Photo deleted

Narges Rahmati 0 Reputation points
2026-09-17T12:12:26.9+00:00

I am not looking for a setting or feature inside the OneDrive mobile app.

I am contacting support to request a server-side investigation and potential data recovery from Microsoft's back-end backups.

Here is the situation:

Issue: A large set of photos synced from my Samsung Gallery to OneDrive were restored from the OneDrive Recycle Bin and set to "Available Offline" on my Android app.

The Problem: Following a device service event and an account/storage sync issue, these photos disappeared completely. They are missing from OneDrive Web, the primary OneDrive Recycle Bin, and the "Restore your OneDrive" self-service tool.

Request: Because these files are no longer visible in front-end user tools, I need Microsoft Support to escalate this to engineering to check the Second-Stage Recycle Bin / server-side shadow snapshots for my account to see if the underlying blob data can be recovered before it is permanently purged from Microsoft servers.

Please let me know if you need specific file names, folder paths, or approximate deletion/restoration timestamps to locate these files in your back-end logs.

Thank you.

Microsoft 365 and Office | OneDrive | For home | Android
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  1. Haytham-C 5,540 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-09-17T21:33:23.5933333+00:00

    Hello Narges Rahmati

    Thank you for providing the detailed information. I understand how concerning it is to lose important photos, especially after they were restored and appeared to be available offline in the OneDrive Android app.

    Unfortunately, moderators in this community do not have access to customer accounts, OneDrive backend systems, Microsoft servers, engineering tools, recycle bin contents, retention data, shadow snapshots, or underlying storage blobs. We cannot verify whether files still exist in Microsoft's internal retention systems, nor can we escalate cases directly to engineering teams for data recovery investigations.

    Since the photos are no longer available through OneDrive on the web, the OneDrive Recycle Bin, or the Restore your OneDrive self-service option, your best course of action is to contact Microsoft Support directly by:

    • Go to Contact Us - Microsoft Support 
    • Select Show expanded lists of products > OneDrive
    • Click Get Home Support
    • Type a brief description of your issue in the search box.
    • Click Get Help and select Contact Support below. 
    • Go to the Products and services tab and choose the appropriate product.
    • On the Category tab, choose the appropriate category or an alternative option.
    • Go to Confirm. Look for and select "Chat with a support agent in your web browser" (during business hours) if available. Explain your situation clearly.

    Microsoft Support is the only team that can review account-specific information and determine whether any additional recovery options are available.

    I realize this may not be the outcome you were hoping for, but contacting support as soon as possible gives the best chance of determining whether any recoverable data remains.

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