Tutorial: How to Recover A Deleted Folder in OneDrive

Can I recover deleted folders from OneDrive?

“I normally use OneDrive to back up my files and also sync my files between computers. But this morning, I found some of my folders deleted several months ago were still useful. Can I recover deleted folders from OneDrive?”

The answer is YES! You are able to recover deleted files and folders from OneDrive, for example, recover deleted photos from OneDrive. Then what is the stepwise tutorial? Keep reading!

How to recover a deleted folder in OneDrive [4 options]

In this part, we provide you with 4 options on how to recover a deleted folder in OneDrive.

Option 1. Restore deleted folders from OneDrive Recycle Bin

Normally, the folders and files you deleted in OneDrive will go to OneDrive Recycle Bin. Next, let’s see how to retrieve a deleted folder in OneDrive from the Recycle Bin.

Step 1. Navigate to the OneDrive and log into your OneDrive account.

Step 2. Click Recycle Bin on the left panel > Choose the files or folders you want to recover > Click Restore in the menu bar. This will restore the files or folders to their original location.

If you can't find any deleted files in the recycle bin, it's possible that they were moved to the Second-stage recycle bin 30 days after being deleted. Verify the bin below marked “Second-stage recycle bin”.

Step 1. Scroll down the Recycle Bin page > Click Second-stage recycle bin at the bottom.

Step 2. Select the files or folders you need to recover > Click Restore located at the top of the screen. All selected files will be restored to their original locations.

Option 2. Restore OneDrive to a previous time and get the deleted folder

OneDrive allows you to restore it to a previous time and get the already deleted files or folders back.

Step 1. Log in to your OneDrive account. Tap Settings > Select Restore your OneDrive option from the drop-down menu.

Step 2. On the next page, click the box under Select a date and choose a data before you have deleted the files or folders > Click Restore after finding the files or folders you want to restore.

Option 3. Get deleted folders in OneDrive from local folders

OneDrive is a cloud service. Typically, the folders and files in OneDrive are backups of the folders and files on your local computer. When you delete your folders and files in OneDrive, you only delete the backups, not the real folders and files. So you can get the folders and files from your local computer even if they have been deleted in OneDrive.

Step 1. Click the OneDrive icon in the System Tray, from the More menu, clicking Settings.

Step 2. Tap the Account tab > click the Choose folders button.

Step 3. Make a note of the location of the OneDrive folder in the lower left corner. Then go to File Explorer > navigate to your OneDrive folder.

Option 4. Recover deleted folders from OneDrive with a professional tool

If you can’t find the files and folders in neither the OneDrive Recycle Bin nor the local computer, you need the help of a professional data recovery tool, for example, the freeware MyRecover. It has the following benefits:

Simple. It takes only three easy steps to recover lost or deleted folders from Windows.

Overall. It can recover data from formatted drives, corrupted partitions, system crashes, virus attacks, and other Windows data loss scenarios.

Efficient. It quickly recovers deleted folders at a high success rate.

Compatible. It supports NTFS, FAT32, exFAT, and ReFS file systems recovery on  Windows 11/10/8/7 and Windows Server.

Let’s see how to restore deleted folder on OneDrive with MyRecover. Before starting, download, install and launch MyRecover on your computer.

Step 1. Hover the mouse over the drive, and click Scan.

Step 2. Then the scanning process will start automatically. You don’t need to wait for the process to complete if you find the folders you want to recover. You can also type in the file name on the upper right search box to find the file you need quickly.

Step 3. Select the folders you want to restore. Click Recover xx files.

Closing words

This post primarily introduces 4 options on how to recover a deleted folder in OneDrive. You can recover your folders by going to the OneDrive Recycle Bin, restoring your OneDrive to a previous version, or finding the folders on your local computer. We highly recommend the last free file recovery tool, MyRecover, to save you time and effort.