Urgent Request to Restore Deleted OneDrive Files and Folders

Hosam Al-Shaer 0 Reputation points
2026-09-03T19:01:39.11+00:00

Dear Support Team,

We are requesting your urgent assistance in restoring files and folders that were accidentally deleted from OneDrive.

While attempting to synchronize data between OneDrive accounts, I mistakenly configured the synchronization using my personal Microsoft account instead of the company business account. After identifying the mistake, we correctly configured the synchronization using my business account ([Moderator Note: Personal Info Removed@al-khaleej.net]).

Following this, I unlinked my personal OneDrive account and deleted the Documents folder from the personal OneDrive. We subsequently discovered that some important files and folders were missing from the synchronization with the business account.

We have already recovered some files from the Recycle Bin of the Hotmail/Personal OneDrive account; however, we are unable to locate all of the missing files and folders.

The missing data is very important to our company, and we urgently need to recover it. We kindly request your assistance in restoring the deleted files and folders, including any available previous versions or recoverable data from OneDrive.

Please let us know if you require any additional information from our side to proceed with the recovery.

We would greatly appreciate your urgent support in recovering this critical business data.

Best regards, IT Support [Moderator Note: Personal Info Removed]

Microsoft 365 and Office | OneDrive | For home | Other
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  1. AI answer

    2026-09-03T19:02:01.94+00:00

    For this scenario, the supported recovery paths are:

    1. Check the correct OneDrive account first. Missing files may be in a different OneDrive if content was saved or synced under the personal account instead of the work account. Sign out and sign in again with the other account if needed.
    2. Check the OneDrive web Recycle Bin. Go to the OneDrive website, sign in to the affected account, select Recycle bin in the left pane, select the missing files or folders, and choose Restore.
    3. Check the local computer Recycle Bin or Trash. If files were deleted from the synced computer, they may still be in Recycle Bin on Windows or Trash on Mac. Restoring them returns them to the original folder.
    4. Check whether the files were online-only or deleted from the cloud. Deleted online-only files do not appear in the computer Recycle Bin or Trash. Files deleted from the cloud must be recovered from the OneDrive or SharePoint web recycle bin.
    5. If using Microsoft 365, restore the entire OneDrive to an earlier point in time. This can undo file and folder actions from the last 30 days.
      • Personal account with Microsoft 365: sign in to the OneDrive website, then go to Settings > Options > Restore your OneDrive.
      • Work or school account: go to Settings > Restore OneDrive.
    6. Review the restore impact before proceeding. When restoring OneDrive, files or folders created after the selected restore point are sent to the OneDrive Recycle Bin.
    7. If the missing content was in a shared folder deleted from OneDrive, that shared folder cannot be restored by the recipient. If shared folder contents were deleted, those contents may appear in the recycle bin.
    8. For business data, contact the organization’s IT helpdesk or admin. If administrative help is needed, IT admins can use Microsoft 365 for business support.

    References:

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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  2. Xavier-D 12,600 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-09-06T01:57:40.6566667+00:00

    Please note that our forum is a public platform, and we will modify your question to hide your personal information in the description. Kindly ensure that you hide any personal or organizational information the next time you post an error or other details to protect personal data.  

    Hello Hosam Al-Shaer,

    Since AI have already provided the standard recovery options, the next step is to determine where the missing files were originally stored.

    Synchronization does not transfer files automatically from the personal OneDrive to the business OneDrive, so files that had not completed uploading to the business account may have remained only in the personal OneDrive folder or on the original computer.

    If the files had reached the business OneDrive, ask your Microsoft 365 or SharePoint administrator to check the second-stage Recycle Bin, as it is not normally visible to standard users. The administrator should also review any applicable Microsoft Purview retention policy or retention hold that may have preserved copies of the files.

    If the files cannot be found, the company’s Microsoft 365 administrator should open a support request from the Microsoft 365 admin center and provide:

    • The approximate deletion date and time
    • The personal and business accounts involved
    • Names and original paths of the missing files or folders
    • The device on which the synchronization and deletion occurred
    • Confirmation of whether the personal OneDrive Recycle Bin was emptied
    • Whether the files ever appeared on the business OneDrive website

    Until the situation is assessed, avoid deleting, moving, or overwriting additional files in the affected folders. If any files may have existed only locally, preserve the original computer and check for backups, File History, previous versions, or other storage locations.

    Please note that Microsoft Community contributors cannot access OneDrive accounts or perform server-side restoration. Recovery is not guaranteed, particularly if the files were permanently deleted from the personal OneDrive Recycle Bin, but the business administrator can ask Microsoft Support to review whether any organization-level retention or recovery option applies.

    For privacy, please remove the business email address from this public post.

    I hope the administrator or Microsoft Support can determine whether another recoverable copy remains.

    Have a nice day.

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