my files are missing after reinstalling office

Check the OneDrive website with every Microsoft account you use before attempting a restore, because the website shows what is actually stored in the cloud rather than only what the reinstalled Office apps currently display.

1. Locate the files online

1. Sign in at OneDrive.com.
2. Use Search everything to search by:
   • Part of a filename
   • File type, such as xlsx or docx
   • A year, month, description, or location
3. Browse My files manually as well. Personal Vault files do not appear in normal search results.
4. Check the account/profile shown in the upper-right corner. If you have personal and work/school accounts—or multiple personal accounts—sign out and repeat the search under each one.

Microsoft specifically recommends starting with the OneDrive website and checking other Microsoft accounts when files are missing.^1^

If the files appear online, they are not lost. Sign in to the Windows OneDrive client with that same account and allow it to synchronize. The Office Recent list may still show only older documents, so open the files from OneDrive or File Explorer instead.

2. Check deleted-file locations

On the OneDrive website:

1. Select Recycle bin in the left navigation.
2. Select the missing files or folders.
3. Select Restore.
4. If Personal Vault was used, select Show Personal Vault items.

Also open the Windows Recycle Bin. If files are there, select them, right-click, and choose Restore.^2^

Recovery limits apply:

• Personal OneDrive accounts normally retain deleted items for 30 days.
• Work or school accounts normally retain them for 93 days unless the administrator changed the retention setting.
• Items permanently removed from the OneDrive recycle bin cannot be recovered through OneDrive.

3. Search the computer for files that never synchronized

If the newer files are absent from OneDrive online, they may have been stored only on the PC.

1. Open File Explorer.
2. Select This PC and search for:
   • *.docx
   • *.xlsx
   • *.pptx
   • A known filename or phrase
3. Check these locations:
   • Documents
   • Desktop
   • Downloads
   • Every folder named OneDrive
   • Other Windows user-profile folders, if Windows was also reinstalled or a different Windows account is now being used
4. Check external drives and any backup service previously used.

Microsoft recommends searching local device storage when a file may have been saved outside OneDrive or never synchronized to it.^1^

If Windows itself was reinstalled and those files existed only locally, reinstalling Office cannot restore them; recovery would require an existing backup or recoverable copy on the old storage.

4. Restore the entire OneDrive only for a recent mass change

If many files disappeared within the last 30 days and you have Microsoft 365:

1. Sign in to OneDrive online.
2. For a personal account, select Settings → Options → Restore your OneDrive.
3. For a work or school account, select Settings → Restore OneDrive.
4. Choose a point before the files disappeared, review the selected activities, and select Restore.

This rolls back OneDrive activity within the last 30 days. Files created after the selected restore point are moved to the recycle bin, so review the activity carefully first.^3^

Because your visible cutoff is 2020, this 30-day rollback will help only if the files disappeared recently; it cannot recreate files that were never uploaded or were permanently deleted years ago.

For a work or school account, contact your IT administrator if the files are absent from search and the recycle bin. Provide filenames, the approximate last-access date, and the device on which they were last seen.

References

1. [Personal](https://support.microsoft.com/onedrive/find-lost-or-missing-files-in-onedrive)
2. [PC or Mac](https://support.microsoft.com/onedrive/restore-your-onedrive-files)
3. Restore your OneDrive | Microsoft Support