What to do right now
- Check the recycle bin on the OneDrive website first.
- If you overwrote the content, restore an earlier version from version history.
- If the bin period has passed, only files that were downloaded to the PC can be found by a PC scan.
Step by step
The OneDrive recycle bin
Sign in to OneDrive on the web and open the recycle bin. Personal accounts usually keep deleted items for 30 days, work or school accounts usually for 93 days. If you emptied it, work or school accounts also have a second-stage recycle bin.
Version history
If the file still exists but its content changed, right-click it and restore an earlier version from version history.
Restore your OneDrive
With a Microsoft 365 subscription, Restore your OneDrive in the OneDrive settings rolls everything back to a point within the last 30 days. It is useful when many files disappeared at once.
PC Recycle Bin and other devices
Files deleted on the PC may also be in the PC's Recycle Bin. If another PC with the same account has not synced yet, copy the files from it first.
Scan the PC drive
If all else fails, scan the drive that held the OneDrive folder with FileFix Ultimate. Switch to folder view, find the OneDrive folder and save to another disk.
Online-only files are not on your PC
With OneDrive Files On-Demand turned on, online-only files shown with a cloud icon have no content stored on the PC. A PC recovery tool cannot find them; the OneDrive recycle bin or a restore is the only way.
Files that had a green check mark, meaning they were downloaded to the PC, had their data on the PC disk and can be recovered like any deleted file until they are overwritten.
If your desktop moved into OneDrive
Turning on OneDrive backup moves the Desktop, Documents and Pictures folders inside OneDrive. If files seem to be missing, check the folders with the same names inside the OneDrive folder first.
When recovery will not work
- The OneDrive recycle bin period has passed and the files were online-only on the PC.
- The PC drive is an SSD with TRIM and time has passed since deletion.
- The OneDrive account itself was deleted.
How FileFix Ultimate helps
- Restores OneDrive files that were downloaded to the PC, with names and folders, from NTFS records.
- Can use shadow copies (Previous Versions) as a recovery source.
- Tells you honestly that data never stored on the PC, such as online-only files, cannot be found.
- Works offline and uploads nothing.
FileFix Ultimate is free, works offline and never writes to the drive you are recovering from. Check the signature before you run it.
Frequently asked questions
I emptied the OneDrive recycle bin. Can I still recover files?
Work or school accounts have a second-stage recycle bin. Personal accounts with Microsoft 365 can try Restore your OneDrive.
I deleted files in OneDrive and they disappeared from my PC too.
That is sync at work. Restoring them from the recycle bin on the web syncs them back to the PC.
Can a PC recovery tool find OneDrive files?
Yes, if they were downloaded to the PC. Online-only files have no content on the PC and cannot be found.