Missing files

Question

Looks like I need to join the many other people complaining about the same thing - missing files.

I recently used a file (way less than 30 days ago), but now that file is missing. It shows up in my "Home" view, but I can't find it anywhere in my directory. (It was originally in the root and I've been using that same file for years.) When I try to open from the Home view, it says that the file is missing. Since the Home view shows recent files, I expect that it should available, especially since I only used the file a few days ago. I've also checked the recycle bin and even resorted to a full OneDrive restore from as far back as the system had, but the file is still gone. (Yes, I'm missing a few files, but if we can find this one, I might be able to find the others.)

The Home view shows the file, OneDrive looks to have the metadata, but since the file is gone, it looks like the blob storage might have lost it. I'm not above saying that I made a mistake and accidentally deleted it, but if I did that, then it should show up in the recycle bin, but it's not. Sadly, this also synced to all my devices, so it's gone everywhere (Windows & Android).

I've been using OneDrive for almost 20 years (since it was called SkyDrive) and never had this happen before. I've obviously followed the KB article as well as ideas on from other posts. I also tried getting help from Copilot, but it got stuck in a repetitive loop telling me to open it from the Home view. The last thing I did try opening a ticket, but the support person only gave me the steps from the KB article and closed the ticket, so no help there.

Any other ideas?

Suggestion to everyone: Make sure to constantly backup your OneDrive data to something that OneDrive doesn't control!

Answer 1

Don't search in the Home tab on onedrive.com; instead, search in the "My files" tab or in your computer's OneDrive folder.

Answer 2

Did you give the file a distinctive name? When you work on a file, you can keep the same name, but make sure you always save and sync your changes.

Answer 3

It sounds like you're experiencing a frustrating issue with missing files in OneDrive. Here are some steps you can take to troubleshoot the situation:

1. Check the Recycle Bin: Since you've already checked the recycle bin, ensure you also look in the Second-stage recycle bin. Sometimes, files that are deleted can be found there. You can access it by selecting the option at the bottom of the recycle bin page.
2. Restore Deleted OneDrive Files: If the file was deleted, remember that OneDrive retains deleted files for a certain period. If a user is deleted in the Microsoft 365 admin center, their OneDrive is retained for 30 days, and then it remains in a deleted state for an additional 93 days. If you're within this timeframe, you may still be able to restore it.
3. Check for Site Deletion: If the file was part of a SharePoint site, check if the site itself was deleted. If so, it can be restored from the SharePoint admin center.
4. File Metadata: Since you mentioned that the Home view shows the file and its metadata, it might be worth checking if the file has been moved to a different location or renamed. You can try searching for the file using its name in OneDrive.
5. Contact Support Again: If these steps do not resolve the issue, consider reaching out to Microsoft support again, providing them with details of what you've already tried. They may have additional tools or insights to help recover your files.
6. Backup Recommendation: As you suggested, regularly backing up your OneDrive data to another storage solution can help prevent data loss in the future.

If you continue to have issues, it may be beneficial to document everything you've tried and share that with support for more targeted assistance.

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References:

• Error: 404 File/Page not found in OneDrive or SharePoint
• Restore a deleted OneDrive