[SOLVED] OneDrive Deleting Files Automatically

You can easily fix the “OneDrive deleting files automatically” issues in 4 useful methods and get your data back, even permanently deleted, with stepwise tutorials. Scroll down to explore more.

Ivy

By Ivy / Updated on April 10, 2025

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Why is Microsoft OneDrive deleting files automatically?

“Hello. I have an issue that OneDrive deleting files automatically. I get a message stating that I recently deleted a ton of files. I haven't. I tried to restore files but in vain. Why does OneDrive delete my files? How to recover my files and fix this problem? Please help me!”” - Question from Kara 

OneDrive

The issue “OneDrive deleted my files” is commonly reported these days. It may indicate your hard drive is corrupted with bad sectors. Besides, outdated OneDrive clients, pending system updates, system file errors, etc.can also trigger this problem.

No matter what situation you encounter, we will help you recover deleted or missing files and stop OneDrive from deleting files in 4  useful ways.

⛅Recover OneDrive deleted files

  • For deleted files, always check the Recycle Bin folder.  Option 1
  • You can also restore your OneDrive to a previous time. Option 2
  • If not, your files may be deleted permanently, try data recovery software directly. Option 3
Stop OneDrive from deleting files You can try to check your drive for bad sectors, update clients, etc. Learn more >>

How to restore OneDrive deleted files [⏳Immediate Action]

Before troubleshooting “OneDrive files deleted automatically”, the most important thing is to recover the lost files. There are 3 feasible ways for you to choose from.

✨Tip: Before operations, we recommend you backup files present in your local OneDrive folder and move them to someplace safe (but not in a OneDrive folder) to avoid extra data loss.

Option 1. Restore deleted files from the Recycle bin

Whenever you want to recover deleted files, the first thing is to check the Recycle bin, either on local system or online.

Step 1. Right-click the OneDrive icon from the system’s tray, and click More > Settings.

OneDrive Settings

Step 2. Select the Account tab and click Unlink this PC. (Repeat the same process on your other PCs that are linked with the same OneDrive account)

Unlink this PC

Step 3. Exit the OneDrive application and check your system Recycle bin. If the deleted files appear, right-click it to Restore.

Click Restore

If not, try to restore files from OneDrive Recycle bin.

Step 1. Go to OneDrive website and log in your account.

Step 2. Click Recycle bin from the left panel. Tick the files and click Restore.

OneDrive Recycle Bin Restore

Option 2. Restore OneDrive to previous date

You can also restore OneDrive to a previous time to get deleted files back. This operation will roll back not only deleted files but all other files at once, we recommend you create a backup of the files you don’t want to revert.

Step 1. Open your OneDrive account, click Settings > Restore your OneDrive.

Restore Your OneDrive

Step 2. Choose a date that your files have not been deleted yet, and click Restore.

OneDrive Previous Time Excel

Option 3. Recover OneDrive deleted files locally via software (for Permanent Deletion)

If both two methods do not work, your files may be deleted permanently. You need to employ a free yet professional recovery tool like AOMEI FastRecovery that can help you retrieve OneDrive automatically deleted files on the local system. 

AOMEI FastRecovery
Why Choose AOMEI FastRecovery?
  • With a user-friendly interface, all users can use it easily and quickly.
  • Integrate Quick Scan & Deep Scan modes to find files quickly without omissions and has a high success rate.
  • Recover deleted or lost documents (e.g. recover deleted Word files), photos, videos, compressed files, etc.
  • Search, filter, preview, and recover files while scanning, greatly saving your precious time.
  • recover specific files or folders instead of all.
  • Work perfectly with NTFS, FAT32, exFAT, and ReFS file systems.
  •  It has a free edition that can recover data over 500MB.

Download the free version right now and follow the next steps to get your files back. It is 100% secure and trustworthy with a virus-free guarantee.

Step 1. Install and open AOMEI FastRecovery. Then, hover the mouse over the drive you want to recover files from and click Scan.

External Hard Drive Start Scan

Step 2. The software will quickly scan your drive to find lost data. To get the best result, it's suggested to wait until the process is complete. You can try the following options to find files quickly and preview them.

  • 🔎Search box: Directly type the file name or extension in the search box. It’s recommended to recover specific files or folders.
  • 🔽Filter: Click the funnel-shaped button to specify the data type and its size (<128KB, 128KB~1MB, etc.) to narrow your search.
  • 👁‍🗨Preview: Double-click the file or click the Preview button to check out clear thumbnails, including,ico, jpg, png, bmp, jpeg, tif, svg, gif, ico, mp4, mp3, txt, xlsx, pdf, ini, docx, etc.

External Hard Drive Scanning

Step 3. Tick all the files you want to restore and click Recover. Please select a new location to save the recovered files to avoid data overwriting. If you don't find the desired data, click the Deep Scan button to scan the disk thoroughly.

External Hard Drive Recover Files

 Try it if OneDrive deleting files automatically! With it, you can recover deleted files in Windows 11, 10, 8, 7, and servers.

Download Software Windows 11/10/8/7/Server
Secure Download

How to stop OneDrive from deleting files [4️⃣ options]

When you successfully get back the files, it’s time to fix “OneDrive deleting files automatically” to avoid data loss again.

Option 1: Check your OneDrive settings

Sometimes Microsoft OneDrive deletes data related to its settings and how you set it up.

  • Double-check while deleting files. By default, it performs a two-way sync. If you delete files on your computer, they will also be deleted online. And vice versa. You can also enable notifications to double-check. 
  • Carefully set up OneDrive folder protection backups. If you enable and disable the backup feature later, files in these folders will remain in OneDrive but stop syncing to your local folders.
  • Disable File On-Demand (if necessary). If you enable File On-Demand and set it as online-only, they will not display on your computer. You can disable it and save your files locally.
  • Renew or pay for space timely. If your subscription expires and is not renewed within 90 days, your data will be permanently deleted. Also, if you exceed the storage limit (3-month free tier or 12-month paid tier), files may be deleted or locked.

Option 2. Check your hard drive for bad sectors

How to stop OneDrive from automatically deleting files? This problem is mainly caused by corrupted hard drive, so at the beginning, you need to check your hard drive for bad sectors.

Step 1. Search for “cmd” and select Run as administrative.

Step 2. Enter “chkdsk #: /f /r/x” (enter the letter of the disk you want to check instead of #)

CHKDSK g f r x

Step 3. Wait for the process to complete and restart your computer.

Option 3. Update OneDrive client

It may not work properly if you are using an outdated version. In this case, updating the OneDrive client may solve this problem.

Step 1. Go to Control Panel > Programs > Programs and Features, right-click Microsoft OneDrive, and click Uninstall. 

Update Microsoft OneDrive

Step 2. Click Yes to confirm you want to uninstall OneDrive.

Step 3. Go to the OneDrive download page and click the Download button. Wait until the process is complete, install it, and sign in with your OneDrive account.

Download OneDrive

Option 4. Check for Windows Update

If there are any pending system updates or encounter errors during Windows Update, you may find the OneDrive deleting files automatically issue. So please make sure your operating system is updated.

Step 1. Navigate to Settings, click Update & Security > Windows Update,

Step 2. Click Check for updates, and then install any available updates.

View Update History

Step 3. Reboot your computer to confirm the update.

Conclusion

How to fix OneDrive deleting files automatically? You can try 4 useful methods above to stop OneDrive from deleting files. But when it comes to affected files or even buggy Windows updates, various file damage may trigger more crucial problems, in this case, it’s important to use a professional recovery tool like AOMEI FastRecovery to get the files back in time.

Download Software Windows 11/10/8/7/Server

Secure Download

It’s also necessary to employ a Windows Backup software that only backs up your data and does not delete any of them. AOMEI Backupper Standard is recommended. It allows you to select any files you want to backup and specify a backup destination to save them. The process is singular.

Ivy
Ivy · Editor
Ivy is an editor of AOMEI Technology, she covers backup & restore,hard disk & partitions management and cloud files transfer and so on for AOMEI. She is an outgoing girl and enjoys helping people find solutions to their problems. She loves traveling, eating, reading and so on. She usually hangs out with friends at her leisure time.