i deleted my whole onedrive by mistake

Question

i deleted my whole onedrive by mistake. I am unable to restore it. I need professional help to get my files back.

Answer 1

Hi @Ahsen Ali,

Welcome to the Microsoft Q&A forum. Thank you for reaching out with your question on restoring your OneDrive.

If you’re trying to recover your files, here are a few options you can try:

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As the account type has not been specified, I may not be able to provide an exact solution. If you are using a work account, please refer to the following steps. If your account is not a work or school account, kindly share your account type so I can provide the correct instructions or connect you with the right team.

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1/ Use the Restore your OneDrive feature in OneDrive on the web

You can find the guidance for restoring your OneDrive in OneDrive on the web here: Restore your OneDrive - Microsoft Support.

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2/ Restore from the Second‑Stage Recycle Bin (admin‑level action)

If the file was already deleted from your own Recycle Bin, it may still be available in the Second‑Stage (Site Collection) Recycle Bin, which can be accessed by your IT administrator. Items stay there until the retention window expires. For work or school accounts, this is typically up to 93 days.

Here are the steps you can share with your IT admin to assist you in restoring your OneDrive deleted files:

Go to the Microsoft 365 admin center > Users > Active Users > select your account > select OneDrive tab > Create link to files > click on the created link.

After accessing the OneDrive page, select the setting icon > OneDrive settings

Select More Settings > Return to the old Site settings page > under Site Collection Administration, select Recycle bin

If the deleted files appear here, select the checkbox next to each item and choose Restore selection.

If not, open the Second-stage Recycle Bin and repeat the same steps to restore the files.

Please note that if the items no longer appear in the Second‑stage (Site Collection) Recycle Bin, they are very likely no longer recoverable.

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3/ Contact Microsoft Support

If the issue persists after applying these steps, it may require a deeper technical review. In this case, the best next step would be to have your IT administrator open a support ticket with Microsoft via the admin center. A technical support engineer can then initiate a remote session, review backend settings, and run diagnostics. If needed, they can escalate the case to specialized engineering teams who are well-equipped to perform advanced troubleshooting and provide targeted solutions.

Additionally, they can review your specific environment, confirm whether any recovery options are still available, and guide your IT administrator through the appropriate steps if possible.

For guidance on how to request support, you can share this link with your IT admin: Get support - Microsoft 365 admin.

As moderators, our primary goal is to provide helpful guidance and support through general troubleshooting steps. While we do not have access to internal billing systems or the administrative tools required to review or modify account‑specific details, we truly appreciate your understanding of these limitations. We genuinely hope the information we share helps point you in the right direction, and we're always here to assist as much as we can within our scope.

I hope this information is useful. Thank you for taking the time to raise this question. If you need any further clarification or assistance, please feel free to leave a comment under this post.

Thank you for your contributions to the forum.

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Answer 2

If you have deleted your entire OneDrive, the ability to restore it depends on how long ago it was deleted. If the deletion occurred within the last 30 days, you can restore the OneDrive through the Microsoft 365 admin center. Here are the steps:

1. Restore the User: If the user was deleted within 30 days, you can restore the user and all their data from the Microsoft 365 admin center.
2. PowerShell Method: If the user was deleted more than 30 days ago, you will need to use PowerShell to restore the OneDrive. You can follow these steps:
   • Download the latest SharePoint Online Management Shell.
   • Connect to SharePoint as a SharePoint Administrator.
   • Check if the OneDrive is available for restore using the command Get-SPODeletedSite -Identity <URL>.
   • If the OneDrive appears, you can restore it using Restore-SPODeletedSite -Identity <URL>.
   • Assign an administrator to the OneDrive to access the data.

If your OneDrive is not available for restore through these methods, it may be permanently deleted, and recovery options could be limited. In such cases, you might want to consider third-party recovery tools, although success is not guaranteed.

For more detailed guidance, you can refer to the official documentation on restoring deleted OneDrive accounts.

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References:

• Restore a deleted OneDrive
• Overview of OneDrive in Microsoft 365