How to Restore Data from OneDrive on Windows 10?

Microsoft OneDrive is a file hosting and synchronization service that you may use to create, store, share, sync files, photos, and more across devices, such as smartphones, tablets, etc. Many users also use OneDrive to keep a backup of their data stored on Windows PC. By default, the files created on OneDrive are stored on Cloud. However, you may also choose a location in your Windows system to store the files locally.

But what if you accidentally delete or lose your OneDrive files or folders? Read this guide to learn some effective methods to perform OneDrive Data Recovery.  

How to Restore data from OneDrive?

Here are a few simple methods that may help you restore your deleted or lost files, folders, and more.

A. Restore deleted files or folders in OneDrive

If you have accidentally deleted a file or folder in OneDrive, you can recover it from OneDrive Recycle Bin. However, items in the Recycle Bin will be deleted automatically after 30 days.

To restore data from OneDrive, follow the given steps:

a. Open OneDrive and sign into it with a Microsoft account.
b. In the navigation pane, select ‘Recycle bin.’ (See Image1)

c. Now, select the files or folders that you want to retrieve by pointing to each item and clicking the circle check box appearing on screen.
d. Finally, click Restore. (See Image 2)

Note: If you have signed into OneDrive with a work or school account, the data from OneDrive Recycle Bin will be automatically deleted after 93 days unless the admin changes the setting.

B. Restore deleted files or folders from your computer

By default, the files created on OneDrive are synced to Cloud so that you may access them from any browser, PC, or mobile, and recover them from OneDrive Recycle Bin as described above.

However, if you chose to save the files on the system hard drive and happen to lost them, the first place you need to look for them is Recycle Bin (Windows). Follow the below steps to perform OneDrive data recovery:

a. Open Recycle Bin and search for the files that you want to retrieve.
b. Select the files you want to recover, right-click on them, and click Restore. (See Image 3)

c. The files or folders will be recovered to their original location.

C. Restore OneDrive to a Previous Time

You can even restore the lost files due to deletion, corruption, overwriting, or virus infection by restoring your entire OneDrive to a previous time. If you have subscribed to Microsoft 365, you will be able to undo all the actions that have been occurred on your files and folders within the last 30 days. To do so, follow the given steps:

a. Sign in to the OneDrive with a Microsoft account.
b. Select Settings > Options > Restore your OneDrive.
c. On the Restore page, select the date from the drop-down list available or select Custom date and time.
d. Now, use the activity chart and feed to check the recent activities, and click Restore to undo all the selected activities. (See Image 4)

Note: If you want to fix individual files, one at a time, you can also restore a previous version of a file in OneDrive.

“I was storing my OneDrive files on the hard drive instead of Cloud. I accidentally deleted them while removing some unnecessary ones. I checked my Recycle Bin, but didn’t find them there. Where did the files go? How do I recover them?”

Restore Permanently Data from OneDrive with Data Recovery Software

If you have lost your OneDrive files from your system and can’t find them even in the Recycle Bin, the files are gone permanently. You can use a powerful data recovery software, such as Stellar Data Recovery for Windows to recover permanently lost or deleted data from your system.

This DIY software can recover data lost due to deletion, formatting, corruption, or malware attack. You can restore any data, including PPTs, Word documents, your precious photos, video files, and more. The software can recover data from Windows PC/laptops and external storage drives, such as HDD, SSD, USB drive, or SD card. To restore data from OneDrive, follow the given steps:

Note: If you have lost data, immediately stop using the device. If you keep using the device and adding data to it, it will overwrite the data, and there will be fewer chances for OneDrive data recovery.

a. Download and launch Stellar Data Recovery on your Windows system.

b. Select ‘Everything’ or the type of data you want to recover from the ‘Select What to Recover’ window. (See Image 5)

c. Choose the location/drive from where you lost the files, and click Scan on the ‘Recover from’ window. (See Image 6)

d. Select the files that you want to retrieve and click Recover. (See Image 7)

e. Click Browse to choose the desired location and then click Start-Saving to store the restored files. (See Image 8)

[Note: Always store the recovered files on a different location or drive partition to avoid data overwriting.]

Keep a Backup of your Backup

You may lose your OneDrive files or folders at any moment. To perform OneDrive data recovery, you may try effective methods shared in this method. However, it’s always better to have a backup of your files. You may use Windows built-in utilities, such as File History, Backup & Restore, and Previous Versions to create a backup of your system files. Moreover, if you use OneDrive to back up your files, always have a contingency plan – keep a backup of your backup in an external storage drive, such as HDD, SSD, USB, etc., leaving no chance for data loss.

And, in the worst-case scenario, if you happen to lose OneDrive files from your backup drives or permanently delete them from your Windows PC, you can use an efficient data recovery software, such as Stellar Data Recovery. This DIY software lets you retrieve files in all common data loss scenarios, such as deletion, formatting, corruption, etc.

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About The Author

Mansi Verma

Mansi Verma is a Senior Technology Writer at Stellar®. She is a Tech enthusiast, holding over a decade of experience in technical writing. She writes guides, articles, blogs and tips on Data Recovery, IoT, Artificial Intelligence, and Robotics. She loves providing DIY solutions to solve various Windows system related issues. In her spare time, she likes reading her favorite novels, and writing poetry. She is also an avid traveller.