Forum Discussion
can't restore deleted files because storage/bin is full with said files.
Hi everyone,
I'm using a university OneDrive account with a 50 GB storage limit; I was trying to empty my OneDrive onto an external hard drive to free up space. While doing this, I accidentally deleted some important files (around 60 GB in total). They're now in the OneDrive Recycle Bin, and I need to restore them because they're the only copies I have left.
The problem is that OneDrive won't let me restore them because my storage is full. It says I'm using 120 GB out of 50 GB, so I'm 70 GB over the limit.
However, the numbers don't seem to add up:
- My OneDrive folder's Properties on my PC show around 3 GB.
- The online Storage Metrics page shows only around 6.3 GB in my Documents folder, with very little space used by other visible folders.
Even if I deleted the remaining visible files, it wouldn't be enough to bring my usage below the 50 GB limit.
So I'm stuck in a loop: I need to restore the files to download them to my external drive, but OneDrive won't let me restore them because it's over quota. I can't find a way to download them directly from the Recycle Bin either.
I've contacted my university's IT support, but so far they've only suggested deleting more files, which doesn't solve the problem. I've asked whether they could restore the files as an administrator or temporarily increase my quota, but the IT guy said they cant do either of those things...
4 Replies
Since this is a university OneDrive account, it is actually a OneDrive for Business managed by your institution's Microsoft 365 administrators.
In this situation, only the university's Microsoft 365 administrators can fully investigate the storage allocation and determine whether the quota can be temporarily increased or whether the files can be recovered through administrative procedures. This is unlikely to be something that can be resolved solely from the user interface.How could you purposely upload so many files without getting warnings that your OneDrive is full? Usually, the Windows OneDrive app is responsible for causing this issue.
The OneDrive folder is located on your computer at C:\Users\username\OneDrive. Your files should be there and in the cloud as well. If your files are actively syncing, you can remove files from that folder to free up space on your computer and online. Right-click any files with cloud icons and select "Always keep on this device" before removing them.
If you remove enough files from OneDrive, you may be able to restore them from the online Recycle Bin.
Make sure you are signed into OneDrive at the blue cloud icon. Move files from your PC's OneDrive folder at C:\Users\username\"OneDrive for school" to your external drive. Do not move files to the Desktop, Documents, or Pictures folders if those folders are backing up to OneDrive.
At the very least, you will rescue some files and free up space in your OneDrive.
Then try selecting the first file in the Recycle Bin. Hold down the Shift key, scroll to the last file in the Recycle Bin, and select it. This should select all files in the Recycle Bin. Now click on "Restore" and give it a few hours.
hi,i forgot to mention that the situation that i got is all set in the web version of onedrive, so basically i dont have those files anywhere else apart from the onedrive online recycle bin, and i cant restore them from there because they're taking up too much space... basically stuck in a loop
