Backup and recovery
What to do if you deleted an important file
It happens to everyone: a folder dragged to the wrong place, a file saved over, a delete clicked too fast.
1 min readWhat to do if
The short version
Most deleted files can be recovered. Check the recycle bins first, then ask IT before anything gets overwritten.
Check these first
- The Recycle Bin on your computer, for files saved locally.
- OneDrive’s recycle bin on the web, for files in OneDrive.
- The SharePoint site’s recycle bin, for files in Teams or SharePoint. There is a second-stage recycle bin that site owners can check too.
- Version history, if you saved over a file. Right-click the file in OneDrive or SharePoint and choose Version history to restore an earlier version.
- Outlook’s Deleted Items, and then “Recover items deleted from this folder,” for email.
If you cannot find it
Ask IT. Say what the file was called, where it was and roughly when you last saw it. The sooner you ask, the better: recycle bins empty themselves after a set time, and backups only go back so far.
Avoid making it worse
- Do not keep saving new files to the same place while you wait, if it was a local drive.
- Do not try data recovery software you found online on a work computer.
Moved, not deleted?
Files are often dragged into another folder by mistake. Searching by name in OneDrive or SharePoint usually finds them.
Talk to us about your technology
Tell us what you run today and what is getting in the way. We will get back to you about how we can help.