Hey everyone! I'm in a bit of a panic regarding my OneDrive. I had a ton of important documents (Word, Excel, images) related to a project I'll call ABC, which I worked on from March to June 2025. I went on leave for about two months and when I checked back on Monday 8/18, I found that almost all of my files for ABC are gone! About 97% of them are missing, and the only ones that are left are three unrelated Word documents (two from April and one from March). Strangely, I can still see a bunch of documents from 2023 and 2024 that are not part of the ABC project, as well as all of my non-ABC files from February 2025. I'm really stressed since these documents are quite sensitive and represent a lot of hard work. I'm wondering, how can I recover these missing files? If that's not possible, how can I find out if they were deleted by someone else? Any tips or guidance would be greatly appreciated—I'm a bit challenged technically when it comes to OneDrive, so if you could keep it simple, that'd be great! Thanks!
2 Answers
It sounds super frustrating! First off, check your OneDrive’s recycle bin; you might find deleted files there. Since it’s a sensitive project, consider reaching out directly to Microsoft Support for help—they may have ways to track down your files. Additionally, double-check your file history if you’re using the desktop version on your Windows 11 PC, as you might be able to restore previous versions of your documents.
I get the panic! If you've confirmed they aren't in the trash, there’s also the option to check any shared folders or shared links. Sometimes files can get moved around or linked out, especially if you had shared them with anyone. Just make sure you're exploring every folder in your OneDrive, and also check if you have the right permissions to see all the files.
Great advice! I’ll look through all my shared folders too. This is definitely nerve-wracking, but I appreciate the help!
Thanks for the tip! I'll definitely check the recycle bin and see if I can reach out to Microsoft. I just hope there's a way to recover my files.