Request for Recovery of Deleted files

Question

Hello Microsoft Support Team,I am reaching out regarding my OneDrive Personal account. My subscription expired in December 2025, and I received an email on July 9, 2026, stating that my files would be deleted on July 10, 2026. When I checked five days after that date, I found that all my folders, videos, and audio files were missing, including from the Recycle Bin. The only items visible are seven document placeholders, but they show that I do not have permission to access them. I would like to know if there is any possibility of recovering my deleted files, or if there are backend retention options that could help restore my data. These files are very important to me, and I would appreciate any assistance you can provide. Thank you for your support. Best regards, Morris

Answer 1

Based on the dates you provided, your Microsoft 365 subscription had been expired for more than six months. Microsoft states that when an account remains over its OneDrive storage limit after a subscription expires, OneDrive and all files within it may be deleted after six months. Unfortunately, Microsoft also states that once this account-level deletion occurs, the files are non-recoverable.

This is different from deleting files manually. Normally, files deleted from a personal OneDrive remain in the Recycle Bin for 30 days, but a deletion performed after the account-expiration warning does not place the content in the regular Recycle Bin.

Unfortunately, renewing the subscription now does not restore files that Microsoft has already permanently deleted.