Where did my Repo Go

Question

Where did my Repo Go

Lee Taylor 31

All of a sudden my Repo's have disappeared. I have had these for a very long time. They are TFS based repositories that were created through visualstudio.com.

When I login only the top level project remains. Also unavailable through visual studio.

Sridevi Machavarapu 33,820 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-07-24T18:07:49.5666667+00:00
Hi Lee Taylor,

Thanks for the details. Since the project is still visible but the TFVC repositories are no longer available in both the Azure DevOps portal and Visual Studio, we'd like to narrow down whether this is a permissions or service issue.

Could you please confirm:

Is this affecting only your account, or do other users also no longer see the repositories?

Did this start suddenly, or were there any recent changes to your Azure DevOps organization, project permissions, or Microsoft account before the issue occurred?

If you have access to Project Settings > Repositories, are the repositories still listed there?

This information will help determine whether the repositories are still present but inaccessible, or if further investigation is needed.
Lee Taylor 31 Reputation points

2026-07-24T18:53:25.47+00:00

I am the only user, the image shows my privileges in the "Project Collection Administrators" group. I am also the person who set this up 10 years or so ago.
Sridevi Machavarapu 33,820 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-07-24T23:17:54.2966667+00:00
Hi Lee Taylor,

Thanks for the update. Since you're the only user and have Project Collection Administrator permissions, this is unlikely to be a permissions issue.

Could you please confirm the following:

When you open the project in the Azure DevOps web portal, is the Repos hub empty, or is it missing entirely?

If you go to Project Settings > Repositories, are any TFVC repositories listed?

Did this start unexpectedly, or was there any change beforehand (for example, signing in with a different account or tenant)?

Could you also share your Azure DevOps organization URL (you can mask any sensitive parts if needed)?

This will help determine whether the TFVC repositories are still present but not being surfaced, or whether the organization needs further investigation.
Lee Taylor 31 Reputation points

2026-07-26T17:28:49.97+00:00
When you open the project in the Azure DevOps web portal, is the Repos hub empty, or is it missing entirely? Missing Entirely

If you go to Project Settings > Repositories, are any TFVC repositories listed? The repository shows just the root ($/DevCode), the rest is missing.

Did this start unexpectedly, or was there any change beforehand (for example, signing in with a different account or tenant)? unexpectedly

Could you also share your Azure DevOps organization URL (you can mask any sensitive parts if needed)? myorg.visualstudio.com
Lee Taylor 31 Reputation points

2026-07-26T17:30:09.2+00:00

For some reason I cannot delete this
Lee Taylor 31 Reputation points

2026-07-26T17:46:43.4433333+00:00

Maybe if there were a way to give myself more permissions?
Sridevi Machavarapu 33,820 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-07-26T23:41:07.12+00:00
Hi Lee Taylor,

Thanks for the additional details and the screenshots.

Since you're a Project Collection Administrator, the Repos hub is missing, only the TFVC root ($/DevCode) is visible, and you're receiving "You don't have the authority to view the permissions for this object," this doesn't appear to be a typical permissions issue.

Could you please confirm one additional detail?

If you browse to https://myorg.visualstudio.com/DefaultCollection/_versionControl, do you see any folders beneath $/DevCode, or is only the root folder displayed?

This will help us determine whether the TFVC repository content is still accessible and guide the next steps in our investigation.
Christos Panagiotidis 3,551 Reputation points

2026-07-27T08:54:12.4133333+00:00

Because the TFVC root $/DevCode still exists while the Repos hub is missing, treat this as access or service visibility, not proof ten years of history was deleted. Project Collection Administrator membership does not override access level: Stakeholder users cannot access code in private projects, and an expired Visual Studio subscription can cause that downgrade.

In Organization settings > Users, confirm access is Basic or an active Visual Studio subscription. Then open Project settings > Overview and verify Repos is enabled; disabling it hides the hub without deleting data. Sign out and back in.

If Repos returns but folders remain absent, enable Show deleted items in Visual Studio Source Control Explorer and inspect $/DevCode. TFVC retains checked-in deletions unless explicitly destroyed; use Undelete, then check in the restoration.

If those checks do not explain it, open Azure DevOps support with the organization, project, and last-known-good date for service-side investigation.
Lee Taylor 31 Reputation points

2026-07-29T01:34:38.77+00:00

In Org Settings, I am a Stakeholder
Lee Taylor 31 Reputation points

2026-07-29T01:48:30.2033333+00:00

Maybe the issue is the user no longer has a Visual Studio Subscription(@org.com). Our company was purchased a couple of years ago and the subscription for this user has run out. My VS subscription is now under a different email (@new-org.com). I was able to change the user to Stakeholder, but no changes to Repo. I then changed the user to basic. and the Repo now appears. Not sure what will happen to my user id now that it is "Basic". I am unable to add the user under invite, the new user email never gets the invite email.
Sridevi Machavarapu 33,820 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-07-30T00:19:28.69+00:00

Hi Lee Taylor,

Thanks for the update and for testing this.

Based on your findings, the TFVC repository itself is intact. Changing the access level from Stakeholder to Basic restored the Repos hub because Basic access is required to use Azure Repos (including TFVC).

Your existing account (******@xxx.com) can continue to be used with a Basic access level. An active Visual Studio subscription is not required to access Azure Repos, as long as the user has a Basic license assigned.

Regarding ******@xxxxxxxx.com, if you'd prefer to use that account instead, please let us know whether you're seeing any error when sending the invitation or if the invitation simply isn't being delivered. That will help us determine why the new account isn't being added successfully.

Your answer

Sridevi Machavarapu 33,820 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-07-24T18:07:49.5666667+00:00

Hi Lee Taylor,

Thanks for the details. Since the project is still visible but the TFVC repositories are no longer available in both the Azure DevOps portal and Visual Studio, we'd like to narrow down whether this is a permissions or service issue.

Could you please confirm:

Is this affecting only your account, or do other users also no longer see the repositories?

Did this start suddenly, or were there any recent changes to your Azure DevOps organization, project permissions, or Microsoft account before the issue occurred?

If you have access to Project Settings > Repositories, are the repositories still listed there?

This information will help determine whether the repositories are still present but inaccessible, or if further investigation is needed.
Lee Taylor 31 Reputation points

2026-07-24T18:53:25.47+00:00

I am the only user, the image shows my privileges in the "Project Collection Administrators" group. I am also the person who set this up 10 years or so ago.
Sridevi Machavarapu 33,820 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-07-24T23:17:54.2966667+00:00

Hi Lee Taylor,

Thanks for the update. Since you're the only user and have Project Collection Administrator permissions, this is unlikely to be a permissions issue.

Could you please confirm the following:

When you open the project in the Azure DevOps web portal, is the Repos hub empty, or is it missing entirely?

If you go to Project Settings > Repositories, are any TFVC repositories listed?

Did this start unexpectedly, or was there any change beforehand (for example, signing in with a different account or tenant)?

Could you also share your Azure DevOps organization URL (you can mask any sensitive parts if needed)?

This will help determine whether the TFVC repositories are still present but not being surfaced, or whether the organization needs further investigation.
Lee Taylor 31 Reputation points

2026-07-26T17:28:49.97+00:00

When you open the project in the Azure DevOps web portal, is the Repos hub empty, or is it missing entirely? Missing Entirely

If you go to Project Settings > Repositories, are any TFVC repositories listed? The repository shows just the root ($/DevCode), the rest is missing.

Did this start unexpectedly, or was there any change beforehand (for example, signing in with a different account or tenant)? unexpectedly

Could you also share your Azure DevOps organization URL (you can mask any sensitive parts if needed)? myorg.visualstudio.com
Lee Taylor 31 Reputation points

2026-07-26T17:30:09.2+00:00

For some reason I cannot delete this
Lee Taylor 31 Reputation points

2026-07-26T17:46:43.4433333+00:00

Maybe if there were a way to give myself more permissions?
Sridevi Machavarapu 33,820 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-07-26T23:41:07.12+00:00

Hi Lee Taylor,

Thanks for the additional details and the screenshots.

Since you're a Project Collection Administrator, the Repos hub is missing, only the TFVC root ($/DevCode) is visible, and you're receiving "You don't have the authority to view the permissions for this object," this doesn't appear to be a typical permissions issue.

Could you please confirm one additional detail?

If you browse to https://myorg.visualstudio.com/DefaultCollection/_versionControl, do you see any folders beneath $/DevCode, or is only the root folder displayed?

This will help us determine whether the TFVC repository content is still accessible and guide the next steps in our investigation.
Christos Panagiotidis 3,551 Reputation points

2026-07-27T08:54:12.4133333+00:00

Because the TFVC root $/DevCode still exists while the Repos hub is missing, treat this as access or service visibility, not proof ten years of history was deleted. Project Collection Administrator membership does not override access level: Stakeholder users cannot access code in private projects, and an expired Visual Studio subscription can cause that downgrade.

In Organization settings > Users, confirm access is Basic or an active Visual Studio subscription. Then open Project settings > Overview and verify Repos is enabled; disabling it hides the hub without deleting data. Sign out and back in.

If Repos returns but folders remain absent, enable Show deleted items in Visual Studio Source Control Explorer and inspect $/DevCode. TFVC retains checked-in deletions unless explicitly destroyed; use Undelete, then check in the restoration.

If those checks do not explain it, open Azure DevOps support with the organization, project, and last-known-good date for service-side investigation.
Lee Taylor 31 Reputation points

2026-07-29T01:34:38.77+00:00

In Org Settings, I am a Stakeholder
Lee Taylor 31 Reputation points

2026-07-29T01:48:30.2033333+00:00

Maybe the issue is the user no longer has a Visual Studio Subscription(@org.com). Our company was purchased a couple of years ago and the subscription for this user has run out. My VS subscription is now under a different email (@new-org.com). I was able to change the user to Stakeholder, but no changes to Repo. I then changed the user to basic. and the Repo now appears. Not sure what will happen to my user id now that it is "Basic". I am unable to add the user under invite, the new user email never gets the invite email.
Sridevi Machavarapu 33,820 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-07-30T00:19:28.69+00:00

Hi Lee Taylor,

Thanks for the update and for testing this.

Based on your findings, the TFVC repository itself is intact. Changing the access level from Stakeholder to Basic restored the Repos hub because Basic access is required to use Azure Repos (including TFVC).

Your existing account (******@xxx.com) can continue to be used with a Basic access level. An active Visual Studio subscription is not required to access Azure Repos, as long as the user has a Basic license assigned.

Regarding ******@xxxxxxxx.com, if you'd prefer to use that account instead, please let us know whether you're seeing any error when sending the invitation or if the invitation simply isn't being delivered. That will help us determine why the new account isn't being added successfully.