You are able to recover files from your OneDrive in the event you accidentally delete or modify them via the OneDrive recycle bin or through previous versions of files.


The steps for each type of recovery are detailed below.


Please note IT will not be able to recover files on your behalf but can provide assistance if required.


Recover a deleted file


OneDrive will move deleted files into the OneDrive recycle bin and can be recovered for 90 days from when they were deleted, or until the recycle bin is manually emptied.


Beyond 90 days it is not possible for a user or IT to recover files from the recycle bin


To recover a deleted item from the recycle bin do the following:-


  • Click the OneDrive icon in your notification area (bottom right of your screen) shown below. 



  •  If you do not see the icon you may need to expand the notification area by clicking the up arrow show below



  • Click the Recycle Bin icon



  • This will open the OneDrive recycle bin in a web browser window (if prompted, login with your NHSMail credentials)
  • It will display a list of deleted files in date order of when the files were deleted
  • Click the file you wish to restore and they will show a blue tick to indicate they are selected (you can use CTRL+Click and SHIFT+Click to select multiple files if required)
  • Click the Restore icon on the top bar



  • The file will be restored to its original location



If the file you are trying to recover has only just been deleted it may take a few seconds to appear in the recycle bin.  If it is not available try refreshing the recycle bin page



Recover a file to an older version


If you have accidentally modified a OneDrive file or want to recover to a previous version you can use the previous versions feature of OneDrive to do so


Up to 100 previous versions are retained of every file and you can revert back to any of these versions using the steps below


A new version is added when you save and close a file within Word/Excel/Powerpoint desktop app or every 30 minutes when editing a document in a web browser


  • Click the OneDrive icon in your notification area (bottom right of your screen) shown below. 



  •  If you do not see the icon you may need to expand the notification area by clicking the up arrow show below



  • Click the View Online icon to open OneDrive online in a web browser



  • Click My Files in the left hand menu to open your OneDrive files browser
  • Navigate to the file which you wish to restore to a previous version
  • Hover the mouse over the file and click the 3 dots menu as highlighted below



  • Click Version History from the popup menu
  • You will be shown all versions of the file including the last modified date as shown below



  • Click the 3 dots menu of the version you wish to recover to and choose any of the following options
    • Open File - This will allow you to view the version of the file to confirm it is version you require, without completing a recovery
    • Restore Version - This will restore this version of the file as a new version - Remember this will count towards the 100 available versions of a file
    • Delete Version - This will delete the chosen version of a file
  • Choose restore version to create anew version based on the selected version.