File recovery possible after being deleted from recycle bin?

Hi Emmetry, I am an independent advisor, trying to help other users in the Community with my experience in Microsoft products. Please note that I am a user like you and don't work directly for Microsoft. It may be still possible to recover your deleted files, however, it depends on when your files were deleted. Please try the following options: 1. Check the Second-stage Recycle Bin (For SharePoint and OneDrive for Business): If your account is associated with a business or educational institution, there's a second recycle bin, known as the site collection recycle bin, where deleted items go after being removed from the first recycle bin. You can check there if your files are still available. The path to access this varies depending on your setup but generally, you'll find it in the SharePoint admin center or by asking your SharePoint admin. 2. Contact Support: For both personal and business accounts, Microsoft support can sometimes recover files after they've been removed from the recycle bin. This is more likely to be successful if the deletion was recent (typically within the last 14 to 30 days for personal accounts and up to 93 days for some business accounts). Personal Accounts: Use the Microsoft support website or the support option within your OneDrive account to get in touch and request assistance. Business or Enterprise Accounts: Your IT department or Office 365 administrator can contact Microsoft support on your behalf. They have tools and access that might be able to recover the deleted files. 3. Use File Recovery Software (For Locally Synced Folders): If the files were synced to a local computer before deletion and you haven't written new data to the hard drive since then, recovery software might be able to recover the files. There are many third-party data recovery tools available (like Disk Drill, Recuva, EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard, etc.). Be cautious and choose software with good reviews to avoid further data loss. 4. Check Other Devices or Backups: If you had your OneDrive account synced with other devices that have not yet been connected to the internet after the deletion, you might find your files there. Also, check if you have any backups (external hard drives, other cloud services) where these files might be stored. The sooner you attempt to recover the files, the better your chances of success. Over time, data can be overwritten or purged from systems. Please note, that when using third-party recovery services or software, be aware of data protection and privacy concerns. Ensure you're using trusted too I would appreciate your feedback. Kindly note that this is a user-to-user forum, we are users helping other users, we aren't Microsoft employees and neither are we Microsoft agents. Best regards, Amadeusz

Thanks for replying Amadeusz

Just having a bit of trouble contacting the people to request this, any tips?

Hi Emmetry, Thank you for reaching out. My name is Furkaan, a user just like you. I’d be happy to help you with your concerns. Have you tried to restore from OneDrive Version History: OneDrive automatically keeps previous versions of files and folders. This might be your best shot. Check OneDrive's support page for specific instructions on how to restore from version history https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/restore-a-previous-version-of-a-file-stored-in-onedrive-159cad6d-d76e-4981-88ef-de6e96c93893. If you have any additional questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out. Give back to the Community. Help the next person who has this issue by indicating if this reply solved your problem. Click Yes or No below. Best Regards, Furkaan

Yes, file recovery is possible even after deletion from the recycle bin. When you delete a file from the recycle bin, it's not permanently erased from the storage device. Instead, the space it occupies is marked as available for new data. Until new data overwrites the deleted file, it can often be recovered using professional data recovery software. The key is to act quickly and avoid writing new data to the storage device to maximize the chances of a successful recovery.