How to restore a lost document

Question

How to restore a lost document

Darryl 0

There was a shared document that had been created by a now deleted user. When the user was permanently deleted, we lost access to the document. Is there a way for this document to be restored?

Saideep Anchuri 5,955 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff

2025-03-26T03:24:52.4166667+00:00

Hi Darryl

When a Microsoft 365 user is permanently deleted, their OneDrive files are kept for a certain time. After that, the files can’t be recovered normally. If the files were shared with others on OneDrive, those people might still access them. But if the files aren’t accessible and the user is permanently deleted, you can’t recover them. The only solution is to recreate the files using backups or older versions, if you have them stored somewhere else.

Reference link: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint/restore-deleted-onedrive#restore-a-deleted-onedrive

Thank you.

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Saideep Anchuri 5,955 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff

2025-03-26T03:24:52.4166667+00:00

Hi Darryl

When a Microsoft 365 user is permanently deleted, their OneDrive files are kept for a certain time. After that, the files can’t be recovered normally. If the files were shared with others on OneDrive, those people might still access them. But if the files aren’t accessible and the user is permanently deleted, you can’t recover them. The only solution is to recreate the files using backups or older versions, if you have them stored somewhere else.

Reference link: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint/restore-deleted-onedrive#restore-a-deleted-onedrive

Thank you.

Answer 1

S.Sengupta 22,821 MVP

Check Recycle bin.

Check Site Collection Recycle Bin under SharePoint Admin Center.

If the document was stored in the user's OneDrive, admins may be able to restore their OneDrive for 30 days after user deletion.

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How to restore a lost document

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