unable to run pnp powershell script

Question

unable to run pnp powershell script

Eric Barber 0

SharePoint PnP PowerShell script for restoring a lot! of deleted items from Recycle Bin

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4 answers

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Answer 1

Eric Barber 0

Is here someone else that is willing to help me today?

Ruby Nguyen 3,640 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-10-22T19:59:06.55+00:00

Hi Eric,

To avoid splitting the discussion across multiple comments, I’ve replied to your question in the comment thread where you shared the PowerShell screenshot. Please refer to that reply for my response.

Answer 2

Eric Barber 0

Hi Ruby,

Is it possible for us to to connect today and walk though your questions so that I can finalize my restore of all my deleted files in my recycle bin?

Thank you,

[Moderator note: Personally Identifiable Information removed]

Ruby Nguyen 3,640 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-10-22T19:59:15.54+00:00

Hi Eric,

I’ve replied to your question in the comment containing the PowerShell screenshot you shared earlier. Please continue the discussion there.

Answer 3

Eric Barber 0

Hi Ruby, your questions are technical in nature to me and hard to understand some of them. Here is a snip of my current issue. We can run, Get-PnPRecycleBinItem . I was told to tell you I need to restore bulk files from recycle bin through pnp PowerShell commands.

Does this help?

User's image

Ruby Nguyen 3,640 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-10-22T19:58:36.2133333+00:00
Hi Eric,

Thank you for sharing the screenshot. 

As this is a user support forum, I don't have access to your environment and cannot connect to your device or tenant directly. However, I will continue to assist you through this thread by reviewing the information you provide and suggesting the appropriate troubleshooting steps. 

I can see that Get-PnPRecycleBinItem returns "Unauthorized", which means PnP PowerShell isn't connected successfully to the SharePoint site. I also noticed that the URL used in the connection command contains login_hint and source. That URL is a sign in or sharing link, not the actual SharePoint site URL that contains the deleted files.

To find the correct site URL:

Open SharePoint admin center > Go to Active sites > Find the affected site > Copy the address shown in the URL column.

The URL should look similar to: *https://yourtenant.sharepoint.com/sites/yoursite*

Please use only the site URL and remove any login_hint, source, document library path, folder path, or additional text.

Next, open a new PowerShell 7 window and connect again:

Connect-PnPOnline -Url "https://yourtenant.sharepoint.com/sites/yoursite" -Interactive -ClientId "your-app-client-id"

Please replace the values in quotation marks with the actual site URL and your Entra application Client ID. If the application hasn't been created yet, I recommend following the PnP PowerShell application registration guide. Your Global administrator can help create the application, assign the required permissions and grant admin consent.

Please also confirm that the account used to sign in is a Site Admin for the affected SharePoint site.

After connecting successfully, test whether you can retrieve deleted items:

Get-PnPRecycleBinItem -FirstStage -RowLimit 10

For the second stage Recycle Bin:

Get-PnPRecycleBinItem -SecondStage -RowLimit 10

If the deleted items are displayed, test restoring a small number of files first:

Get-PnPRecycleBinItem -FirstStage -RowLimit 10 | Restore-PnPRecycleBinItem -Force

or

Get-PnPRecycleBinItem -SecondStage -RowLimit 10 | Restore-PnPRecycleBinItem -Force

Once the test files are restored successfully, you can gradually increase the RowLimit to restore more items. Example:

Get-PnPRecycleBinItem -FirstStage -RowLimit 100 | Restore-PnPRecycleBinItem -Force

If the advanced steps are too complex, you can try restoring the items directly through SharePoint using Option 4 from my previous answer.

Additionally, if you require direct assistance with your Microsoft 365 environment, you may consider contacting Microsoft Support through the Microsoft 365 admin center > Support > Help & Support:

Turn off the "Support Assistant" feature. 

Use the keyword "Support" to quickly bypass automated suggestions > Select Contact Support. 

In the ticket description, please clearly describe the issue, including any error messages or codes and the steps you’ve already tried. You can also attach screenshots or screen recordings. 

Additionally, sharing your preferred contact times may help the support team handle the case more efficiently. 

If the error still occurs, please share the complete error message after running the commands above.

Answer 4

Good day Eric,

Just to gently clarify before going any further, this forum is separate from Microsoft Support. I don’t have the ability to access or investigate individual accounts because this is a user‑to‑user support forum.

To help me better understand the situation and assist you effectively, could you please share a few details such as:

1/ What is the full error message?

2/ Which PowerShell version and PnP.PowerShell version are you using?

3/ Does your account have Site Owner or Site Collection Administrator permissions on the affected SharePoint site?

4/ Are the deleted items located in the first stage or second stage Recycle Bin?

This will help me better understand the context and provide more targeted support. Any additional information will help me better understand and support you.

To help identify the cause, please check the options below:

Option 1: Check your PnP PowerShell environment

Open PowerShell 7 and run:

$PSVersionTable.PSVersion

PnP PowerShell requires PowerShell 7.4 or later. If needed, run the following commands one at a time:

Install-Module PnP.PowerShell 
Update-Module PnP.PowerShell 
Import-Module PnP.PowerShell

Then reopen PowerShell and test the script again.

Option 2: Verify the connection

Connect to the SharePoint site using your Microsoft Entra app Client ID:

Connect-PnPOnline -Url "https://yourtenant.sharepoint.com/sites/yoursite" -Interactive -ClientId "your-app-client-id"

After signing in, run:

Get-PnPConnection

This confirms that you are connected to the intended site.

Option 3: Confirm your permissions

The account running the script must be a Site Collection Administrator or Site Owner on the target site.
If your account doesn't have the required permissions, I recommend contacting the site owner or your organization's IT administrator and asking them to assign the appropriate role. Once the permissions are updated, reconnect and test the script again.

Note: In case you do not know who is your IT admin, kindly refer to this article: How do I find my Microsoft 365 admin? - Microsoft Support

If you have the required permissions, please try restoring a small number of items first to confirm the process works as expected.

Option 4: Use the SharePoint interface as a workaround

If the script still doesn't run, a site administrator can restore the items directly from SharePoint:

Open the affected SharePoint site > Open Recycle Bin > Select the items you want to restore > Select Restore.
If the items are in the second stage Recycle Bin, open Second-stage Recycle Bin from the bottom of the page and restore them there.

Additional information is available in the following resource: Restore deleted items from the site collection recycle bin - SharePoint in Microsoft 365 | Microsoft Learn

The following PnP references provide more details and examples:

Installing PnP PowerShell | PnP PowerShell

Register an Entra ID Application to use with PnP PowerShell | PnP PowerShell

Get-PnPRecycleBinItem | PnP PowerShell

Restore-PnPRecycleBinItem | PnP PowerShell

Restore large amount of items from SharePoint Recycle bin in bulk | PnP Samples

Note: These links are shared by community members for your convenience. They point to third-party websites that aren't managed, maintained, or verified by Microsoft. I cannot guarantee the quality, safety, or suitability of any content or software available on those sites. Please review the information carefully and ensure you understand any potential risks before using it.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out at any time.

Thank you for your patience and understanding.

If you have any extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment".