Processes in Microsoft 365 for setting up Office apps, redeeming product keys, and activating licenses.
Follow this recovery path in order:
- Search on the OneDrive website first.
- Sign in to the OneDrive website.
- Use Search everything at the top.
- Search not only by exact filename, but also by descriptions, dates, and related words.
- Files in Personal Vault do not appear in search results.
- Check the OneDrive Recycle bin again.
- On the left side of the OneDrive website, select Recycle bin.
- If the files appear, select them and choose Restore.
- If the missing files were in Personal Vault, unlock it first by selecting Show Personal Vault items in the recycle bin.
- Check whether the files were saved under another Microsoft account.
- If multiple accounts are used, sign out of OneDrive and sign in again with the other account.
- If both personal and work/school OneDrive accounts exist, check both.
- Check local storage on the device.
- Use File Explorer or Finder to search the computer.
- Also check the computer’s Recycle Bin or Trash.
- If the files were deleted from the cloud, they will not appear in the computer Recycle Bin or Trash; those must be recovered from the OneDrive web recycle bin instead.
- If many files disappeared at once, use Restore your OneDrive.
- If Microsoft 365 is available, OneDrive can be restored to a previous point in time.
- This can undo actions on files and folders from the last 30 days.
- Important: files or folders created after the restore point are moved to the OneDrive Recycle Bin.
- If the files still are not found:
- For work or school accounts, the IT administrator may be able to investigate further.
- Prepare the file or folder names, the approximate last access date, and the device used.
- If files are not found in search or in the OneDrive Recycle bin, they usually cannot be retrieved.
- For direct support:
- Personal accounts: use Contact Microsoft Support.
- Work or school accounts: contact the organization’s IT helpdesk, service desk, or admin.