Data Lose in Azure Devops - Repositories

Thanks for checking this, I left it for some time, checked back after few days. And access to service is restored and I can access my repos, I am the only admin, and same account (local repos wouldn't have synced back otherwise). I am unsure what was the cause. now git pull the locally cloned repos and also see the service enabled back.

Hi @Shiju Samuel

Thank you for reaching out to Microsoft Q&A.

Refer below points to resolve this issue:

1. Verify You Are Signed In With The Correct Account

Azure DevOps organizations can be associated with multiple Microsoft accounts, Entra ID tenants, or identities. If you sign in using a different identity than the one originally used to create or access the organization, repositories and projects may appear missing.

Sign out of Azure DevOps completely.

Open an InPrivate/Incognito browser window.

Sign in using the account that originally owned or administered the organization.

Verify that you are accessing the correct Azure DevOps organization URL.

2. Verify That Azure Repos Service Has Not Been Disabled

Azure DevOps allows repositories to be disabled at the project level. If Azure Repos has been disabled, repositories will not appear in the UI and Git operations can fail. Internal documentation confirms that repositories can be disabled and later re-enabled by a project administrator.

Navigate to Project Settings.

Select Repositories.

Check whether the repository service has been disabled.

Re-enable it if it has been turned off.

3. Verify Repository Permissions

The TF401019 error commonly occurs when the repository exists but the user no longer has permission to access it.

Ask a Project Administrator to verify:

Your membership in the Azure DevOps project.

Repository security settings.

Whether other users can still see the repositories.

Whether the repositories are visible under Project Settings → Repositories.

4. Ensure The User Has A Basic Access Level

Even if repository permissions are correctly assigned, users require an appropriate Azure DevOps access level to use Azure Repos.

Verify under:

Organization Settings → Users

Ensure the affected account has:

Basic access level (recommended)

Or a higher access level if applicable

If the account shows Stakeholder, repository access may be limited depending on the scenario and organization configuration.

5. Check Audit Logs For Repository Changes

If you are an Organization Administrator, review the Azure DevOps audit logs for any recent changes.

Navigate to:

Organization Settings → Auditing

Check for events such as:

Repository deletion

Project deletion

Permission modifications

User removal

Repository disablement

These logs can help determine whether the repositories were actually removed or whether access was modified.

6. Verify Repository Existence Using Azure DevOps REST API

If you still have access to the organization, verify whether the repositories are returned through the Azure DevOps APIs.

az repos list \2 --organization https://dev.azure.com/<organization> \3 --project "<project>"

Alternatively, browse:

https://dev.azure.com/<organization>/<project>/_apis/git/repositories?api-version=7.12

If repositories are returned, the issue is likely related to permissions or UI configuration rather than repository loss.

7. Preserve Existing Local Repository Clones

Since some repositories still exist on local machines, create backups immediately while troubleshooting.

Verify repository history:

git log --all
git branch -a
git tag

Create a mirror backup:

git clone --mirror <local-repository-path> backup.git

These preserves commit history, branches, tags, and repository metadata currently available in the local clone.

8.Contact Azure DevOps Support If All Repositories Have Disappeared

Raise a request here with your issue: https://developercommunity.visualstudio.com/AzureDevOps

Hi @Shiju Samuel

I would not assume the repositories are permanently lost yet.

From the screenshot, two things stand out:

• The Repos service is not visible/enabled in the project services list.

git pull returns TF401019, which means the repository either does not exist at that path or your account no longer has permission to access it.

Please check these in order:

Make sure you are in the correct Azure DevOps organization, tenant, and project. If you have multiple Microsoft accounts or directories, try an InPrivate browser session and sign in with the same account that owns the repos.

Ask an Organization Owner / Project Administrator to check:

Project settings > Overview > Azure DevOps services

If Repos is disabled, enable it again. Disabling a service removes it from the UI, but it should not delete the underlying service data.

Check repository permissions:

Project settings > Repositories > Security

Confirm your user still has access to the Git repositories.

Check whether the project or repositories were deleted. Deleted projects and recently deleted Git repositories may be recoverable for a limited time.

If you still have local clones, you may be able to recover the code by pushing them to a new/recovered repo:

git remote set-url origin https://dev.azure.com/<org>/<project>/_git/<repo>
git push --all origin
git push --tags origin

If you had a full mirror clone, you can use:

git push --mirror origin

Docs:

Turn Azure DevOps services on/off: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/devops/organizations/settings/set-services

Azure DevOps settings overview: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/devops/organizations/settings/about-settings

Set Git repository permissions: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/devops/repos/git/set-git-repository-permissions

Restore deleted project: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/devops/organizations/projects/delete-project

Restore deleted Git repository from recycle bin: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/rest/api/azure/devops/git/repositories/restore-repository-from-recycle-bin

If Repos is missing for all users/admins and the repos are not visible in deleted/recycle-bin state, I would open an Azure DevOps support case with the organization name, project name, repo names, and the TF401019 error. Do not post private repo URLs or tokens publicly.Hi,

I would not assume the repositories are permanently lost yet.

From the screenshot, two things stand out:

The Repos service is not visible/enabled in the project services list.

git pull returns TF401019, which means the repository either does not exist at that path or your account no longer has permission to access it.

Please check these in order:

Make sure you are in the correct Azure DevOps organization, tenant, and project. If you have multiple Microsoft accounts or directories, try an InPrivate browser session and sign in with the same account that owns the repos.

Ask an Organization Owner / Project Administrator to check:

Project settings > Overview > Azure DevOps services

If Repos is disabled, enable it again. Disabling a service removes it from the UI, but it should not delete the underlying service data.

Check repository permissions:

Project settings > Repositories > Security

Confirm your user still has access to the Git repositories.

Check whether the project or repositories were deleted. Deleted projects and recently deleted Git repositories may be recoverable for a limited time.

If you still have local clones, you may be able to recover the code by pushing them to a new/recovered repo:

git remote set-url origin https://dev.azure.com/<org>/<project>/_git/<repo>
git push --all origin
git push --tags origin

If you had a full mirror clone, you can use:

git push --mirror origin

Docs:

Turn Azure DevOps services on/off:
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/devops/organizations/settings/set-services

Azure DevOps settings overview:
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/devops/organizations/settings/about-settings

Set Git repository permissions:
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/devops/repos/git/set-git-repository-permissions

Restore deleted project:
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/devops/organizations/projects/delete-project

Restore deleted Git repository from recycle bin:
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/rest/api/azure/devops/git/repositories/restore-repository-from-recycle-bin

If Repos is missing for all users/admins and the repos are not visible in deleted/recycle-bin state, I would open an Azure DevOps support case with the organization name, project name, repo names, and the TF401019 error. Do not post private repo URLs or tokens publicly.