OneDrive Files

Question

I am Missing several files on OneDrive. OneDrive was saving files until today.

Answer 1

Hello,

1. Could you please check whether the missing files are visible in OneDrive Online?

Open a private browsing tab and sign in with your Microsoft account here-

https://onedrive.live.com/

See whether the files appear there.

If they are still missing, check the OneDrive Recycle Bin folder and restore the files from there.

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Sometimes, the files may also be saved outside of the OneDrive Sync folders.

So, check your Windows File Explorer (Local folders) and see whether the files appear there. (OR) Check the desktop Recycle Bin folder as well.

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And, if you have an Office 365 (Personal / Family Subscription), you can try restoring OneDrive to an earlier version.

To do that,

Go to https://onedrive.live.com/?v=restore (Restore your OneDrive Page) and sign in with your Microsoft account.

From there, you can undo all the actions that occurred on both files and folders within the last 30 days.

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Answer 2

Start with the OneDrive website, because it is the main place where synced files are stored.

1. Sign in to the OneDrive website and use Search everything at the top.
   • Search by filename, but also try descriptions, tags, dates, and places.
   • Files in Personal Vault do not appear in search results.
2. Check the Recycle bin on the left side of the OneDrive website.
   • If the missing files are there, select them and choose Restore.
   • If the files were in Personal Vault, unlock it first by selecting Show Personal Vault items in the recycle bin.
3. Confirm the correct Microsoft account is signed in.
   • Missing files are sometimes saved under a different personal, work, or school OneDrive account.
4. Check local storage on the device.
   • Use File Explorer or Finder to search the computer for the files.
   • Also check the computer’s Recycle Bin or Trash.
5. If many files disappeared today, restore the OneDrive to an earlier point if available.
   • Open Restore your OneDrive and undo actions from the last 30 days.
   • Caution: files or folders created after the restore point will be moved to the OneDrive Recycle Bin.

If the files are not found in search, Recycle bin, local storage, or restore options, they usually cannot be retrieved through support. Keep trying alternate filename spellings and descriptions.

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References:

• Find lost or missing files in OneDrive