Does unlinking OneDrive delete files? If not, then why are OneDrive files missing? Check our post to find answers and recover lost OneDrive files easily.
Will my files get deleted if I unlink OneDrive?
All my normal files were thrown in the trash folder and replaced with ones with a green checkmark, will my stuff get deleted if I unlink OneDrive?
- Question from Microsoft Community
Windows users, especially Microsoft 365 users, often use OneDrive for syncing and sharing files. However, with only 5 GB of free storage, many choose to stop using it.
After unlinking or disabling OneDrive, some users report missing files, with concerns like "OneDrive deleted all my files".
This leads to the question: Does unlinking OneDrive delete files? In this article, we’ll explain what happens when you unlink OneDrive, why files may disappear, and how to recover OneDrive files.
Does unlinking OneDrive delete files? In terms of “unlinking”, we are talking about unlinking/dissociating the OneDrive app from your PC.
In fact, unlinking WILL NOT affect your OneDrive account at all. It is similar to signing out from an app, and all the info is still kept in the account.
Results of unlinking
That is to say, all your files previously stored in the OneDrive will STAY on the OneDrive cloud. You can happily access them whenever you want just by signing in to your account on the OneDrive website.
Therefore, for those who have OneDrive files missing from their storage space after unlinking, they could figure out if something else led to this issue.
Then, why did your OneDrive files get disappeared?
Several viable solutions are ready to assist you in getting back your missing files. Before trying to recover deleted or lost files, it will be better to check if your files are still available online.
>> Visit OneDrive.com > log in to your account > see if you can access your wanted files.
If not, check the following 5 methods.
If your files are permanently deleted, directly go to the "Method 5" to recover permanently deleted files using this free and efficient Windows data recovery tool.
Multiple accounts’ users may have logged into an incorrect one. If so, maybe your files are in another account.
>> Click the Account Manager button > click Sign in with a different account > log in to other accounts > see if your wanted files are there.
Since now you cannot access your OneDrive desktop version, you can go to OneDrive.com and search for the files to see if they were genuinely lost.
>> Log in > input the filename/extension of the files if you can still recall. Also, you could filter the searched files by Type/Date.
Shared files and folders are only available with the permission of the owner. Once they remove you from the folder/delete the shared folder, the folder will be inaccessible to you.
>> Contact the owner to see if they can add you or share the files with you again.
Deletion can be the biggest reason for data loss. Though it might not be removed by you. A bunch of Dropbox users has complained about Dropbox deleting files automatically.
Similarly, if you have logged into your OneDrive account on multiple devices without signing out when leaving, your files might get removed by others.
If so, you could manually recover files deleted from OneDrive recycle bin.
Step 1. Visit the OneDrive website > sign in > click the menu button > Recycle bin.
Step 2. Choose the removed files > click Restore.
It is also feasible to recover a deleted folder in OneDrive from this trash bin.
As is known, the files are only available in OneDrive to recycle bin within 30 days. If you cannot find your target files in the bin, your files might have been permanently deleted.
Since it is difficult for ordinary users to get permanently removed OneDrive files back, it will be easier for users to choose an efficient Windows data recovery app to help them. Lucikly, MyRecover, equipped with advanced scanning techs and features, is trustworthy in data recovery. It allows you recover deleted and missing files in 3 simple steps with a high success rate.
Step 1. Install and run MyRecover > Hover the mouse over the drive saved deleted files before, and click Scan.
Step 2. Search and sort the files by Date modified, Type, Size, Path, etc.
Step 3. Go to Deleted files > head over to the OneDrive folder > select files you need > click Recover x files.
This way, you can also recover deleted photos from OneDrive.
MyRecover allow youto recover permanently deleted files from OneDrive up to 500MB in total. To recover unlimited files, try advanced editions.
After excluding unlinking, we could find several culprits.
Now, with the question “Does unlinking OneDrive delete files?” solved, we could head towards solutions to help you recover lost files from OneDrive.
This article answers users' question, “Does unlinking OneDrive delete files?”. If you noticed OneDrive files missing from the drive after unlinking, there must be other problems. You may have logged in to another account, lost a shared folder, deleted the files accidentally, etc.
Check out this post to fix it and restore lost OneDrive files in a breeze. To recover deleted or lost OneDrive files effectively, we recommend you try a powerful and professional data recovery software like MyRecover. It can also help you recover OneDrive files missing after sync. Try the free version first and recover 500MB of data for free.
