Forum Discussion
One Drive Data recovery
I have deleted my One Drive completely almost 7 weeks ago. This was an intentional clean-up, but secured by a backup on a real SSD disk.
And now that SSD disk had gone, and that was unintentional.
Is there any way i can recover my data ? The data flies were only available online and never synced with my MacBook.
1 Reply
- Jason_MBrass Contributor
There may still be a chance if this was a work or school OneDrive account. Seven weeks is about 49 days, so the account type matters:
- Personal OneDrive: deleted files are normally kept in the recycle bin for 30 days.
- Work or school OneDrive: they are normally retained for 93 days from the original deletion, unless permanently deleted earlier.
Check this now:
- Sign in to OneDrive in a browser and open Recycle bin. Select the files and choose Restore if they are there.
- For a work or school account, check the second-stage recycle bin if the first is empty. Contact your Microsoft 365 administrator if you cannot access it. The 93 days cover both stages together; moving between them does not restart the clock.
- If both bins are empty, ask your administrator whether your organization has a retention policy or Microsoft 365 backup that preserved the files. Availability depends on what was configured.
The Restore your OneDrive feature only rolls back changes within the last 30 days, so it would not reach a deletion seven weeks ago.
If this was personal OneDrive and the recycle bin has expired, there is no standard self-service recovery option left. Since the files were never downloaded to your Mac, recovery software on the Mac will not recover their contents.
Also, “deleted my OneDrive completely” could mean clearing its files or closing the Microsoft account itself. If you closed the account, try signing in immediately: reopening may still be possible within the 30- or 60-day waiting period you selected.
If the SSD is still physically available but has failed or been erased, stop using it and have its recovery options assessed. SSD recovery is not guaranteed, especially after TRIM.