Restore a previous version of a file stored in OneDrive (2024)

FAQs

Restore a previous version of a file stored in OneDrive? ›

Sign in to OneDrive with your personal Microsoft account or your work or school account. Select the file that you want to restore to an earlier version (you can only restore one file at a time), right-click, then select Version history.

In the navigation pane, select Recycle bin. Select the files or folders you want to restore by pointing to each item and clicking the circle check box that appears, and then click Restore.

Right-click the file or folder, and then select Restore previous versions. You'll see a list of available previous versions of the file or folder. The list will include files saved on a backup (if you're using Windows Backup to back up your files) as well as restore points, if both types are available.

With version history, you can see and restore older versions of your files stored in OneDrive or SharePoint. Version history works with all file types, including Microsoft 365 files, PDFs, CAD files, photos, videos, and more.

With File History, you can create backups to any storage device. However, in addition to a local storage device, you may want to use a cloud drive like OneDrive as the backup destination in File History. But generally, File History only provides options like external hard drives, network drives, or USB flash drives.

Enable File History. As mentioned earlier, the error “there are no previous versions available” usually appears when you have not turned on File History. To fix that error, you need to enable File History to make a backup of your files using File History first.

Use your File History backup to restore it. Go to Settings > Update & Security > Backup and click the More options link. Scroll down to the bottom of the File History window and click Restore files from a current backup.

How many previous versions does OneDrive keep? ›

The version history function in OneDrive allows you to view and restore the 500 latest versions of the file.

If you give another user access to the OneDrive, that user will have 30 days by default to access and download the files they want to keep.

Locate Recycle Bin

Log into the Microsoft Portal (http://portal.office.com). Click on the OneDrive icon. Notice the Recycle Bin in the left navigation. Click the Files icon to see all of your files and folders.

To do this, go to the OneDrive website, click on the "Recycle Bin" option in the left-hand menu, and look for the files you want to recover. If you find them, select them and click on the "Restore" button to recover them.

Please sign in OneDrive online and check the files version history and check if you can recover these files. If you can't recover these files, please try to restore your OneDrive via Settings > Restore your OneDrive, and check if you can restore these files.

On the backup tab, click Manage backup. Click Stop Backup besides all the folders which are checked. Click Got it. This should stop the syncing of all the folders.

Recover Permanently Deleted Files on OneDrive

If 93 days have elapsed, or if the Second-stage Recycle Bin has been emptied, you have lost your data forever, unless it is placed in Litigation Hold or Microsoft 365 archival/retention has been set up.

Files deleted from OneDrive are kept in the OneDrive Recycle Bin for 30 days for personal accounts. The files can be restored to OneDrive before then, or you can permanently delete them from your OneDrive. Note: If your recycle bin is full, the oldest items will be automatically deleted after three days.

The default is 30 days. During this time, other users can still access shared content. At the end of the time period, the OneDrive remains in a deleted state for 93 days and can only be restored by a SharePoint Administrator.

Replies (1) 

Right-click the OneDrive icon on the right side of the taskbar > Settings > Sync and backup > Advanced Settings > Files On-Demand > Download all files. This will download all your files to the computer. After downloading all files, on "Sync and backup", select "Manage Backup" > Turn off all options.