I cannot access files that were created by another user form this company yet, I had sent the link in OneDrive.

Question

Hello,

I am not entirely sure where to turn at this point. I am a younger dude in a new position with a few older folks. As the younger dude, I am supposed to be on point when it comes to computer issues. So, I am tasked with anything technologically advanced. So, I shared a link a few months ago for an important internal document with another co-worker. I am working on a computer that hasn't been wiped or anything. I took over this position a couple months ago and thought be putting documents created by a former employee onto OneDrive, was a safe way to store documents created by her, because I created the pathway to OneDrive using my own profile. How do I restore these documents that this former employee created?

How on Earth does a representative from Microsoft respond to its customers??????

Answer 1

Dear @Cody Woodin, 

Thank you for taking the time to describe the situation. 

Based on the details you provided, the files remain owned by the former employee’s OneDrive. When an employee leaves and their account is removed, their OneDrive does not disappear immediately. It is kept for a limited period, and after this retention window expires, only an administrator with the appropriate Microsoft 365 roles can recover the content. If no recovery action is taken in time, the data is permanently deleted by the system. 

To restore or regain access to the files, your organization will need someone who has the correct Microsoft 365 admin permissions. This includes either a Global Administrator or a SharePoint Administrator: 

Note: If your organization’s Microsoft 365 subscription is managed through a partner or reseller and you don't have any admin accounts internally, the organization will need to contact that partner and ask them to perform the steps below. 

Scenario 1: The former employee’s account still exists and has not been deleted 

First, confirm that the former employee’s account is still present. In the Microsoft 365 admin center, go to Users > Select Deleted users. If the account appears in this list, restore it. 

If the account is not listed among Deleted users, return to Active users and check again to confirm that the account is still active. 

Once the account has been located > Open the user profile and go to the OneDrive tab > Choose the option Create link to files. This action will generate an administrator access link. 

Use the link to download the files and upload them either to a SharePoint site or to the current owner’s OneDrive. 

• Optional step: If the organization wants another employee to fully access the former user’s OneDrive 

An admin can assign a site collection administrator to that OneDrive from the Microsoft 365 admin center > SharePoint admin center > Go to More features > User profiles > Select Manage User Profiles > Find the former employee’s name > Choose Manage site collection owners > Add the current employee as a Site Collection Administrator. 

Scenario 2: The user account has been deleted but is still within the retention window 

Step 1: Confirm how long your organization keeps OneDrive content after account deletion. The default window is 30 days. 

Step 2: If the OneDrive has already passed that first window and has been deleted, administrators can still restore it for up to 93 additional days. This requires SharePoint Online PowerShell using the commands Get SPODeletedSite and Restore SPODeletedSite. This article provides further guidance on the topic: Restore a deleted OneDrive - SharePoint in Microsoft 365 | Microsoft Learn 

Step 4: Once the OneDrive site is restored, an administrator can assign themselves as a site collection administrator to access and move the files. You can follow the optional step provided in Scenario 1. 

Note: If both retention periods have passed, the data is permanently removed and cannot be restored. 

As community moderators, we kindly ask for your understanding that our access to internal development details is limited. Our primary role is to guide users toward the appropriate resources and support channels. While we may not have visibility into performing deeper backend analysis, we’ll continue doing our best to support you within the scope of our responsibilities.  

I hope this information is helpful. If you have any questions or need further support, please don’t hesitate to reach out at any time. 

Thank you for your patience and understanding. 

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Answer 2

Because the documents were created by a former employee, access and recovery depend on where those files actually reside and what has happened to that user’s account and storage.

Use these steps in order:

1. Search for the files in OneDrive for work/school
   • Sign in to the OneDrive for work or school website.
   • Use Search everything at the top of the page and search by filename, file type, dates, or keywords in the document (for example, "sales", "xls", "April").
   • If the files were moved into the former employee’s OneDrive or into a SharePoint/Teams location, they may appear in search results.
2. Check the OneDrive Recycle bin
   • In the left pane of the OneDrive website, select Recycle bin.
   • If the documents are there, select them and choose Restore.
   • If they were deleted from a SharePoint/Teams-backed location, the SharePoint site recycle bin may also be relevant; an admin can use the SharePoint recycle bin to restore items.
3. Confirm the correct account is being used
   • Make sure the current sign-in is with the correct work account.
   • If multiple Microsoft accounts are used, sign out and sign back in with the work/school account that owns the OneDrive where the path was originally created.
4. Use OneDrive restore (if your organization supports it)
   • If the organization has OneDrive file restore enabled for work/school accounts, it is possible to roll back the entire OneDrive to a point in time within the last 30 days.
   • On the top right of the OneDrive website, select the settings icon, then Options, then Restore your OneDrive.
   • Choose a date before the documents went missing and restore.
   • This undoes actions on files and folders within the last 30 days. Be aware that this affects the whole OneDrive, not just a single folder.
5. Check local device storage
   • If the former employee’s files were ever stored locally and not fully synced, search the PC using File Explorer for likely filenames or extensions.
   • Also check the Windows Recycle Bin in case files were deleted locally before or during sync.
6. Involve the organization’s IT administrator
   • If the files cannot be found via search or the OneDrive Recycle bin, an IT admin may still be able to help.
   • Provide the admin with:
     • The names of the files or folders (or best guesses).
     • Approximate dates last accessed.
     • The device used (for example, the specific PC).
   • The admin can investigate the former employee’s OneDrive, SharePoint, or Teams storage, and use admin-level recovery options where available.

If the files are not found in search or any recycle bin and cannot be recovered via OneDrive restore or admin tools, they usually cannot be retrieved.

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References:

• Find lost or missing files in OneDrive