Recovering Deleted Files from OneDrive on PC and Mac

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Restore deleted files on OneDrive with this comprehensive guide

Written by Hannah Dillon

Last Updated: April 1, 2026 Fact Checked

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OneDrive Recycle Bin

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PC Recycle Bin

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Mac Trash

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Restore OneDrive

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File History (Windows)

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If you accidentally deleted a file in OneDrive, you might worry it's gone forever. Thankfully, there are some ways to recover deleted files from OneDrive. In this article, we'll go over a few ways you can restore deleted files on OneDrive for Windows and Mac. Read on to learn more.

Ways to Restore OneDrive Files

Open the recycle bin in OneDrive, select the items you want to restore, and click Restore (OneDrive).
On a Mac, open the trash, select the items you want to restore, CTRL-click, and select Put Back.
If you have an M365 subscription, open OneDrive and go to Settings > Options > Restore OneDrive.
If you had File History set up in Windows, you can use it to restore old files.

Method 1

Method 1 of 5:

Recovering from the OneDrive Recycle Bin

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1
Open OneDrive in your web browser. If you're not signed in, do so now with your Microsoft account or your work or school account.
- If you deleted something from OneDrive online, it will stay in your recycle bin for a period of time. If you are using a personal account, deleted items will stay in the recycle bin for 30 days. If you're using a work or school account, deleted items will stay in the recycle bin for 93 days.
2
Click the trash icon in the sidebar. This will open the OneDrive recycle bin.

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3
Select each item you want to restore. Point to each item you want to restore, then click the circular check box that appears. A blue check mark will be added next to each item you select.
4
Click Restore. This button is near the top of the screen and has a left-facing arrow icon. Once you click Restore, the items you selected will be restored to their original locations in OneDrive.^{[1]
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Method 2

Method 2 of 5:

Recovering from Your PC's Recycle Bin

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1
Open the Recycle Bin. You can do this from the desktop, or by searching recycle bin in the taskbar search bar.
- If you deleted a OneDrive file from your computer, it is likely still in the Recycle Bin on your PC. This method only works with locally available files and always available files. Online-only files cannot be restored this way.
2
Locate the file. You can sort the Recycle Bin to make it easier to find the file. Just click on one of the columns (such as "Name" or "Date Deleted") to sort the files. You can also use the search bar in the upper-right corner if you remember all or part of the file's name.
3
Select the file(s) you want to restore. If you have multiple files you want to recover, you can select multiple by holding down Ctrl while clicking on each file.
- If you want to restore everything in the Recycle Bin, click Restore all items at the top of the window.
4
Click Restore the selected items. The files will be returned to the folder they were in before deletion. For example, if you deleted something from your Documents folder and you restore it from the Recycle Bin, it will go back into your Documents folder.

Method 3

Method 3 of 5:

Recovering from Your Mac's Trash

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By default, it's in the dock at the bottom of your screen. The icon looks like a trash can.
2
Select the file(s) you want to restore. If you have multiple files you want to recover, you can select multiple by holding down ⌘ Cmd while clicking on each file.
3
CTRL-click the selected file(s). This will open a contextual menu. If you selected multiple files, just CTRL-click on one of them.
4
Click Put Back. The file(s) will immediately be restored to their original location on your Mac.^{[2]
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Method 4

Method 4 of 5:

Restore OneDrive

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1
Open OneDrive in your web browser. If you're not signed in, do so now with your Microsoft account or your work or school account.
- Note: Restoring your OneDrive completely is only available to Microsoft 365 subscribers. If you use the free version of OneDrive, you won't be able to use this method.
2
Click Settings. It's at the top of the screen, and it has a gear icon.
3
Click Options > Restore your OneDrive. The Restore your OneDrive option is in the left-hand sidebar.
4
Choose a date from the dropdown list. You can choose any date between today's date and 30 days prior. You can choose between Yesterday, One week ago, Three weeks ago, and Custom date and time. If you know the exact date you need to restore your OneDrive to, choose Custom date and time.
5
Check whether the file deletion appears in the activity chart. Once you choose a day to restore your OneDrive to, you can check the daily activity chart to ensure that the file you want to restore was actually deleted during that timeframe. If you don't see it, try a different restoration date.
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Click Restore. Your OneDrive will begin to restore your files.^{[3]
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- If a file was permanently deleted from the OneDrive recycle bin, it won't be restored.
- Any files created after the restore point date will be sent to the recycle bin.

Method 5

Method 5 of 5:

Using File History (Windows)

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1
Configure File History. Unfortunately, you must configure File History before you can use it. If you've already deleted your files, File History won't be able to help you restore them. Also, note that this method only works with locally available files and always available files. Online-only files cannot be restored this way. Here's how to configure File History:
- Connect an external drive to your computer where you want to save your backups.
  - If you don't have an external hard drive, the only other option is to select a network location. Unfortunately, you cannot use File History if you only have one drive.
- Open the Control Panel.
- Click System and Security.
  - If you don't see this option, change the "View by" selection to Category.
- Click Save backup copies of your files with File History. It's under the "File History" heading.
- Click Turn on to enable File History.
  - To change the drive you save to, click Select drive in the left-hand sidebar.
  - To change which folders are included when saving files, click Exclude folders in the left-hand sidebar. You can add folders to the list by navigating to them, right-clicking them, and choosing Show more options > Include in library.
2
Navigate to the folder that held the deleted file(s). You can do this in File Explorer. File Explorer is pinned to your taskbar by default, and has an icon of a yellow folder.
3
Right-click the folder and select Restore previous versions. If the file was in a top-level folder (such as C:), right-click the drive in the sidebar to find the Restore previous versions option.
4
Choose a previous version of the folder to restore from. Make sure the restoration point captures when the file was in that folder. For example, if you deleted a file today that you created yesterday, you'll want to choose a restoration point from before the deletion, but after the file was created (such as one from earlier in the day).
5
Click Restore. If you don't want to overwrite the current version, click the dropdown next to the Restore button and click Restore to… to select a location to restore that folder to.^{[4]
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- If you choose to replace a folder with an older version to restore a file, any new files you saved to that folder since the restoration point you chose will be deleted, and that deletion can't be undone. If you have new files you want to save, it's best to restore the folder to a different location.