A Microsoft file hosting and synchronization service.
If the file is no longer in the OneDrive Recycle Bin, recovery depends on the account type and whether Restore your OneDrive is available.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.