Recover lost OneDrive files

Question

Recover lost OneDrive files

DavePriestley-0479 0

Hi,

I have recently changed my Primary E-Mail address from @btconnect.com (linked to a Business Broadband Account) to @outlook.com. E-Mails are fine but my OneDrive files associated with this personal 365 account have disappeared. I need to recover these files please.

How do I do this?

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2 answers

Your answer

Answer 1

Go to the OneDrive website and search there first, because that is the best place to check synced files: sign in at https://www.onedrive.com and use Search everything at the top.
Since the primary email changed, check whether the files are under a different Microsoft account. Sign out of OneDrive, then sign in again with the other account that may have been used when the files were saved. Missing files are often still in another OneDrive.
In OneDrive on the web, check Recycle bin on the left. If the files are there, select them and choose Restore.
If Personal Vault was used, check that too. Files in Personal Vault do not appear in search results. In the recycle bin, select Show Personal Vault items to view those files.
If a large set of files disappeared recently and there is a Microsoft 365 subscription, use Restore your OneDrive to roll the whole OneDrive back to an earlier point within the last 30 days. Open the restore options here: Restore your OneDrive.
If the files were not synced to OneDrive, search the local device as well:
- Use File Explorer or Finder to search the computer
- Check the computer Recycle bin or Trash
If the files still are not found, support cannot access the files directly. For personal accounts, use Contact Microsoft Support. If the files are tied to a work or school account instead, contact the organization’s IT helpdesk.

Answer 2

Thomas4-N 22,380 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Hello Dave Priestley,

I’m sorry your files aren’t showing after the email change. Did you add the Outlook.com address to your existing Microsoft account and make it the primary alias, or did you create a separate account?

Please sign in to OneDrive on the web with the account that has your Microsoft 365 subscription and search for one of the missing files. If it isn’t there, check the OneDrive Recycle Bin. Let us know whether the files are missing there too, or only from OneDrive on your computer.

I wouldn’t use “Restore your OneDrive” yet, since we don’t know that the files were deleted.

DavePriestley-0479 0 Reputation points

2026-10-04T07:38:41.0033333+00:00

Thank you for your reply.

I added <PII removed>@outlook.com to my personal account. I have subsequently deleted <PII removed>@btconnect.com

I have logged into OneDrive on the web but can’t find the files, including in the recycle bin.

I’m very disappointed; it will be so inconvenient to lose access to these files.
Thomas4-N 22,380 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-10-04T14:53:10.5866667+00:00

Hello DavePriestley-0479,

I’m sorry the files still aren’t showing. If the Outlook.com address was added to your existing Microsoft account as an alias, changing the primary address should not, by itself, create a new OneDrive. Please check that the account you’re signed into shows your Microsoft 365 subscription. If you used Personal Vault, check there too, and look for any copies still on your computer.

If the files remain missing, please contact Microsoft Support and explain that they disappeared after the email change, despite not appearing on OneDrive web or in the Recycle Bin.