OneDrive photos replaced with different images, original filenames unchanged, no version history

Mihkel Alatalo 0 Mainepisteet
2026-10-25T19:05:25.1133333+00:00

Hello,

I’m looking for help investigating a serious problem with my personal photo archive stored in OneDrive. I have a paid storage subscription.

A substantial portion of my photographs now contain different images, while the original filenames remain unchanged. I discovered this approximately three months ago, but I do not know when it started.

What I have confirmed:

• Opening affected photos at full size shows a different photograph under the original filename. • The same problem exists on the OneDrive website and on both macOS and Windows. • Files downloaded directly from the OneDrive website also contain the incorrect images, so this is not just a thumbnail or preview issue. • The affected files’ version histories show no changes or earlier versions that would let me recover the original photographs. • The problem is older than the standard 30-day OneDrive restoration window. • My OneDrive Recycle Bin is empty, and I have no independent backup copies.

I have already contacted OneDrive Support. I’m posting here to ask whether other users have experienced this specific issue and whether anyone has identified a cause or successfully recovered their original files.

My questions are:

Has anyone experienced photo contents being replaced with different images while the original filenames remained unchanged?

Is there a way to investigate when and how this happened, despite the absence of useful version history?

Has anyone successfully recovered original files in this situation after more than 30 days?

What diagnostic information should I preserve or provide to Microsoft Support?

I have checked the standard recovery options described above. I would appreciate advice specific to this situation, particularly from anyone who has investigated or resolved a similar case.

For privacy reasons, I am not posting links to my personal photographs publicly.

Thank you.

Microsoft 365 ja Office | OneDrive | Kotikäyttöön | macOS
0 kommenttia

1 vastaus

Lajitteluperuste: Vanhin
Hyödyllisin Uusin Vanhin
  1. Kai-H 30,565 Mainepisteet Microsoftin ulkoinen henkilöstö Valvoja
    2026-10-26T08:55:10.17+00:00

    (I will answer you in English based on your previous message. As a friendly suggestion, posting in Finnish may help your question reach a wider audience and increase the chances of receiving assistance from other community members.)

    Hi, Mihkel Alatalo

    Your download test rules out a thumbnail-only problem, but it does not establish what caused the replacement. I couldn’t verify a case matching all your conditions with a confirmed cause or successful recovery beyond 30 days.

    Preserve several affected downloads outside OneDrive without editing them. Record their original filenames, folder paths, file sizes, displayed modification dates, and screenshots of the empty version histories.

    Add your discovery date, last known correct viewing date, affected devices, OneDrive app versions, and any photo-editing or upload apps to your existing support case. Share photos and account details privately, not in the forum.

    Ask Support to treat this as a file-content integrity investigation, rather than a missing-thumbnail issue. Ask whether any retained diagnostic records can establish when the contents changed and why no earlier versions appear. This is an investigation request, not a promise that those records exist.

    Unfortunately, the documented whole-drive restoration window is 30 days. With no usable versions or backup copies, I cannot point you to a verified recovery method for this situation.

    Onko tästä vastauksesta hyötyä?

Vastauksesi

Kysymyksen tekijä voi merkitä vastauksia hyväksytyiksi ja moderaattorit suositelluiksi, mikä auttaa käyttäjiä tietämään, että vastaus on ratkaissut tekijän ongelman.