • Sign in to the OneDrive website.
      • Use Search everything at the top.
      • Search by filename, file type such as xls, dates, or related keywords.
      • If this is a personal account, also check whether the file was in Personal Vault, because those files do not appear in normal search results.
    2. Check the OneDrive Recycle Bin again on the web:
      • On the left side of OneDrive, select Recycle bin.
      • If the file is there, select it and choose Restore.
      • Personal account files can usually be restored within 30 days.
      • Work or school account files can usually be restored within 93 days, unless the administrator changed the retention setting.
    3. Check the local computer recycle location if the file was synced:
      • On Windows, open Recycle Bin, right-click the file, and select Restore.
      • On Mac, open Trash, right-click the file, and select Put back.
      • Note: files deleted from the cloud, including online-only files, do not appear in the computer Recycle Bin or Trash.
    4. If there were many deletions or the file was overwritten, use Restore your OneDrive if available:
      • This is available for Microsoft 365 subscribers.
      • In OneDrive on the web, go to Settings > Restore your OneDrive.
      • Select a restore date or Custom date and time.
      • Review the activity chart and feed, then select Restore.
      • This can roll back changes from the last 30 days.
      • Important: files created after the restore point are moved to the OneDrive Recycle Bin, and files permanently deleted from the Recycle Bin cannot be recovered.
    5. If the file was permanently deleted from the OneDrive Recycle Bin:
      • For personal OneDrive, it cannot be recovered after permanent deletion.
      • For work or school OneDrive, an administrator may still be able to restore items depending on the organization’s retention settings.
    6. About Microsoft support rollback:
      • Support agents are not allowed to access files in personal OneDrive accounts.
      • If Restore your OneDrive is available, that is the supported rollback option.
      • For work or school accounts, contact the organization’s IT administrator to check whether additional retention or recycle bin recovery is available.

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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