Recover files in SharePoint, OneDrive, and Teams

On this page:

Overview

Note:
SharePoint is the storage medium for Microsoft Teams and Microsoft OneDrive, so the following broadly applies to SharePoint, OneDrive, and Microsoft Teams.

Deleted files are usually retained for around 90 days. However, it could be less than 90 days if the site collection Recycle Bin exceeds its quota and starts purging the oldest items.

Ultimately you will be working in SharePoint, but how you get there may vary.

Access the file location

SharePoint

  1. Log into your SharePoint site.
  2. You may need to select the Documents link (usually on the left) to get the appropriate location.

OneDrive

  1. Log into OneDrive, since OneDrive already is SharePoint (the URL will be indiana-my.sharepoint.com/yourURL).
  2. You may need to select the Documents link (usually on the left) to get the appropriate location.

Microsoft Teams

  1. Open Microsoft Teams and go to the channel the files are missing from.
  2. Select the Files tab, and then choose Open in SharePoint.

Once in SharePoint

  1. Select Recycle Bin on the left side.
  2. If they are there, you can restore the missing files by right-clicking them. You can also do a multi-select and right-click to restore multiple files at once.
  3. If the files are not there, then at the bottom select Second Stage Recycle Bin.
  4. If the files are not there, they are likely permanently gone.

For more, see Restore deleted items from the site collection recycle bin.

Note:
Files that were deleted from Microsoft Teams that are restored (via SharePoint) will re-appear in the Microsoft Teams SharePoint instance. However, these files may not re-appear in Microsoft Teams itself unless the Microsoft Teams folder that originally contained the file was never deleted. If the folder in the Microsoft Teams files view was deleted, then a same-name folder (as the restored folder in SharePoint) can be created in Microsoft Teams files tab, and it should then contain the restored files.

Restore a version of a file using SharePoint

If a file exists but is not the version desired, it may be possible to revert to a prior version of the file.

Once in SharePoint:

  1. Find the file for which you wish to restore an earlier version.
  2. Right-click the file and choose Version history.
  3. In the flyout panel, right-click the version of the file you want to restore, and then choose Restore.

OneDrive restore

Note:
A restore resets your OneDrive to a specific point in time. This means that files or file changes newer then your restore date will be removed.
  1. Go to your OneDrive.
  2. Select the settings icon (cog in the upper right).
  3. Choose Restore your OneDrive.
  4. Choose a restore date.
  5. Select Restore.

For more, see Restore your OneDrive.

This is document bige in the Knowledge Base.
Last modified on 2023-06-13 13:54:33.